Founding Fathers of the United States
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225032039
2008-07-11T15:38:55Z
Shoreranger
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typo? also, Jenifer was a slave-holder and planter, therefore unlikely to have relied on his public office compensation
{{POV|date=July 2008}}
[[Image:Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States.png|300px|thumb|right|''[[Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States]]'', by [[Howard Chandler Christy]].]]
[[Image:Declaration independence.jpg|thumb|right|300px|[[John Trumbull]]'s famous painting is usually incorrectly identified as a depiction of the signing of the Declaration. The painting actually depicts the [[Committee of Five|five-man drafting committee]] presenting their work to the Congress. Trumbull's painting can also be found on the back of the U.S. [[United States Two dollar bill|$2 bill]]<ref>[http://www.americanrevolution.org/deckey.html americanrevolution.org] Key to Trumbull's picture</ref>]]
The '''Founding Fathers of the [[United States]]''' (also known as the '''Fathers of Our Country''', or the '''Founders''') are the [[political leaders]] who signed the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]] or otherwise participated in the [[American Revolution]] as leaders of the [[Patriot (American Revolution)|Patriot]]s, or who participated in drafting the [[United States Constitution]] eleven years later. During the [[American Revolutionary War]], the Founders were opposed by the [[Loyalist (American Revolution)|Loyalists]] who supported the [[British monarchy]] and opposed independence (though most Loyalists remained in the U.S. after [[1783]] and supported the new government).<ref>[http://www.uelac.org/PDF/loyalist.pdf A Short History of the United Empire Loyalists]</ref>
Some authors draw a distinction between the '''Founders,''' who signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776 or participated in the Revolution, and the '''Framers,''' who drafted the United States Constitution, to replace the [[Articles of Confederation]], in 1787.<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=qrwA6Mn990AC&pg=PA204&lpg=PA204&dq=definition+(founder%7Cfounders)+%22signed+the+declaration+of+independence%22+(framer%7Cframers)+%22delegates+to%22+%22constitutional+convention%22&source=web&ots=cJDOZVUH9l&sig=iLrzHPEwER_3sIm1xRAkky4rqqU ''Land and Liberty II: The Basics of Traditional American History,''] by David Warren Saxe, p.204</ref> This article does not make that distinction. The term "founding fathers" was first used in 1916 by then-Senator [[Warren G. Harding]] in his keynote address to the Republican National Convention; he did not distinguish between founders and framers. He had used the phrase "founding American fathers" in his 1912 speech nominating William Howard Taft for a second term during that year's Republican National Convention; between 1912 and 1916 he dropped the middle word "American." He used the term again in a 1918 address to a Washington's Birthday joint meeting of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Sons of the American Revolution; he used it twice in his 1920 acceptance speech before the Republican National Convention; and he used it in his inaugural address on 4 March 1921. Harding's well-known liking for alliteration in his political speech-making suggests that he indeed deserves credit for coining the phrase "founding fathers."
==Collective biography of the Framers of the Constitution==
The 55 delegates who attended the [[United States Constitutional Convention]] represented a cross section of 18th century American leadership. Almost all of them were well-educated men of means who were dominant in their communities and colonies, and many were also prominent in national affairs. Virtually every one had taken part in the Revolution; at least 29 had served in the [[Continental Army]], most of them in positions of command. Scholars have examined the collective biography of them as well as the signers of the Declaration and the Constitution.<ref>See Brown (19764); Martin (19739); "Data on the Framers of the Constitution," at [http://www.usconstitution.net/constframedata.html]</ref>
====Political experience====
The signers of the Constitution had extensive political experience. By 1787, four-fifths, or 41 individuals, were or had been members of the [[Continental Congress]]. Practically all of the 55 delegates had experience in colonial and state government, and the majority had held county and local offices.<ref> Martin (1973); Greene (1973)</ref>
*Timothy Mifflin, Pierce Gaithe, and James Gorham had served as [[president of the Continental Congress]].
