The Founding Fathers of the United States of America are a group of famous historical figures, which is why it is good to know a little about them (even if all you know are their names) and to understand why they are so important in American culture. And that is what we are going to look at in this post today!
The “Founding Fathers” of America were a group of political leaders who, either participated in the American Revolution, signed the United States Declaration of Independence (from England), or helped to write the United States Constitution. Some of these men participated in all three of these important historical events. These were men who had dreams of freedom from England for themselves and the land where they lived (now the United States of America). These were men who wanted to create a new and different type of government. At the time the Founding Fathers first came together for political change, there was no United States of America. It was these men that helped make this country. This is why they are called the Founding Fathers, because they “founded” (or established) the country.
So, who were these men? They were all men of course, there were no ‘founding mother’, as women were not involved in politics in the same way as men were in those days, and there were no Black, Latino, Asian or other minorities in this group. The Founding Fathers were all free White men. They were men with jobs as businessmen, merchants, shippers, farmers, and lawyers, and one was a scientist. Most of the men were born in “The Americas,” in what were known as the 13 colonies, but some of these men were born in Ireland, England, Scotland, and one was born in the Caribbean. They had many differences in opinions and different backgrounds, but they came together to fight for freedom and establish a government.
Some of the most famous Founding Fathers include men with names you have probably already heard, like: George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams. Of these four men, three went on to be presidents of the United States of America. Other well-known Founding Fathers, who you might not have heard of, unless you have studied American history, include: Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry, John Hancock, or John Jay. But there were many more men who are considered the Founding Fathers of America. If you include all the men who were at the first Continental Congress (America’s first congress meeting), those who signed the Declaration of Independence, and those who helped write and signed the American Constitution, there are well over 100 men in all.
There is much more that can be said about the Founding Fathers of America, but in this post I just wanted to introduce you to this term (Founding Fathers), as it comes up frequently in conversations about American culture and history. I also wanted you to become familiar with some common names of men who are known as the Founding Fathers of the United States of America.
Who were the founding fathers of your country? Was it just one person or a group of people?
