Founding Fathers: Constitution's Creative Thinkers

The Founding Fathers of the United States were a group of individuals who played pivotal roles in America's independence from Great Britain and the establishment of the United States government. The term Founding Fathers collectively refers to the signers of three key documents: the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the U.S. Constitution. These documents, known as the Charters of Freedom, secured the rights of the American people and are considered fundamental to the founding and philosophy of the United States. The Constitution, in particular, defines the framework of the Federal Government of the United States and outlines the rights and responsibilities of its citizens. The process of drafting and adopting the Constitution involved a Constitutional Convention, with delegates representing different interests and views, crafting compromises to create a powerful central government.

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The Constitutional Convention

The Articles of Confederation had established the Confederation Congress, which could make rules and request funds from the states, but it lacked enforcement powers and could not regulate commerce or print money. This led to disputes between the states over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade, threatening to tear the country apart. The Constitutional Convention aimed to address these issues and create a stronger central government.

The delegates to the convention had extensive political experience, with four-fifths having served in the Continental Congress and the rest recognised as leaders in their respective state assemblies. They represented a wide range of interests and views, and crafted compromises to bridge their differences. Despite their wariness of centralised power and loyalty to their individual states, they created a powerful central government.

The Articles of Confederation

The Articles were submitted to the states for ratification in late November 1777, with Virginia becoming the first state to ratify on December 16, 1777. By February 1779, 12 states had ratified the Articles, with Maryland as the lone holdout. Maryland finally ratified the Articles on February 2, 1781, and Congress was informed of its assent on March 1, officially proclaiming the Articles of Confederation as the law of the land.

Just a few years after the Revolutionary War, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington feared that the country was on the brink of collapse due to these issues. Alexander Hamilton helped convince Congress to organize a Grand Convention of state delegates, which assembled in Philadelphia in May 1787, to revise the Articles of Confederation and create a more powerful central government.

The Founding Fathers' roles

The Founding Fathers of the United States were a group of men who played pivotal roles in America's independence from Great Britain and the establishment of the United States government. The term can refer to the members of the Constitutional Convention, the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and/or the drafters of the Constitution.

The Founding Fathers had extensive political experience at the national and state levels. For example, the signers of the Declaration of Independence and Articles of Confederation were members of the Second Continental Congress, while four-fifths of the delegates at the Constitutional Convention had served in Congress either during or prior to the convention. The remaining one-fifth attending the convention were recognised as leaders in the state assemblies that appointed them.

The first five US presidents are regarded as Founding Fathers for their active participation in the American Revolution: George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe. Each served as a delegate to the Continental Congress.

Other notable Founding Fathers include Alexander Hamilton, who rose from obscurity to become a towering force in the founding of the American republic, and Benjamin Franklin, who was the oldest delegate at the Constitutional Convention at 81 years old.

The Founding Fathers represented the upper echelon of political leadership in the British colonies during the latter half of the 18th century. They were leaders in their communities and respective colonies who were willing to assume responsibility for public affairs.

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The signing of the Constitution

The Constitutional Convention, which assembled in Philadelphia in May 1787, was a response to the growing concerns about the Articles of Confederation, America's first constitution. The Articles gave the Confederation Congress rule-making and funding powers but lacked enforcement capabilities and the ability to regulate commerce or print money. James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington feared that these shortcomings could lead the young nation to collapse. Alexander Hamilton played a crucial role in convincing Congress to organize the Grand Convention of state delegates to address these issues.

The Founding Fathers, a term collectively given to these historical figures, had extensive political experience at the national and state levels. They were leaders in their communities and colonies, actively participating in the American Revolution and assuming responsibility for public affairs. The signers of the Constitution included notable figures such as James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and others. These individuals are recognised for their contributions to the creation of a stronger and more unified nation, addressing the fragility exposed by events like Shays' Rebellion in 1786-1787.

The revisions and compromises

The founding fathers were concerned about the Articles of Confederation, America's first constitution, which gave the Confederation Congress the power to make rules and request funds from the states, but it had no enforcement powers, couldn’t regulate commerce, or print money. The states’ disputes over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade threatened to tear the young country apart.

Alexander Hamilton helped convince Congress to organize a Grand Convention of state delegates to work on revising the Articles of Confederation. The Constitutional Convention assembled in Philadelphia in May of 1787. The original states, except Rhode Island, collectively appointed 70 individuals to the convention. A number of these individuals did not accept or could not attend, including Richard Henry Lee, Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Samuel Adams, and John Hancock. In all, 55 delegates attended the convention sessions, but only 39 actually signed the Constitution.

The delegates ranged in age from Jonathan Dayton, aged 26, to Benjamin Franklin, aged 81, who was so infirm that he had to be carried to sessions in a sedan chair. Representing wildly different interests and views, they crafted compromises. They created a powerful central government while remaining wary about centralized power and loyal to their states.

The founding fathers set the terms for ratifying the Constitution. They bypassed the state legislatures, reasoning that their members would be reluctant to give up power to a national government. Instead, they called for special ratifying conventions in each state. Ratification by 9 of the 13 states enacted the new government.

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