We have the Founding Fathers to thank for founding America. The Founding Fathers was a group of wealthy plantation workers and businessmen who united 13 warring colonies and fought for independence from the British. They wrote the governing documents that make up the country to this day.
The Founders were highly competent leaders, producing the U.S. Constitution and then later the Bill of Rights, which encapsulated civil rights into law and were instructional guides for democracies that emerged. Let’s look at the 8 prominent Founding Fathers.
George Washington
Many know George Washington for having fought against the British and later became the “Father of His Country”. However, he used to fight for the British, commandeering in the French and Indian War.
When the Revolutionary War broke out in 1775, it was a long time before he could expel the British. But expel he did, with the help of his French allies, and Washington was soon after elected as the first president of the United States in 1789.
Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton is an inspiration to all, as his background was no special thing. Who would imagine a poor, illegitimate orphan to write the majority of the Federalist Papers? Hamilton became the first U.S. treasury secretary and created the national bank.
Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin was a man of many talents, which included being a writer, printer, scientist, inventor, and diplomat, though he stopped schooling at 10 years old. One of Franklin’s most significant achievements included negotiating at the 1783 Treaty of Paris.
John Adams
John Adams was an intelligent lawyer and was part of the group that wrote the Declaration of Independence. He was also involved in the negotiation of the Treaty of Paris. He later became Vice President to Washington and was elected president after Washington’s two terms.
Samuel Adams
Samuel Adams was the second cousin of John Adams, and he helped to coordinate the 1773 Boston Tea Party. The Battles of Lexington and Concord, the first fight of the Revolutionary War, was first started by his attempted arrest. He was also very against slavery, unlike many other Fathers.
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was given the responsibility to write the Declaration of Independence, in which he is quoted to write “all men are created equal” and that all men had the right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. However, this did not apply to African Americans, as he had owned slaves all his life. He became president in 1801 after serving as vice president to John Adams.
James Madison
James Madison was dubbed the Father of the Constitution as he came up with the 3 branches of government: legislative, executive, and judicial. He was a co-writer of the Federalist Papers and served as president in 1808.
John Jay
Though not seen as so significant, John Jay was still an important founder and was just as involved in the creation of the United States. Being a lawyer, he at first wanted to make up with the British, rather than fight for independence, though once war broke out, he joined the colonists and became a diplomat to Spain. With Franklin and Adams, he helped negotiated the Treaty of Paris.