*The ones who lacked congressional experience were Bassett, Blair, Brearly, Broom, Davie, Dayton, Alexander Martin, Luther Martin, Mason, McClurg, Paterson, Charles Pinckney, Strong, Washington and Yates.
*Eight men (Clymer, Franklin, Gerry, Robert Morris, Read, Sherman, Wilson, and Wythe) had signed the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]].
*Six (Carroll, Dickinson, Gerry, Gouverneur Morris, Robert Morris, and Sherman) had affixed their signatures to the [[Articles of Confederation]].
*Two, Sherman and Robert Morris, underwrote all three of the nation's basic documents.
*Dickinson, Franklin, Langdon, and Rutledge had been governors.
The 1787 delegates practiced a wide range of high and middle-[[Social status|status]] occupations, and many pursued more than one career simultaneously. They did not differ dramatically from the Loyalists, except they were younger and less senior in their professions.<ref> Greene (1973)</ref> Thirty-five were [[lawyers]] or had benefited from [[legal education]], though not all of them relied on the profession for a livelihood. Some had also become [[judge]]s.<ref> Brown (1976)</ref>
*At the time of the convention, 13 men were [[merchant]]s: Blount, Broom, Clymer, Dayton, Fitzsimons, Shields, Gilman, Gorham, Langdon, Robert Morris, Pierce, Sherman, and Wilson.
*Six were major [[Speculation|land speculators]]: Blount, Dayton, Fitzsimons, Gorham, Robert Morris, and Wilson.
*Eleven speculated in [[Security (finance)|securities]] on a large scale: Bedford, Blair, Clymer, Dayton, Fitzsimons, Franklin, King, Langdon, Robert Morris, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, and Sherman.
*Twelve owned or managed [[Slavery in the United States|slave]]-operated [[plantation]]s or large [[farm]]s: Bassett, Blair, Blount, Butler, Carroll, Jenifer, Mason, Charles Pinckney, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, Rutledge, Spaight, and Washington. Madison also owned slaves, as did Franklin, who later [[Manumission|freed his slaves]] and became an [[Abolitionism|abolitionist]].
*Broom and Few were small farmers.
*Eight of the men received a substantial part of their income from public office: Baldwin, Blair, Brearly, Gilman, Livingston, Madison, and Rutledge.
*Three had retired from active economic endeavors: Franklin, McHenry, and Mifflin.
*Franklin and Williamson were scientists, in addition to their other activities.
*McClurg, McHenry, and Williamson were physicians, and Johnson was a [[Academic administration|college president]].
==== Family and finances ====
A few of the 1787 delegates were wealthy, but most of the country's top wealth-holders were Loyalists who went to Britain. Most of the others had financial resources that ranged from good to excellent. On the whole they were less wealthy than the Loyalists. Some of them were in war in Indian continents. <ref> Greene (1973)</ref>
*Washington and Robert Morris ranked among the nation's most prosperous men.
*Carroll, Houston, Jenifer, and Mifflin were also extremely well-to-do.
*Among those with the most strained circumstances were Baldwin, Brearly, Broom, Few, Hamilton, Madison, Paterson, and Sherman, though they all managed to live comfortably.
*A considerable number of the men were born into leading families: Blair, Butler, Carroll, Houston, Ingersoll, Jenifer, Johnson, Livingston, Mifflin, Gouverneur Morris, both Pinckneys, Randolph, Rutledge, Washington, and Wythe.
*Others were self-made men who had risen from humble beginnings: Few, Franklin, Gorham, Hamilton, and Sherman.
==== Demographic information ====
Brown (1976) and Harris (1969) provide detailed demographic information on each man.
*Most of the 1787 delegates were natives of the [[13 colonies]].
*Only eight were born elsewhere: four (Butler, Fitzsimons, McHenry, and Paterson) in [[Ireland]], two (Davie and Robert Morris) in [[England]], one (Wilson) in [[Scotland]], and one (Hamilton) in the [[Caribbean|West Indies]].
