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Question 11 of 128 American Government

The words “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” are in what founding document?

Answers USCIS accepts

  • Declaration of Independence

Give any one of these answers at your interview.

The words “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” are in the Declaration of Independence.

What it means

These famous words come from the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence (1776). They describe rights that every person is born with and that government should protect.

Do not confuse it with the Constitution. The Declaration is about freedom and rights; the Constitution is the plan for the government.

Declaration of Independence painting by John Trumbull showing the Committee of Five presenting the draft to Congress in 1776
Declaration of Independence (1819), by John Trumbull. U.S. Capitol Rotunda. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Memory tip: Life, Liberty, Happiness = Declaration (the 1776 “freedom” document).

Quiz yourself

The words “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” are in what founding document?

Multiple choice is for study only. The real civics test is spoken: the officer asks, you answer out loud.

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Official source: USCIS M-1778 (09/25), 128 Civics Questions and Answers (2025 version). Last checked: .