The attention of many readers and those interested in American history and culture can often be attracted by a phrase that is found in American life and political life, especially when it comes to history or some important modern events. Many representatives of the American establishment in their speeches use references to documents and letters that were written by the Founding Fathers, and sometimes it seems that for the American people these people are some kind of truth in the first instance.

Who are the Founding Fathers?

To understand this issue, you need to turn to history, namely the period of the end of the American Civil War and the subsequent signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 and the US Constitution. In conditions of large-scale devastation caused by the split in society, in the context of further development and political structure, representatives of the republican side thought about the question of what the structure of American society should be like in order to meet all the requirements of a population divided into two parts.

Of course, none of them sought to hand over power to the opposing side or cede their privileges, so extensive work was carried out to find a solution.

What is the connection between Cleisthenes and the founders of the United States?

It is worth noting that all the founding fathers of the United States were representatives of the aristocratic circles of America and had extensive knowledge in many areas, which played an important role. Having assessed the situation from all sides, they decided to apply the model used in the 4th century for the new state. Cleisthenes, who is deservedly called the founding father of Athenian democracy.

The ancient democracy of the time of Cleisthenes interested the founding fathers of the United States because, under the conditions of state rule by aristocratic circles and subject to the observance of certain rules and legality by all members of society, support for such a system was present in all layers of society. Of course, it is worth noting that in the time of Cleisthenes the aristocracy differed in its qualitative characteristics from that which was present in Europe in the 18th-19th centuries.

What is the difference between Cleisthenes' democracy and that proposed by the founders of the United States?

The main difference was that the aristocracy of Cleisthenes’ time was still young and full of strength, and had no inclination towards conservatism and rigidity in maintaining its own privileges at the expense of other classes. As a result, with time to think and develop the idea of ​​democracy in the aristocratic society of Athens, a working version of such a society was created. At the same time, the leadership of aristocratic circles was fully accepted by society and supported by all layers.

What features of American democracy were introduced by the Founding Fathers?

Building a society following the example of Cleisthenes almost completely satisfied the creators of the US Constitution. The Athenian example was taken as a basis with additions that allowed the chosen course to remain working for a long time and not lead to the degradation of society. Thus, one of the conditions that have been introduced is the openness of the elites and the separation of powers.

These key points were implemented by the Founding Fathers of America through the rotation of power between various elites after a certain period of time with the participation of the general population and maintaining a balance between various political circles, which would not allow supporters of one direction to gain full power. The monopoly in the media was denied and there was complete freedom of alternative information dissemination bodies to the ruling circles, which had only one limitation - the dissemination of information related to state secrets. But all this would be only words if the fundamental principle of adherence to strict legality was not enshrined in all democratic procedures. Thus, the creators of the US Constitution took into account most of the wishes of a society divided by war and were able to quickly lead it to a peaceful life and prosperity, which is carefully preserved in the memory of many US citizens.

About the lists of founding fathers

An interesting fact is that the original title "Founding Father" was only used for those who directly signed the Declaration of Independence. Later, based on their contribution to independence and democracy in the initial stages of formation, they were joined by those who drafted the Constitution, so today the lists of the founding fathers are conventionally divided into two parts.

Who worked on the Declaration?

Among the people who worked on the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution, there were a large number of highly educated people of that time who had very different views on the processes taking place in the country and the world, different approaches to solving pressing problems of American society and goals in life. With all this, representatives of the American elite who took part in the development of the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution understood that in order to overcome a large-scale crisis in the country it was necessary to come to a unified position that could fully satisfy demand.

Benjamin Franklin

The solution to such a problem cannot be done without individuals who, with their extraordinary abilities and ideas, can think more broadly than others and see not only immediate solutions, but also decisions that can influence the future success of the plan. Such a person was one of America's founding fathers and scientist Benjamin Franklin. His figure stands out among others in that, being self-taught, he achieved recognition in the scientific field not only in America, but also in Europe. Benjamin was able to introduce into the document being developed such fundamentals as the value of life, liberty and property, which made this document close in spirit to all opponents in the conflict.

How was Benjamin Franklin's outstanding role celebrated?

