Founding Fathers of the United States

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Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States, by Howard Chandler Christy.
Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States, by Howard Chandler Christy.
John Trumbull's famous painting is usually incorrectly identified as a depiction of the signing of the Declaration. The painting actually depicts the five-man drafting committee presenting their work to the Congress. Trumbull's painting can also be found on the back of the U.S. $2 bill
John Trumbull's famous painting is usually incorrectly identified as a depiction of the signing of the Declaration. The painting actually depicts the five-man drafting committee presenting their work to the Congress. Trumbull's painting can also be found on the back of the U.S. $2 bill[1]

The Founding Fathers of the United States (also known as the Fathers of Our Country, or the Founders) are the political leaders who signed the Declaration of Independence or otherwise participated in the American Revolution as leaders of the Patriots, or who participated in drafting the United States Constitution eleven years later. During the American Revolutionary War, the Founders were opposed by the Loyalists who supported the British monarchy and opposed independence (though most Loyalists remained in the U.S. after 1783 and supported the new government).[2]

Some authors draw a distinction between the Founders, who signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776 or participated in the Revolution, and the Framers, who drafted the United States Constitution, to replace the Articles of Confederation, in 1787.[3] This article does not make that distinction. The term "founding fathers" originated in 1918 during a speech by then-Senator Warren G. Harding, in which he did not distinguish between founders and framers. Historians speculate that Harding intended to say founder fathers, which had been the previously accepted term.[4]

Contents

[edit] Collective biography of the Framers of the Constitution

The 55 delegates who attended the United States Constitutional Convention represented a cross section of 18th century American leadership. Almost all of them were well-educated men of means who were dominant in their communities and colonies, and many were also prominent in national affairs. Virtually every one had taken part in the Revolution; at least 29 had served in the Continental Army, most of them in positions of command. Scholars have examined the collective biography of them as well as the signers of the Declaration and the Constitution.[5]

[edit] Political experience

The signers of the Constitution had extensive political experience. By 1787, four-fifths, or 41 individuals, were or had been members of the Continental Congress. Practically all of the 55 delegates had experience in colonial and state government, and the majority had held county and local offices.[6]

  • Timothy Mifflin, Pierce Gaithe, and James Gorham had served as president of the Continental Congress.
  • The ones who lacked congressional experience were Bassett, Blair, Brearly, Broom, Davie, Dayton, Alexander Martin, Alexander Hamilton, Luther Martin, Mason, McClurg, Paterson, Charles Pinckney, Strong, Washington and Yates.
  • Eight men (Clymer, Franklin, Gerry, Robert Morris, Read, Sherman, Wilson, and Wythe) had signed the Declaration of Independence.
  • Six (Carroll, Dickinson, Gerry, Gouverneur Morris, Robert Morris, and Sherman) had affixed their signatures to the Articles of Confederation.
  • Two, Sherman and Robert Morris, underwrote all three of the nation's basic documents.
  • Dickinson, Franklin, Langdon, and Rutledge had been governors.

The 1787 delegates practiced a wide range of high and middle-status occupations, and many pursued more than one career simultaneously. They did not differ dramatically from the Loyalists, except they were younger and less senior in their professions.[7] Thirty-five were lawyers or had benefited from legal education, though not all of them relied on the profession for a livelihood. Some had also become judges.[8]

  • At the time of the convention, 13 men were merchants: Blount, Broom, Clymer, Dayton, Fitzsimons, Shields, Gilman, Gorham, Langdon, Robert Morris, Pierce, Sherman, and Wilson.
  • Six were major land speculators: Blount, Dayton, Fitzsimons, Gorham, Robert Morris, and Wilson.
  • Eleven speculated in securities on a large scale: Bedford, Blair, Clymer, Dayton, Fitzsimons, Franklin, King, Langdon, Robert Morris, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, and Sherman.
  • Twelve owned or managed slave-operated plantations or large farms: Bassett, Blair, Blount, Butler, Carroll, Jenifer, Mason, Charles Pinckney, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, Rutledge, Spaight, and Washington. Madison also owned slaves, as did Franklin, who later freed his slaves and became an abolitionist.
  • Broom and Few were small farmers.
  • Nine of the men received a substantial part of their income from public office: Baldwin, Blair, Brearly, Gilman, Jenifer, Livingston, Madison, and Rutledge.
  • Three had retired from active economic endeavors: Franklin, McHenry, and Mifflin.
  • Franklin and Williamson were scientists, in addition to their other activities.
  • McClurg, McHenry, and Williamson were physicians, and Johnson was a college president.