*Many of them had moved from one state to another. Sixteen individuals had already lived or worked in more than one state or colony: Baldwin, Bassett, Bedford, Dickinson, Few, Franklin, Ingersoll, Livingston, Alexander Martieno, Luther Martin, Mercer, Gouverneur Morris, Robert Morris, Read, Sherman, and Williamson.
*Several others had studied or traveled abroad.
The Founding Fathers had strong educational backgrounds.<ref> Brown (1976); Harris (1969)</ref> Some, like Franklin, were largely [[Autodidacticism|self-taught]] or learned through [[apprenticeship]]. Others had obtained instruction from private tutors or at academies. About half of the men had attended or graduated from college in the colonies or Britain. Some men held [[Doctor of Medicine|medical degrees]] or advanced training in [[theology]]. For the most part, the delegates were a well-educated group. A few lawyers had been trained at the [[Inns of Court]] in [[London]], but most had apprenticed to an American lawyer.
====Longevity and family life====
[[Image:Death Age-Founding Fathers.svg|thumb|right|350px|Death age of the Founding Fathers.]]
For their era, the 1787 delegates (like the 1776 signers) were average in terms of life spans.<ref>Brown (1976)</ref> Their average age at death was about 67. The first to die was Houston in 1788; the last was Madison in 1836.
The one who reached the oldest age was Johnson, who died at 92. A few—Franklin, Jefferson, Madison, Williamson, and Wythe—lived into their eighties. Either 15 or 16 (depending on Fitzsimons's exact age) died in their seventies. Twenty or 21 in their sixties; eight lived into their fifties; and five lived only into their forties. Two ([[Alexander Hamilton]] and [[Richard Dobbs Spaight]]) were killed in [[duel]]s.
Most of the delegates married and raised children. Sherman fathered the largest family: 15 children by two wives. At least nine (Bassett, Brearly, Johnson, Mason, Paterson, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, Sherman, Wilson, and Wythe) married more than once. Four (Baldwin, Gilman, Jenifer, and Alexander Martin) were lifelong [[bachelor]]s.
===Religion===
Lambert (2003) has examined the religious affiliations and beliefs of the Founders. Some of the 1787 delegates had no affiliation. The others were Protestants except for three Roman Catholics: C. Carroll, D. Carroll, and Fitzsimons. Among the Protestants Constitutional Convention delegates, 28 were Episcopalian, 8 were Presbyterians, 7 were Congregationalists, 2 were Lutherans, 2 were Dutch Reformed, and 2 were Methodists. Many of the more prominent Founding Fathers were vocal about their opposition to organized religion or anti-clerical, such as Jefferson. Some of them often related their anti-organized church leanings in their speeches and correspondence, including George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson (who created the "[[Jefferson Bible]]"), and Benjamin Franklin. However, a few of the more notable founders, such as Patrick Henry, were strong proponents of traditional religion. Several of the Founding Fathers considered themselves to be [[deism|deists]] or held beliefs very similar to that of traditional Deists, including Franklin, Jefferson, and Ethan Allen.<ref>See, e.g., [http://www.religioustolerance.org/deism.htm Religioustolerance.org/Deism], [http://earlyamericanhistory.net/founding_fathers.htm Jim Peterson (2007) "The Revolution of Belief: Founding Fathers, Deists, Orthodox Christians, and the Spiritual Context of 18th Century America] [http://www.deism.com/deistamerica.htm Robert L. Johnson, "The Deist Roots of
the United States of America"]</ref>
Although not a religion, [[Freemasonry]] was represented in John Blair, Benjamin Franklin, James Mchenry, George Washington, Abraham Baldwin, Gunning Bedford, William Blount, David Brearly, Daniel Carroll, Jonathan Dayton, Rufus King, John Langdon, George Read, Roger Sherman, James Madison, Robert Morris, William Paterson, and Charles Pinckney.