Thanks to his work, Benjamin Franklin rightfully bears the title of First Citizen of the United States. Paying tribute to his contribution to the formation of the young state, the image of Benjamin Franklin was placed on the most popular United States bill today, the $100 denomination.

How do Americans feel about these events?

The creation of the US Constitution by the Founding Fathers became a landmark event for the new state. To this day, their contributions are deeply respected by everyone in the United States. To perpetuate the Founding Fathers in history, a large number of memorial sites were created and Constitution Day was proclaimed, which is still one of the main US holidays. One of the most striking examples of the reverent attitude towards the founders of the United States in America is the Inimitable and majestic monument to the Founding Fathers depicting the faces of 4 US presidents.

These are George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln, who are among the most famous founders of the United States, and Theodore Roosevelt, who is a little behind, as the continuer of the establishment of democracy in the United States. The 18 m monument clearly reflects the attitude of the American people to the importance of these persons for the life and history of the United States.

The future scientist and diplomat was born in 1706 into the family of a craftsman. He was the 15th child, and his parents had no money for his education. Therefore, Franklin independently studied chemistry, mathematics, physics and ancient languages. In 1724 he moved to London to become familiar with the printing business. Returning to Philadelphia, the young man published the Pennsylvania Gazette. Franklin also came up with the idea of ​​creating the first public library in the colonies.

The range of scientific interests of the future founding father of the United States was wide: he studied the Gulf Stream and atmospheric electricity, invented bifocal glasses, a rocking chair and a small stove for the home. For writing scientific works, Franklin was recognized as a member of the Royal Scientific Society of England, as well as the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences. Benjamin became one of the first American Freemasons. He was known to the general public for his aphorisms: “don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today,” “time is money,” “laziness, like rust, eats away faster than labor wears out.” Franklin also gave practical advice on saving money: “Spend one penny less than you earn.”

Benjamin Franklin died at the age of 85. More than 20 thousand people attended his funeral.

Thomas Jefferson: prominent politician and wealthy slave owner

Jefferson headed the committee that drafted the Declaration of Independence. After two days of discussions, part of the text that dealt with criticism of the slave trade was removed from his draft. It is noteworthy that the politician opposed slave labor, but used it on his plantations; he inherited 2,750 acres of land from his father. And here is a record from contemporaries about working conditions in his workshop: “Locked in a stuffy, smoky workshop, the boys minted 5-10 thousand nails a day, which in 1796 brought Jefferson 2 thousand dollars in total income. At the time, his nail factory competed with the state penitentiary.”

In 1779, Thomas Jefferson became governor of Virginia, and in 1785 he went to France as ambassador. Four years later, he served as Secretary of State under President George Washington. In 1801 he was elected head of state.

John Adams: unknown president

A brilliant lawyer who became famous for his trial in 1770. English soldiers who were accused of killing five townspeople in Boston turned to him for protection. Despite enormous public pressure and risks to his reputation, Adams took on this case. The man had a talent for speaking; the audience listened to him in complete silence. He won the case, six soldiers were acquitted.

John Adams co-created the US Constitution in 1787 and became vice president in 1789. On March 4, 1797, he was elected head of state (at the same time, Adams himself did not participate in the election campaign; instead of public speaking and fighting for votes, he sat at home). His presidency was marred by diplomatic conflict that led to an undeclared war at sea between the United States and the French Republic in 1798–1800. It was under Adams that the White House was built. The President was criticized for his lack of decisive action in the conflict between the Federalist and Democratic-Republican parties.

John Adams. (wikipedia.org)

After the end of his presidential term, the “founding father” left big politics. He died on July 4, 1826. On the same day, his main opponent, Thomas Jefferson, died.

Pamphleteer Alexander Hamilton

Alexander Hamilton became US Secretary of the Treasury in the first American government. On his initiative, the National Bank was created. During the financial crisis of 1792, when securities lost a quarter of their value, Hamilton ordered the issuance of $150,000 to purchase government bonds. In addition, he proposed offering loans secured by American debt securities. It took the Finance Minister just over a month to stabilize the market.