[edit] Family and finances

A few of the 1787 delegates were wealthy, but most of the country's top wealth-holders were Loyalists who went to Britain. Most of the others had financial resources that ranged from good to excellent. On the whole they were less wealthy than the Loyalists. Some of them were in war in Indian continents. [9]

  • Washington and Robert Morris ranked among the nation's most prosperous men.
  • Carroll, Houston, Jenifer, and Mifflin were also extremely well-to-do.
  • Among those with the most straitened circumstances were Baldwin, Brearly, Broom, Few, Madison, Paterson, and Sherman, though they all managed to live comfortably.
  • A considerable number of the men were born into leading families: Blair, Butler, Carroll, Houston, Ingersoll, Jenifer, Johnson, Livingston, Mifflin, Gouverneur Morris, both Pinckneys, Randolph, Rutledge, Washington, and Wythe.
  • Others were self-made men who had risen from humble beginnings: Few, Franklin, Gorham, Hamilton, and Sherman.

[edit] Demographic information

Brown (1976) and Harris (1969) provide detailed demographic information on each man.

  • Most of the 1787 delegates were natives of the 13 colonies.
  • Only eight were born elsewhere: four (Butler, Fitzsimons, McHenry, and Paterson) in Ireland, two (Davie and Robert Morris) in England, one (Wilson) in Scotland, and one (Hamilton) in the West Indies.
  • Many of them had moved from one state to another. Sixteen individuals had already lived or worked in more than one state or colony: Baldwin, Bassett, Bedford, Dickinson, Few, Franklin, Ingersoll, Livingston, Alexander Martieno, Luther Martin, Mercer, Gouverneur Morris, Robert Morris, Read, Sherman, and Williamson.
  • Several others had studied or traveled abroad.

The Founding Fathers had strong educational backgrounds.[10] Some, like Franklin, were largely self-taught or learned through apprenticeship. Others had obtained instruction from private tutors or at academies. About half of the men had attended or graduated from college in the colonies or Britain. Some men held medical degrees or advanced training in theology. For the most part, the delegates were a well-educated group. A few lawyers had been trained at the Inns of Court in London, but most had apprenticed to an American lawyer.

[edit] Longevity and family life

Death age of the Founding Fathers.
Death age of the Founding Fathers.

For their era, the 1787 delegates (like the 1776 signers) were average in terms of life spans.[11] Their average age at death was about 67. The first to die was Houston in 1788; the last was Madison in 1836.

The one who reached the oldest age was Johnson, who died at 92. A few—Franklin, Jefferson, Madison, Williamson, and Wythe—lived into their eighties. Either 15 or 16 (depending on Fitzsimons's exact age) died in their seventies. Twenty or 21 in their sixties; eight lived into their fifties; and five lived only into their forties. Two (Alexander Hamilton and Richard Dobbs Spaight) were killed in duels.

Most of the delegates married and raised children. Sherman fathered the largest family: 15 children by two wives. At least nine (Bassett, Brearly, Johnson, Mason, Paterson, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, Sherman, Wilson, and Wythe) married more than once. Four (Baldwin, Gilman, Jenifer, and Alexander Martin) were lifelong bachelors.

[edit] Religion

Lambert (2003) has examined the religious affiliations and beliefs of the Founders. Some of the 1787 delegates had no affiliation. The others were Protestants except for three Roman Catholics: C. Carroll, D. Carroll, and Fitzsimons. Among the Protestants Constitutional Convention delegates, 28 were Episcopalian, 8 were Presbyterians, 7 were Congregationalists, 2 were Lutherans, 2 were Dutch Reformed, and 2 were Methodists. Many of the more prominent Founding Fathers were vocal about their opposition to organized religion or anti-clerical, such as Jefferson. Some of them often related their anti-organized church leanings in their speeches and correspondence, including George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson (who created the "Jefferson Bible"), and Benjamin Franklin. However, a few of the more notable founders, such as Patrick Henry, were strong proponents of traditional religion. Several of the Founding Fathers considered themselves to be deists or held beliefs very similar to that of traditional Deists, including Franklin, Jefferson, and Ethan Allen.[12]

Notwithstanding the spectrum of beliefs held by the Founding Fathers, most viewed religion in a favorable light. This is noted through their statements in speeches and correspondences in which they describe its role in molding "national morality" and securing the rule of law (George Washington), its check on human "wickedness" (Benjamin Franklin), and its preservation of a free government such as America (John Adams).

