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NICK’S VIEW - I believe in the American Dream because I have lived it. It is a powerful idea that anyone, regardless of where they begin, can build a better life through hard work, opportunity, and freedom.
When Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence that all people have “unalienable rights” — including life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness — he helped establish a society grounded in opportunity, self-determination, and upward mobility. He did not promise happiness itself but upheld the freedom to pursue it.
This was revolutionary! It rejected hereditary privilege and affirmed that birth should not define a person’s future. The pursuit of happiness means the freedom to shape one’s life without unjust interference, supported by opportunity and guided by personal and civic responsibility.
In 2025, prominent American historian Walter Isaacson wrote in his book, The Greatest Sentence Ever Written, is “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among them are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Jefferson’s sentence captures the moral foundation of the United States in only a few words, expressing the universal ideals that continue to shape the American Dream. Its simplicity masks a radical claim for its time, that all people are equal and possess inherent rights.
July 4, 2026, marks 250 years since the Declaration of Independence was adopted and the United States declared itself a free nation. But this anniversary is more than a milestone birthday; it is a time for reflection and renewal.
I believe that as we reflect on the Declaration’s great sentence, we are reminded that pilgrims and immigrants from varied backgrounds were bound together as one nation. People with different beliefs and experiences found common ground and embraced shared aspirations.
The national archives tell us that forty‑eight of the fifty‑six signers of the Declaration of Independence were born on American soil and eight were born in foreign territories.
This renowned sentence in the Declaration shaped the core of the American Dream—the belief that equality and natural rights give every person the freedom to pursue happiness, improve their circumstances, and shape their own future.
Growing up in Greece, I saw America with optimism and affection—as a country that cared. I knew firsthand of the Marshall Plan’s role in rebuilding war-torn regions and restoring prosperity, and I personally experienced the food and hope delivered through CARE packages to people facing starvation. In postwar Europe, more people died from malnutrition than had died in battle.
America seemed to me a free and prosperous nation—one generous enough to share its quality education with students from abroad and offer extensive career opportunities to those who worked hard. As a young student, I studied the Declaration in History class, never imagining that a few years later I would live out its promise.
At 17, I was thrilled to receive a foreign student visa that allowed me to earn a degree in Electrical Engineering from California State University in Northridge and later start my own consulting firm. Grateful for the opportunities I had received, I sought to give back to Los Angeles through 40 years of public service.
The American Dream evolved as generations of Americans broadened the Declaration’s promise of equality and natural rights. Each generation gave new meaning to “all men are created equal,” turning a philosophical principle into a national aspiration.
Of course, today’s polarization has wounded the American Dream, but it remains alive. Americans still believe in opportunity, and that hard work can build a better life, that children can rise beyond their parents’ circumstances, and that freedom allows each person to define happiness for themselves.
I strongly believe immigration keeps the American Dream alive. Immigrants’ faith in that dream brings optimism that continually renews the nation’s ideals. But we must rebuild a shared civic foundation strong enough to survive polarization.
Polarization does more than divide people. It undermines the conditions that make opportunity possible. It erodes trust, weakens the idea of a shared future, something that is evident in Los Angeles through failures in homelessness, housing, affordability, infrastructure, and city governance.
The American Dream cannot survive when discrimination shapes opportunity, dignity, or belonging. It depends on shared possibilities, while intolerance depends on exclusion. Equality is our common moral foundation, and when any group is treated as less equal, that foundation weakens for everyone.
Most interesting for me is that Jefferson was directly influenced by the ancient Greek philosopher, Epicurus, who lived during the Hellenistic Age, which began after Alexander the Great’s death in 323 BCE. That is where “the pursuit of happiness” originated. Scholars persist that Jefferson’s political philosophy, educational vision, and the Declaration’s rights language all reflect Epicurean principles.
“I too am an Epicurean” is one of the most revealing sentences Jefferson said, and he wrote it in a letter to his protégé William Short, in 1819. It wasn’t a casual remark. Jefferson meant it literally. He believed Epicurus offered the most rational, humane, and liberty‑centered moral philosophy available to the modern world.
Epicurus taught that happiness comes from reason, freedom from fear, freedom from tyranny, prudence, temperance, fortitude, and Jefferson took these ideas and translated them into political language.
As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of America, we must dedicate ourselves to preserving the American Dream. To do so requires a sustained effort. We must maintain it as a living system and not assume it will endure on its own as a myth. When inequality, polarization, or distrust weaken its foundations, the Dream shrinks; when those foundations are strengthened, it expands.
For Jefferson, one of Epicurus’ most important teachings was that “it is impossible to live pleasantly without living wisely, honorably, and justly.” Epicurus saw happiness as inseparable from virtue, and Jefferson believed a republic depended on citizens virtuous enough to govern themselves.
Happy Birthday, America. May your wisdom continue to grow and be shared.
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(Nick Patsaouras is an electrical engineer, civic leader, and a longtime public advocate. He ran for Mayor in 1993 with a focus on rebuilding L.A. through transportation after the 1992 civil unrest. He has served on major public boards, including the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Metro, and the Board of Zoning Appeals, helping guide infrastructure and planning policy in Los Angeles. He is the author of the book "The Making of Modern Los Angeles.")