Notwithstanding the spectrum of beliefs held by the Founding Fathers, their speeches indeed contain statements in which they describe religion's role in molding "national morality" and securing the rule of [[law]](George Washington), its check on human "wickedness" (Benjamin Franklin), and its preservation of a free government such as America (John Adams). This, of course, can be attributed to the maxim that for the people religion is dear, but for the [[government]] it is merely useful. Jefferson, in particular was hostile toward many aspects of contemporary Christianity. This can be seen, for instance, in a letter of Jefferson to Francis Hopkinson, dated March 13, 1789, in which Jefferson states: "I never submitted the whole system of my opinions to the creed of any party of men whatever in religion, in philosophy, in politics, or in anything else where I was capable of thinking for myself. Such an addiction is the last degradation of a free and moral agent.". In correspondence with John Adams, Jefferson says "The whole history of these books [the [[Gospels]]] is so defective and doubtful that it seems vain to attempt minute enquiry into it: and such tricks have been played with their text, and with the texts of other books relating to them, that we have a right, from that cause, to entertain much doubt what parts of them are genuine. In the [[New Testament]] there is internal evidence that parts of it have proceeded from an extraordinary man; and that other parts are of the fabric of very inferior minds. It is as easy to separate those parts, as to pick out diamonds from dunghills". In yet another letter, to Correa de Serra, dated April 11, 1820, Jefferson stated: "Priests...dread the advance of science as witches do the approach of daylight and scowl on the fatal harbinger announcing the subversions of the duperies on which they live".
===Post-convention careers===
The 1787 delegates' subsequent careers reflected their abilities as well as the vagaries of fate.<ref> Martin (1973) </ref> Most were successful, although seven (Fitzsimons, Gorham, Luther Martin, Mifflin, Robert Morris, Pierce, and Wilson) suffered serious financial reverses that left them in or near [[bankruptcy]]. Two, Blount and Dayton, were involved in possibly treasonous activities. Yet, as they had done before the convention, most of the group continued to render public service, particularly to the new government they had helped to create.
*Washington, John Adams, Jefferson and Madison each served as [[President of the United States]], and King and Charles Cotesworth Pinckney were nominated as candidates for the office.
*[[United_States_Declaration_of_Independence|Declaration of Independence]] Signers [[John Hancock]], [[Richard Henry Lee]], and [[Samuel Huntington]] went on to become Presidents of the [[United States in Congress Assembled]]
*[[Articles of Confederation]] Signers [[John Hanson]] and [[Thomas McKean]] went on to become Presidents of the [[United States in Congress Assembled]]
*[[United States Constitution]] Signers [[Nathaniel Gorham]] and [[Thomas Mifflin]] were Presidents of the [[United States in Congress Assembled]]
*Gerry served as Madison's [[Vice President of the United States|Vice President]]. John Adams served as Washington's.
*Hamilton, McHenry, Madison, and Randolph attained [[U.S. Cabinet|Cabinet]] posts.
*Nineteen men became [[U.S. senator]]s: Baldwin, Bassett, Blount, Butler, Dayton, Ellsworth, Few, Gilman, Johnson, King, Langdon, Alexander Martin, Gouverneur Morris, Robert Morris, Paterson, Charles Pinckney, Read, Sherman, and Strong. Thirteen served in the House of Representatives: Baldwin, Carroll, Clymer, Dayton, Fitzsimons, Gerry, Gilman, Madison, Mercer, Charles Pinckney, Sherman, Spaight, and Williamson. Of these, Dayton served as Speaker.
*Four men (Bassett, Bedford, Brearly, and Few) served as federal judges, five more (Blair, Chase, Paterson, Rutledge, and Wilson) as [[Associate Justice of the Supreme Court|Associate Justices of the Supreme Court]]. Rutledge and Ellsworth also held the position of [[Chief Justice of the United States|Chief Justice]].