Hamilton was known for his incisive pamphlets. Because of them, the politician died. In July 1804, he was mortally wounded in a duel with Vice President Aaron Burr and died the next day, six months short of his 50th birthday.

John Jay

In 1789, Jay became the first Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, and in 1795 he was elected governor of New York.

The politician did not seek re-election for a second term. He moved out of town and took up farming. John Jay died in May 1829 at the age of 83.

James Madison

James Madison studied at a private school, after which he entered the prestigious Princeton University (then the College of New Jersey). In 1775, he headed the Committee of Safety in Orange County, and two years later became a member of the Governor's Council of Virginia. In 1785 he proposed a bill on freedom of religion. He became the author of a series of articles in defense of the Constitution, the purpose of which was to ratify the document in the states. In March 1809, Madison assumed the presidency. In 1810, he ordered a ban on the entry of British ships into American ports. In the same year, he initiated the expansion of West Florida, which at that time belonged to Spain. In 1812, a devastating war with Great Britain began for the United States.

After his resignation, Madison settled in Virginia. He died at the age of 85.

In her blog, the legendary presenter of the BBC Russian Service, Seva Novgorodtsev, sometimes looks at the news of the day from the most unexpected angle.

Audio version of the section "Caution, people!" listen also in the BibiSeva program, which airs on the Internet on the website bbcrussian.com every weekday at 19:00 Moscow time (16:00 London time). The program's podcast can be downloaded.

History belongs to us, especially to those of us who study history and, more importantly, to those who write it. With each new generation of historians, the most socially conscious and politically correct ones come forward, looking at the old in a new way.

On the eve of the presidential debates in America, it is noticeable that the founding fathers of the United States, who gave their descendants the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, do not enjoy the same respect among modern historians and are losing points.

They write that many of the founders were white, from a privileged class, had slaves and were not averse to profiting from lands taken from the indigenous population - the Indians. If they were so progressive, then why didn’t they say a word about women’s equality? In those historical documents, only one female name appears - Betsy Ross, and only because she was assigned to sew the flag.

American radio journalist Tom Hartmann wrote the book “What Would Jefferson Do?”, in which he provides interesting facts. It turns out that the richest among the American revolutionaries was John Hancock, whose fortune in modern money is $750 thousand. That is, not an oligarch. Another signatory of the Declaration, Thomas Nelson, the British confiscated all the lands, he died at the age of fifty, in poverty.

Today it is taken for granted that overthrowing the British colonial yoke was the right thing to do. However, at that time, most colonists did not think so, arguing that America was better off remaining an English colony until the end of time.

The 56 people who signed the Declaration of Independence understood that by doing so they were signing their own death warrant. Under existing English law, they were traitors to the King and the Empire. The punishment for betrayal is death. Benjamin Franklin then told his colleagues: “If we do not stick together, we will be hanged individually.”

John Hancock was the first to sign the declaration. His signature is the largest. “I want King George III to view it without glasses,” he explained. Hancock then had to flee from the advancing English army; his wife was pregnant, and later gave birth to a stillborn baby.

Of those 56 signatories, nine died in the Revolutionary War, 17 people lost their homes and all their wealth. None of the descendants of those 56 families are among the political or business elite today.

The oldest of them, Benjamin Franklin, was 76 years old, Jefferson was 33 years old, almost all were relatively young men. They stood face to face with the world's largest global power, the British Empire. King George III had a powerful army at his disposal and colossal financial power in his hands. He was the owner of the largest multinational corporation of that time - the East India Company.

It was against her that the first action, the famous “Boston Tea Party,” was directed.

On December 16, 1773, a group of “sons of liberty” in national Indian costumes with axes and clubs boarded the tea clippers Dartmouth, Eleanor and Beaver. A team of professional longshoremen quickly emptied the holds and threw overboard bales of tea, 45 tons in total, approximately two million dollars at today's exchange rate.

Vandalism and robbery. Or the brave act of freedom fighters.

Your comments

who were the founding fathers of america?

Well, it’s a no brainer! - Scoundrels and carbonari!

