Poll: Who’s Your Favorite Founding Father?
Frank McGrath
George Washington could have been a perpetual President. If he had asked there
is little doubt he would have been named President for Life. However, he well
understood what the Revolution had been fought for. He would not assent to the
throwing off of one monarchy to replace it with another. As the first President
to voluntarily relinquish power after an election he has set the standard that
has guided this country ever since.
J. Madison Davis (University of Oklahoma)
Washington didn't have the intellect of Jefferson or the sophistication
of some of the others, but we can see in what Jefferson wrote about him
exactly what is so important about the man. He was impressive, solid,
and avoided appearing self-interested. Napoleon took the crown.
Washington declined the possibility of one. Perhaps it is largely
symbolic, Washington's stature, but he was exactly who was needed as a
stabilizing presence in the young nation.
Fred Simonelli (Mount St. Mary's College,Los Angeles)
I nominate George Washington, the"indispensable man." Washington's
tireless devotion to a higher vision led, more than any other factor, to
the creation of a Republic from the 13 colonies. No one else in
Revolutionary America had the stature and commanded the respect to
compel individuals and groups to put aside misgivings and differences
and to see themselves as one people.
David Forsmark
Without Washington, the war would have been lost, as would the peace. He set the precedents for the Presidency (and Adams did his damndest to undo them) that lasted until King William in 1992.
Roger Zeimet ((Command Historian
U.S. Army Infantry School & Center, Fort Benning, Georgia)
He put up with a lot of guff from Congress,
setting a precedent for civilian control of the military that has enabled us
to avoid the trauma and turmoil of military dictatorship and coups that have
plagued so many other nations. One shudders to think what might have been
the result had a Benedict Arnold been in command instead of GW. I doubt
that Arnold would have nipped a potential military coup in the bud as GW did
in 1783 at Newburgh, NY. Therefore although many would and have denigrated
GW for being an aloof, arrogant light weight with an overly padded expense
account, I still rate him as the most significant of the lot. Without him
the Biritish would never have left and probably both Adams and Jefferson
would have wound up swinging from a gallows.
Ken Tucker (CNN producer)
For George Washington.
Alex Primm
I'm for George W., the original, because of his crossing the Delaware,
one of the single most exciting, crucial, brave, crazy & successful
moments of history.
David Woodworth
In keeping with modern standards for judging public
figures, I vote for Thomas Jefferson: nice house!
Wayne Cobb, Jr.
Thomas Jefferson is my favorite 'Founding Father', barely, but just barely,
squeaking by G. Washington!
John-Michael"JM" Bodi
(Bridgewater State College, Bridgewater, Massachusetts)
I believe that Thomas Jefferson is the most significant founding father
because of the philosophy he articulated and his deft handling of the
Federalists. I think he managed to transcend the centralization debate, and
could be claimed legitimately by both major political parties today (and a
number of minor groups).
Sean Wilentz (Princeton)
Jefferson.
Deb Avery
(Butte, Montana)
Thomas Jefferson had the courage to stand up to the"Religious Right" of his day, and for that reason I honor him above the other Founders.
Dan Herman
Jefferson because of his role in writing the Decl. of Ind. Simple.
Mike Adams (Baltimore Sun)
I like John Adams for two reasons: My father was named after him, and I
know little about our nation's second president. Familiarity breeds
contempt, and I know enough about Washington and Jefferson to dislike them.
Washington was a slave owner and so was Jefferson, who is believed to have
sired children by a slave, Sally Hemmings. And while Jefferson felt
comfortable in the woodpile with Sally, his late wife's half-sister, he was
steadfast in his belief that his other slaves were inherently unequal to
white men. It has been said that Hemmings' mother was half white, sired by
a white man, and Sally's father was white. The irony is that under English
law, Sally and her mother would have been labled white because an
offspring's race was determined by the race of the father. But under
Virginia law, the race of the mother determined the race of the offspring.
Consequently, Jefferson and others could spread their genes among their
slaves and turn around and sell them. God bless America.
Stuart Hobbs (Ohio Historical Society)
I know that Adams is obnoxious and disliked, but not only was he an
important leader in the revolution, he showed great political courage during
his presidency in resisting war with France, a move which cost him a second
term. (by the way: I have liked Adams for years, and have not read
McCullough's recent biography).
Paul Motzenbecker, Jr.
Greetings and hallucinations from just north of Fantasy Land (Washington,
DC)!