*Seven others (Davie, Ellsworth, Gerry, King, Gouverneur Morris, Charles Pinckney, and Charles Cotesworth Pinckney) were named to [[diplomatic missions]]
Many 1787 delegates held important state positions, including governor (Blount, Davie, Franklin, Gerry, Langdon, Livingston, Alexander Martin, Mifflin, Paterson, Charles Pinckney, Spaight, and Strong) and legislator. And most of the delegates contributed in many ways to the cultural life of their cities, communities, and states. Not surprisingly, many of their sons and other descendants were to occupy high positions in American political and intellectual life.
== Signatories of the Declaration of Independence ==
{| width="600px"
|- valign=top
|width="200px" |
*[[John Adams]]
*[[Samuel Adams]]
*[[Josiah Bartlett]]
*[[Carter Braxton]]
*[[Charles Carroll of Carrollton|Charles Carroll]]
*[[Samuel Chase]]
*[[Abraham Clark]]
*[[George Clymer]]
*[[William Ellery]]
*[[William Floyd]]
*[[Benjamin Franklin]]
*[[Elbridge Gerry]]
*[[Button Gwinnett]]
*[[Lyman Hall]]
*[[John Hancock]]
*[[Benjamin Harrison V|Benjamin Harrison]]
*[[John Hart]]
*[[Joseph Hewes]]
*[[Thomas Heyward, Jr.]]
|width="200px" |
*[[William Hooper]]
*[[Stephen Hopkins (politician)|Stephen Hopkins]]
*[[Francis Hopkinson]]
*[[Samuel Huntington (statesman)|Samuel Huntington]]
*[[Thomas Jefferson]]
*[[Francis Lightfoot Lee]]
*[[Richard Henry Lee]]
*[[Francis Lewis]]
*[[Philip Livingston]]
*[[Thomas Lynch, Jr.]]
*[[Thomas McKean]]
*[[Arthur Middleton]]
*[[Lewis Morris]]
*[[Robert Morris (merchant)|Robert Morris]]
*[[John Morton (Pennsylvania)|John Morton]]
*[[Thomas Nelson, Jr.]]
*[[William Paca]]
*[[Robert Treat Paine]]
*[[John Penn (delegate)|John Penn]]
|width="200px" |
*[[George Read (signer)|George Read]]
*[[Caesar Rodney]]
*[[George Ross (delegate)|George Ross]]
*[[Benjamin Rush]]
*[[Edward Rutledge]]
*[[Roger Sherman]]
*[[James Smith (political figure)|James Smith]]
*[[Richard Stockton (1730-1781)|Richard Stockton]]
*[[Thomas Stone]]
*[[George Taylor (delegate)|George Taylor]]
*[[Matthew Thornton]]
*[[George Walton]]
*[[William Whipple]]
*[[William Williams (signer)|William Williams]]
*[[James Wilson]]
*[[John Witherspoon]]
*[[Oliver Wolcott]]
*[[George Wythe]]
|}
==Constitutional Convention delegates==
=== Delegates who signed ===
{| width="100%"
|- valign=top
|width="20%" |
*[[John Hancock]]
*[[Abraham Baldwin]]
*[[Richard Bassett]]
*[[Gunning Bedford, Jr.]]
*[[John Blair]]
*[[William Blount]]
*[[David Brearly]]
*[[Jacob Broom]]
*[[Pierce Butler]]
*[[Daniel Carroll]]
*[[George Clymer]]
*[[Jonathan Dayton]]
*[[John Dickinson (congressman)|John Dickinson]]
*[[William Few]]
*[[Thomas Fitzsimons]]
*[[Benjamin Franklin]]
*[[Nicholas Gilman]]
*[[Nathaniel Gorham]]
*[[Alexander Hamilton]]
*[[Jared Ingersoll]]
*[[Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer]]
|width="20%" |
*[[William Samuel Johnson]]
*[[Rufus King]]
*[[John Langdon]]
*[[William Livingston]]
*[[James Madison]]
*[[James McHenry]]
*[[Thomas Mifflin]]
*[[Gouverneur Morris]]
*[[Robert Morris (merchant)|Robert Morris]]
*[[William Paterson (jurist)|William Paterson]]
*[[Charles Cotesworth Pinckney]]
*[[Governor Charles Pinckney|Charles Pinckney]]
*[[George Read (signer)|George Read]]
*[[John Rutledge]]
*[[Roger Sherman]]
*[[Richard Dobbs Spaight]]
*[[George Washington]] (president of the Convention)
*[[Hugh Williamson]]
*[[James Wilson]]
*[[William Jackson (secretary)|William Jackson]] (Secretary)
|width="20%" |
|}
=== Delegates who had left the Convention earlier and did not sign ===
{| width="100%"
|- valign=top
|width="20%" |
*[[William Richardson Davie]]
*[[Oliver Ellsworth]]
*[[William Houstoun]]
*[[John Lansing, Jr.]]
