The Founding Fathers of the United States, referred to as the Founding Fathers or the Founders by Americans, were a group of late-eighteenth-century American revolutionary leaders who united the Thirteen Colonies, oversaw the War of Independence from Great Britain, established the United States of America, and crafted a framework of government for the new nation.
The Founding Fathers include those who wrote and signed the United States Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution of the United States, certain military personnel who fought in the American Revolutionary War, and others who greatly assisted in the nation's formation. The single person most identified as Father of the United States is George Washington, commanding general in the American Revolution and the nation's first president. In 1973, the historian Richard B. Morris identified seven figures as key founders, based on what he called the "triple tests" of leadership, longevity, and statesmanship: John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Washington.Morris, 1973, p. 1
Most of the Founding Fathers had ancestry traceable back to England, though many had family roots extending across the other regions of the British Isles: Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. Additionally, some traced their lineage back to the early Dutch settlers of New York (New Netherland) during the colonial era, while others were descendants of French Huguenots who settled in the British Thirteen Colonies, escaping religious persecution in France. Many of them were wealthy merchants, lawyers, and landowners.
Historical founders
The historian Richard B. Morris's selection of seven key founders was widely accepted through the 20th century.Bernstein, 1987, pp. 6–7 John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin were members of the Committee of Five that were charged by the Second Continental Congress with drafting the Declaration of Independence. Franklin, Adams, and John Jay negotiated the 1783 Treaty of Paris, which established American independence and brought an end to the American Revolutionary War.Jedson, 2006, pp. 4–5, 37 The constitutions drafted by Jay and Adams for their respective states of New York (1777) and Massachusetts (1780) proved influential in the language used in developing the U.S. Constitution.US Constitution, TranscriptionJ.Adams and Massachusetts ConstitutionMorris: John Jay & the Constitution The Federalist Papers, which advocated the ratification of the Constitution, were written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and Jay. George Washington was commander-in-chief of the Continental Army and later president of the Constitutional Convention.Bradford, 1994, pp. 129, 132Jilson, 1994, p. 291
Each of these men held additional important roles in the early government of the United States. Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and Madison served as the first four presidents; Adams and Jefferson were the nation's first two vice presidents;Library of Congress: Chronological list of Presidents Jay was the nation's first chief justice;Dictionary of American biography, 1932, v. 10, pp. 8–9 Hamilton was the first secretary of the treasury;Chernow, 2004, pp. 2, 4, 287 Jefferson was the first secretary of state;Chernow, 2010, pp. 429, 526Stewart, 2015, p. 186 and Franklin was America's most senior diplomat from the start of the Revolutionary War through its conclusion with the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783.Dictionary of American Biography, 1932, v. 6, p. 595
The list of Founding Fathers is often expanded to include the signers of the Declaration of Independence and individuals who later approved the U.S. Constitution. Some scholars regard all delegates to the Constitutional Convention as Founding Fathers whether they approved the Constitution or not.National Archives: Signers of the Declaration, Outline of signersNational Archives, Framers of the Constitution In addition, some historians include signers of the Articles of Confederation, which was adopted in 1781 as the nation's first constitution.Padover, 1958, pp. 191–214
Historians have come to recognize others as founders, such as Revolutionary War military leaders as well as participants in developments leading up to the war, including prominent writers, orators, and other men and women who contributed to cause.Sneff, 2016, EssayEncyclopædia Britannica, p. 12Bernstein, 2009, pp. 6–7 Since the 19th century, the Founding Fathers have shifted from the concept of them as demigods who created the modern nation-state, to take into account their inability to address issues such as slavery and the debt owed after the American Revolutionary War. Scholars emphasize that the Founding Fathers' accomplishments and shortcomings be viewed within the context of their time.Bernstein, 2009, pp. ix–x1
Origin of phrase The phrase "Founding Fathers" was first introduced to Americans by then-US senator Warren G. Harding in his keynote speech at the Republican National Convention of 1916. Harding later repeated the phrase at his March 4, 1921, presidential inauguration, becoming the first president to use the term "Founding Fathers".Harding, 1921, Inaugural Address Subsequent speakers adopted the term.Bernstein, 1987, pp. 3–5
The term "fathers" had long been used for the founders. In 1811, responding to praise for his generation, John Adams wrote to a younger Josiah Quincy III, "I ought not to object to your Reverence for your Fathers as you call them ... but to tell you a very great secret ... I have no reason to believe We were better than you are." He also wrote, "Don't call me, ... Father ... [or] Founder ... These titles belong to no man, but to the American people in general."Ellis, 2007, pp. 6–7 In Thomas Jefferson's second presidential inaugural address in 1805, he referred to those who first came to the New World as "forefathers".Jefferson, 1805, Second Inaugural Address At his 1825 inauguration, John Quincy Adams called the U.S. Constitution "the work of our forefathers" and expressed his gratitude to "founders of the Union".J. Quincy Adams, 1825, Inaugural Address
John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died on the same day, July 4, 1826. President J. Quincy Adams paid tribute to them as "Fathers" and "Founders of the Republic".J. Q. Adams, 1826, Executive order These terms were used in the U.S. throughout the 19th century, from the inaugurations of Martin Van Buren and James Polk in 1837 and 1845, to Abraham Lincoln's Cooper Union speech in 1860 and his Gettysburg Address in 1863, and up to William McKinley's first inauguration in 1897.Martin Van Buren, 1837, Inaugural AddressPolk, 1845, Inaugural AddressConany, 2015, p. ixMcKinley, 1897, First Inaugural Address
At a 1902 celebration of Washington's Birthday in Brooklyn, James M. Beck, a constitutional lawyer and later a U.S. congressman, delivered an address, "Founders of the Republic", in which he connected the concepts of founders and fathers, saying: "It is well for us to remember certain human aspects of the founders of the republic. Let me first refer to the fact that these fathers of the republic were for the most part young men."
