"In The Pursuit of Happiness in Times of War, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Carl M. Cannon shows how the single phrase "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" is one of remarkable historical power. From the Revolutionary War to the War on Terrorism, Americans have lived out this creed with the help of their elected leaders, who in times of conflict inevitably hark back to Jefferson's exalted language.

Cannon traces the roots of "the pursuit of happiness" and explores how wartime presidents have embraced it for two centuries. He draws on original research and interviews with Presidents Ford, Carter, Bush (41), and Clinton, among others, and has uncovered exactly what this phrase means to these presidents.

Cannon charts how Americans' understanding of the pursuit of happiness has changed through the years as the nation itself has changed."--Jacket.