Yes, it’s true. I’m very glad though that it is still clearly spelled out in the Declaration of Independence that it is my God-given right to do so.

Thomas Jefferson apparently never explained why he explicitly called out this particular right, although according to this site, he was most assuredly influenced by George Mason’s Virginia Declaration of Rights. I always thought it was a very human touch to assert insert happiness into such an austere political declaration. And I always thought it a brilliant touch to say we have a right to pursue happiness, but not a right of happiness itself. In that way, the Declaration differs actually differs from the Virginia Declaration of Rights which includes “the enjoyment of life and liberty, with the means of acquiring and possessing property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety.” So in Virginia, they have to right both to pursue and obtain both happiness and safety. I’m glad that Jefferson decided to leave out the obtaining and the safety part. The right to pursue safety is rather baked into our DNA and sorry, Mr. Mason, our Creator did not guarantee that we would obtain either. In this way, our brilliant and spare founding document differs from so many modern declarations of human rights which make declarations of tangible things that people should be given if they don’t have them: food, clean water, shelter, health care. And now, apparently, the right to go through life un-aggrieved.