Although not a religion, Freemasonry was represented in John Blair, Benjamin Franklin, James Mchenry, George Washington, Abraham Baldwin, Gunning Bedford, William Blount, David Brearly, Daniel Carroll, Jonathan Dayton, Rufus King, John Langdon, George Read, Roger Sherman, James Madison, Robert Morris, William Paterson, and Charles Pinckney.

[edit] Post-convention careers

The 1787 delegates' subsequent careers reflected their abilities as well as the vagaries of fate.[13] Most were successful, although seven (Fitzsimons, Gorham, Luther Martin, Mifflin, Robert Morris, Pierce, and Wilson) suffered serious financial reverses that left them in or near bankruptcy. Two, Blount and Dayton, were involved in possibly treasonous activities. Yet, as they had done before the convention, most of the group continued to render public service, particularly to the new government they had helped to create.

Many 1787 delegates held important state positions, including governor (Blount, Davie, Franklin, Gerry, Langdon, Livingston, Alexander Martin, Mifflin, Paterson, Charles Pinckney, Spaight, and Strong) and legislator. And most of the delegates contributed in many ways to the cultural life of their cities, communities, and states. Not surprisingly, many of their sons and other descendants were to occupy high positions in American political and intellectual life.

[edit] Signatories of the Declaration of Independence

[edit] Constitutional Convention delegates

[edit] Delegates who signed

[edit] Delegates who had left the Convention earlier and did not sign

[edit] 3 Delegates who refused to sign

[edit] Other Founders

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ americanrevolution.org Key to Trumbull's picture
  2. ^ A Short History of the United Empire Loyalists
  3. ^ Land and Liberty II: The Basics of Traditional American History, by David Warren Saxe, p.204
  4. ^ Founding Fathers: Origins of the Term
  5. ^ See Brown (19764); Martin (19739); "Data on the Framers of the Constitution," at [1]
  6. ^ Martin (1973); Greene (1973)
  7. ^ Greene (1973)
  8. ^ Brown (1976)
  9. ^ Greene (1973)
  10. ^ Brown (1976); Harris (1969)
  11. ^ Brown (1976)
  12. ^ See, e.g., Religioustolerance.org/Deism, Jim Peterson (2007) "The Revolution of Belief: Founding Fathers, Deists, Orthodox Christians, and the Spiritual Context of 18th Century America Robert L. Johnson, "The Deist Roots of the United States of America"
  13. ^ Martin (1973)

[edit] References

  • American National Biography Online, (2000), scholarly biographies of 18,000 Americans, including all the Founders. online edition
  • Richard D. Brown. "The Founding Fathers of 1776 and 1787: A Collective View," The William and Mary Quarterly, 3rd Ser., Vol. 33, No. 3 (Jul., 1976), pp. 465-480 online at JSTOR
  • Joseph J. Ellis. Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation (2002), Pulitzer Prize
  • Jack P. Greene. "The Social Origins of the American Revolution: An Evaluation and an Interpretation," Political Science Quarterly, Vol. 88, No. 1 (Mar., 1973), pp. 1-22 online in JSTOR
  • P.M.G. Harris, "The Social Origins of American Leaders: The Demographic Foundations, " Perspectives in American History 3 (1969): 159-364.
  • Mark E. Kann; The Gendering of American Politics: Founding Mothers, Founding Fathers, and Political Patriarchy Praeger, 1999
  • Adrienne Koch; Power, Morals, and the Founding Fathers: Essays in the Interpretation of the American Enlightenment 1961
  • Frank Lambert. The Founding Fathers and the Place of Religion in America. 2003.
  • Martin, James Kirby. Men in rebellion: Higher governmental leaders and the coming of the American Revolution, (1973)
  • Robert Previdi; "Vindicating the Founders: Race, Sex, Class, and Justice in the Origins of America," Presidential Studies Quarterly, Vol. 29, 1999
  • Cokie Roberts. Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation (2005)
  • Gordon S. Wood. Revolutionary Characters: What Made the Founders Different (2006)

[edit] External links