The United States of America draws its greatness from its founding fathers who fought for its independence and worked hard to unite the country. The founding fathers of the country include people who actively contributed to the constitution by drafting and signing its declaration. This may also include politicians, public officials, jurists, warriors, civil servants, or ordinary citizens who participated in winning the United States independence.
There are seven key founding fathers of the United States of America; John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and George Washington.
They were the political leaders and public officials who took part in the country’s revolutionary war and signed the Declaration of Independence. They also include people who drafted the Constitution and made other key contributions. They are thus the delegates who had a significant direct or indirect effect on the constitution (Henretta, Edwards & Self, 2011).
This paper will identify and discuss three key founding fathers from the 1700s who I believe played the most important role in establishing the United States of America. They include George Washington, James Madison, and Thomas Jefferson.
George Washington was the first president of America and served as the commander of the US army during the revolutionary war, which took place between the years 1775-1783. He is referred to as the founding father of the nation for the role he played in fighting for independence.
The national congress appointed George Washington as a commander in chief of its armed forces in 1775 (Stanfield, 2001). In 1776, he drove the British out of Boston and by the end of that year; he had captured most of the country’s territory. George Washington led a strong army and a powerful nation against threats of disintegration and collapse. In 1787, Washington was the head of the Philadelphia tenet that drafted the U.S constitution and in 1787, he became the head of the United States of America (Rutland, 1997).
As a president, he established many customs and assigned more work to the executive arm of government in an attempt to unite the country in a time it was facing international threats. In 1793, he declared the country neutral to foreign relations and this helped the country avoid conflicts.
As a founding father of United States of America, Washington supported all the policies aimed at building a strong central regime. He settled the nations’ debt, executed an efficient tax system, and created a bank where the American citizens could save their money (Adler, 2008). He always evaded the temptation of international conflicts and battles by ensuring that peace was maintained in the nation. Although Washington was not a member of the Federalist Party, he was its motivating leader and supported its policies and activities.
He strongly supported the republican principles and warned against bias, sectionalism, and international conflicts. His refusal to engage in political conflicts buttressed his character as a man dedicated to the military nation and a founding father of the nation. Newspapers in the United States thus extolled Washington’s character and traits as a military commander and a founder of the nation (Rutland, 1997).
James Madison was another founding father of the United States of America. He was an American politician and between the years 1809-1817, he served as the fourth head of state. He was the main author of the nation’s constitution and in 1788, he wrote the most powerful commentary on the United States Constitution.
As a founding father of America, he drafted many rules and is responsible for the first ten alterations in the constitution. Due to this, he is referred to as the “Father of the Bill of Rights” (Allen, 1997). He believed that America’s constitution needed regular checks to protect the rights of the citizens from oppression (Allen, 1997).
James Madison worked with George Washington to create the current central government in America. He opposed the key principles of the federalists and established the Democratic Republican Party (DRP), which acted against Foreign and Sedition Acts. As a founding father, he led the nation into war against Britain in 1812.
In 1815, he supported the idea of creating the second national bank since this would protect the nation’s new industries, which had been established during the war. James Madison held cabinet meetings regularly to discuss the country’s problems before making any decision. When handling habitual tasks, he was systematic, orderly and allowed others to give their opinions (Allen, 1997).
Thomas Jefferson was a founding father of the United States of America and was instrumental during the Revolutionary war. Before the struggle for independence, he was active in defending America from being made a Royal Colony. Thomas actively organized oppositions to the colonial government and in 1774, he wrote a pamphlet titled ‘A Summary View of the Rights of British America’ where he articulated colonialism and encouraged the American citizens to continue fighting for independence (Biographiq, 2008).
In 1776, Thomas Jefferson opposed America’s constitution by saying that it ignored the people it was meant for. He said, “The Senate does not appear to me to be a Child of the people at Large, and therefore will not be supported by them longer than there subsists the most perfect Union between the different Legislative branches” (Biographiq, 2008). In 1778, he represented America in the Continental Congress and served as the head of the nation’s first senate in 1780.
Between 1782 and 1785, Thomas served as the manager of the nation’s finances. He is credited for helping the nation the financial depression caused by the war. As a founding father of the nation, he was increasingly interested in national affairs and always looked for ways of solving the financial and political problems that had resulted from the ineffectiveness of the Articles of Confederation (Biographiq, 2008).
He attended a Conference in Mount Vernon, which led to the new constitution. Thomas favored a strong and enduring union of the nation in which a senate representing the citizens had the authority to impose taxes on the people.
Concerned with the permanence of the new government, he argued that frequent elections could result to indifferences hence make famous men reluctant in office seeking. As a founding father of America, Jefferson’s good humor and enjoyable company endeared him to many people. He used this to help settle the opposing opinions of the delegates and created the compromises that have made America a success (Biographiq, 2008).
Conclusion
Looking at the achievements and the contributions these great men had in shaping the history of America, they are truly the founding fathers of the country. The three individuals were remarkable in the building of a strong society that we proudly call the United States of America today. They fought and sacrificed to see the country attain independence and put in place the governing structures that have helped America to be the greatest nation in the world.
References
Adler, B. (2008). America’s founding fathers: their uncommon wisdom and wit. Lanham: Taylor Trade Pub.
Allen, R. (1997). James Madison: the founding father. Columbia: University of Missouri Press.
Biographiq. (2008). Thomas Jefferson – Founding Father (Biography). Minneapolis: Filiquarian Pub.
Henretta, A., Edwards, R., & Self, O. (2011). America’s History. New York: Bedford Martins.
Rutland, R. A. (1997). The Founding Father. Columbia: University of Missouri Press.
Stanfield, J. (2001). America’s Founding Fathers: Who Are They? Thumbnail Sketches of 164 Patriots. Parkland: Universal Publishers.