List of Founding Fathers Framers and signers
The National Archives has identified three founding documents as the "Charters of Freedom": Declaration of Independence, United States Constitution, and Bill of Rights. According to the archives, these documents "have secured the rights of the American people for nearly two and a half centuries and are considered instrumental to the founding and philosophy of the United States." In addition, as the nation's first constitution, the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union is also a founding document.Altman, 2003, pp. 20–21Bellia, 2020, pp. 835–940 As a result, signers of three key documents are generally considered to be Founding Fathers of the United States: Declaration of Independence (DI), Articles of Confederation (AC), and U.S. Constitution (USC). The following table provides a list of these signers, some of whom signed more than one document. Name Province/state DI (1776) AC (1777) USC (1787) Connecticut Massachusetts Virginia Georgia Virginia New Hampshire Delaware Virginia North Carolina Virginia New Jersey Delaware South Carolina Maryland New Jersey Pennsylvania Rhode Island Massachusetts New Jersey Delaware South Carolina New York Rhode Island Georgia Pennsylvania New York Pennsylvania Massachusetts New Hampshire Massachusetts Georgia New York Massachusetts Maryland North Carolina Virginia New Jersey Virginia North Carolina South Carolina Massachusetts North Carolina Rhode Island New Jersey Connecticut South Carolina Pennsylvania South Carolina Virginia Maryland Connecticut Massachusetts New Hampshire Georgia South Carolina Virginia New York New Jersey Massachusetts South Carolina Virginia Rhode Island South Carolina Maryland Delaware South Carolina Pennsylvania New York Pennsylvania New York Pennsylvania Virginia Maryland Massachusetts New Jersey North Carolina South Carolina Delaware Pennsylvania Delaware Pennsylvania South Carolina New Jersey Connecticut Pennsylvania North Carolina New Jersey Maryland Pennsylvania Georgia New Hampshire Delaware Georgia Virginia New Hampshire North Carolina Connecticut North Carolina Pennsylvania New Jersey Connecticut Virginia
Other delegates The 55 delegates who attended the Constitutional Convention are referred to as framers. Of these, the 16 listed below did not sign the document.Morton, 2006, pp. 1, 316 Three refused, while the remainder left early, either in protest of the proceedings or for personal reasons.Beeman, 2009, pp. xxi–xxiii, 25955Morton, 2006, p. 4 Nevertheless, some sources regard all framers as founders, including those who did not sign:Bernstein, 2009, pp. 177–179
William Richardson Davie, North Carolina Oliver Ellsworth, Connecticut Elbridge Gerry, Massachusetts* William Houston, New Jersey William Houstoun, Georgia John Lansing Jr., New York Alexander Martin, North Carolina Luther Martin, Maryland George Mason, Virginia* James McClurg, Virginia John Francis Mercer, Maryland William Pierce, Georgia Edmund Randolph, Virginia* Caleb Strong, Massachusetts George Wythe, Virginia Robert Yates, New York
(*) Randolph, Mason, and Gerry were the only three present at the Constitution's adoption who refused to sign.
Additional Founding Fathers In addition to the signers and Framers of the founding documents and one of the seven notable leaders previously mentioned—John Jay—the following are regarded as founders based on their contributions to the creation and early development of the new nation:
Elias Boudinot, New Jersey representative in the Continental Congress, Congress of the Confederation (president 1782–1783), and the first three U.S. Congresses. Boudinot was director of the U.S. Mint under presidents Washington, Adams, and Jefferson, and also was the founding president of the American Bible Society.Holmes, 2006, p. 150 George Clinton, first governor of New York, 1777–1795, served again from 1801 to 1805, and was the fourth vice president of the US, 1805–1812. He was an anti-Federalist advocate of the Bill of Rights.
Patrick Henry, gifted orator, known for his famous quote, "Give me liberty or give me death!",Campbell, 1969, pp. 130, 134 served in the First Continental Congress in 1774 and briefly in the Second Congress in 1775 before returning to Virginia to lead its militia. He then completed terms as the first and sixth governor of Virginia, 1776–1779 and 1784–1786.Kidd, 2011, pp. 81, 101, 177, 198, 216 Esek Hopkins, commander-in-chief of the Continental NavyDictionary of American biography, 1932, v. 9, pp. 209–210