John Adams is my favorite founding father because he was one of the few who did not"own" slaves. This was illegal in the colonies, if they followed their charters. Each colony had in its Royal Charter a provision that they would follow English Common Law. Slavery became illegal in England in 1120 during the reign of Henry I. This was affirmed by the matter of Cartwright in the Court of the Star Chamber in 1569 and again in Sommersett vs. Stuart in 1772. The latter case is particularly pertinant because James Sommersett was a Negro slave brought from Virginia to London. He sued his so-called master in court by seeking a writ of habeas corpus. Slavery was illegal in the USA until the wrongheaded Scott vs. Sanford decision in 1857. While John Adam's writings were not as good a read as Mr. Jefferson's or Mr. Madison's, they were based on solid knowledge. He was an able lawyer for his time and he was a good, but not spectacular president.
BEN FRANKLIN
Thomas Fleming (novelist, historian, and HNN board member)
Washington is unquestionably the indispensable founding father. Without him the American Republic would have been still-born. But the word"favorite" allows a commentator some latitude beyond the question of political importance. In that context, my favorite founding father is unquestionably Benjamin Franklin. He was not far behind Washington in the indispensability contest, at least during the eight year struggle to win independence. Without Franklin, there might never have been a French alliance, the crucial factor in ultimate victory. Without his diplomatic finesse, the paranoia of envoys John Adams and John Jay, who hated the French almost as much as the English, would have destroyed this vital source of guns, men and money. More important in some ways was the prestige Franklin gave the Revolution, simply by being Benjamin Franklin, the most famous American of his time. His discoveries in electricity had amazed the civilized world. His books and witty essays were read throughout Europe. Today, he is the most relevant of the founding fathers, the only one who had a real affinity for urban life and gave serious thought to how to solve its problems. Finally, he had a gift which none of the other founders possessed -- a marvelous sense of humor.
MONROE
Robert Forbes (Yale)
I vote for James Monroe. He's the only Virginian whose cosmopolitan
nationalist vision grew with age, instead of contracting. Mounting
evidence places him among the most effective wielders of executive power in
the early republic--effective, in large part, because exercised so
discreetly. His plans to"amalgamate" Republicans and Federalists into a
patriotic coalition placing nation above party may have been naive, but it
was admirable.
HAMILTON
William Willingham
Alexander Hamilton--For his role in the ratification of the constitution and
the brillience of his contribution to the founding of the new national
government as Secretary of the Treasury. He role in championing a strong
national government was essential to the launching of the new Republic.
PAINE
Bozin
Thomas Paine, even if he doesn't count!
HANCOCK
P.M.Carpenter (HNN Columnist)
John Hancock, because he was an unrepentant smuggler who managed to exploit
principles for personal gain.
BURR
Puzzleelement@aol.com
Sorry, I vote for Aaron Burr, although most don't consider him a founding
father. He was THE most wrongly vilified man in this nation's history, but
if you read some of his letters, bills, and speeches, if you studied him with
an open mind as I have, and compared him to Jefferson, Washington, Adams,
Hamilton, etc., you might agree with me that he would have made an excellent
statesman. He was known for his disciplined and skilled handling of the
Senate (including the impeachment trial of Justice Chase) and other public
forums (including conducting Courts Martial as an officer in the American
Revolution at 20 years of age). He was known as a brave soldier and officer,
leading his men time and again to battle and safely back with few losses. He
believed in democratic principles more than Jefferson did, as there is now
strong evidence that Jefferson made a deal with Federalists to obtain the
swing-votes which gave him the Presidency while accusing Burr of doing so
himself, while it is clear that Burr merely refused to resign if elected
instead of Jefferson. Jefferson had no qualms about betraying Burr on
several occasions, yet he accused Burr of doing so.
SAM ADAMS
Erik Maiershofer
(Mira Costa College)
My favorite"founding father" - as I always tell my US Survey courses, there is no contest - Samuel Adams. Boston occupied a central role in the years leading up to the Revolution, and there is no other founder who had the same rapport with the common people as did Sam Adams. While others (like his cousin, John) debated the issues somewhat removed from"the real world," Samuel Adams was on the docks, in the taverns and inns and on the streets, talking to workers and telling them what was at stake for them in the Revolution. Two things most people don't know about him - 1) he greatly mistrusted George Washington (he reportedly told his cousin that he was sure GW was too ambitious to be a good leader); and 2) although he is most famous to most people today as a beer icon, his own brewery was a short-lived financial failure.
MADISON
Glenda428@aol.com
James Madison is my favorite founding father because he was the most
meticulous and had the greatest vision of their legacy. James Madison took
the time to write every detail of the negotiations and his specific
recordings have helped us understand each man, his view, his personal agenda
and his character. Without James Madison's records, we would be more
speculative instead of factual in our understanding of what happened in
Philadelphia.
James Madison was diligent in keeping the representatives on focus and he always made sure that a sense of fairness to all the people was being considered. Madison could visualize a growing country and how the actions being taken by the representives could correctly or adversely affect future generations.
To my mind, Madison was the smartest and the one with the most foresight of how decisions being made could impact a country long-term.