Sherman was a shoemaker, our Yasha Sverdlov was an engraver

Franklin made soap and candles, and our Leiba Bronstein-Trotsky also hasn’t worked at all since he was 17...

Adams - refused the priesthood EXACTLY like our unforgettable Koba!

Jaeferson is a lawyer, like Lenin

In the USA there is such a sketch-speech - quite stupid and moderately stupid - in the spirit of the English! - A ship with 300 lawyers sank. Audience reaction: Not a bad start...

We don’t understand what the big deal is if we don’t know the eternal hatred of people towards lawyers in the USA.

A lawyer, a shoemaker, a soap maker and a pop singer stirred up a meanness - a revolution... Everything is logical and understandable...

ONE thing is not clear! - Why spoil tea and burn cars, as is now customary in France!?

albor.ru,

From the point of view of the heirs of King George, vandalism and robbery. From the point of view of the sons of freedom, a brave act of fighters

(they didn’t throw it into their carts, mind you).

Who are you for, anyway?

Jerry

To comment on Seva Novgorodtsev's blog, use the comment form below.

The Founding Fathers were military leaders, rebels, politicians, and writers who were diverse in character, status, and background, yet played a role in shaping the new nation and laying the foundation for the fledgling democracy of the United States.

Who are the Founding Fathers?

All of the Founding Fathers, including the first four US presidents, initially considered themselves British subjects. But they rebelled against the restrictive rule of King George III, articulating their grievances in the Declaration of Independence, a powerful (if incomplete) call for freedom and equality, and won a stunning military victory over the world's then preeminent superpower.

What role did Thomas Jefferson play there?

Well educated and successful, Thomas Jefferson was a Virginia lawyer and politician who came to the conclusion that the British Parliament had no authority over the thirteen colonies. In 1776, he was given the important task of writing the Declaration of Independence, in which he declared that "all men are created equal" and "that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights" such as "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." .

As Washington's Secretary of State, Jefferson constantly clashed with Hamilton over foreign policy and the role of government. He later served as John Adams' vice president before becoming president himself in 1801.

Contributions of the Founding Fathers to the Development of the United States

The Founding Fathers proved to be as adept in times of peace as they were in times of war. When the British federal government made concessions under the Articles of Confederation, prominent citizens reconvened to craft the U.S. Constitution, overcoming the major divisions between states large and small, southern and northern, to form a stable political system. In a show of foresight, they included a Bill of Rights that enshrined many civil liberties and served as a model for other fledgling democracies.

There is no official consensus on who should be considered a Founding Father, and some historians object to the term altogether. In general, however, it applies to those leaders who started the revolutionary war and created the Constitution.

Here are the eight most influential characters in the American origin story:

• George Washington.
• Alexander Hamilton.
• Benjamin Franklin.

• John Adams.
• Samuel Adams.
• Thomas Jefferson.
• James Madison.
• John Hay.

Many other figures have also been called Founding Fathers (or Mothers). Among them is John Hancock, best known for his colorful signature on the Declaration of Independence. Governor Morris, who wrote most of the Constitution. Thomas Paine, British author of Common Sense. Paul Revere, the Boston silversmith whose "midnight ride" warned of the approach of the redcoats.

George Mason, who helped draft the Constitution but ultimately refused to sign it. Charles Carroll, the lone Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence. John Marshall, Revolutionary War veteran and longtime Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. and Abigail Adams, who implored her husband John to “remember the ladies” when forming the new country.

Conclusion

Without the Founding Fathers there would be no United States of America. A group of mostly wealthy plantation owners and businessmen united thirteen disparate colonies, fought for independence from Britain, and wrote a series of influential governing documents that govern the country to this day.

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Books

• , Doktorov B.Z.. This monograph contains the history of the formation of technology for studying public opinion in the 1930-50s. in the USA and 1960 70s. in the USSR is revealed through an analysis of life and creative heritage...
• The Founding Fathers: a history of public opinion research. Monograph, B.Z. Doctors. This monograph contains the history of the formation of technology for studying public opinion in the 1930-50s. in the USA and 1960-70s. in the USSR is revealed through an analysis of life and creative heritage...