*[[Alexander Martin]]
*[[Luther Martin]]
|width="20%" |
*[[James McClurg]]
*[[John Francis Mercer]]
*[[William Pierce (politician)|William Pierce]]
*[[Caleb Strong]]
*[[George Wythe]]
*[[Robert Yates (politician)|Robert Yates]]
|width="20%" |
|}
=== 3 Delegates who refused to sign ===
{| width="100%"
|- valign=top
|width="20%" |
*[[George Mason]]
*[[Edmund Randolph]]
*[[Elbridge Gerry]]
|width="20%" |
|}
==Other Founders==
{| width="100%"
|- valign=top
|width="20%" |
*[[Ethan Allen]]
*[[Benedict Arnold]]
*[[Richard Bland]]
*[[George Clinton (politician)|George Clinton]]
*[[Patrick Henry]]
*[[John Jay]]
*[[Light Horse Harry Lee|Henry Lee III]]
*[[Thomas Sim Lee]]
*[[Robert Livingston (1746-1813)|Robert R. Livingston]]
*[[John Marshall]], the fourth [[Chief Justice of the United States]].
*[[Philip Mazzei]]
*[[James Monroe]], Continental Congressman and fifth [[President of the United States]], the last of the "[[Republican Generation]]"
*[[Thomas Paine]], who went on to champion the [[French Revolution]] in his ''[[Rights of Man]]''. He was elected to the [[National Convention]] and helped to write the constitution of [[France]].
*[[Peyton Randolph]], President of the [[First Continental Congress]]
*[[Paul Revere]] and [[William Dawes]]
*Dr.[[William Rickman]], first Director of Hospitals of the Continental Army.
*[[Gilbert du Motier, marquis de La Fayette]] French Major General, originally a volunteer, who was vital for the correspondence to and persuasion of France to support the Revolution.
*[[Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben]], the [[Kingdom of Prussia|German-Prussian]] General who reorganized the [[Continental Army]] and guided it to victory.
*[[Charles Thomson]], secretary to the Second Continental Congress
|}
==See also==
*[[Founding Fathers]] (worldwide)
*[[List of Continental Congress Delegates]]
*[[List of signatories of the United States Constitution]]
*[[Gallery of the Founding Fathers of the United States]]
*[[History of the United States Constitution]]
==Notes==
{{reflist}}
==References==
* ''American National Biography Online,'' (2000), scholarly biographies of 18,000 Americans, including all the Founders. [http://www.anb.org/ online edition]
* Richard D. Brown. "The Founding Fathers of 1776 and 1787: A Collective View," ''The William and Mary Quarterly,'' 3rd Ser., Vol. 33, No. 3 (Jul., 1976), pp. 465-480 [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0043-5597(197607)3%3A33%3A3%3C465%3ATFFO1A%3E2.0.CO%3B2-G online at JSTOR]
* Joseph J. Ellis. ''Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation'' (2002), Pulitzer Prize
* Jack P. Greene. "The Social Origins of the American Revolution: An Evaluation and an Interpretation," ''Political Science Quarterly,'' Vol. 88, No. 1 (Mar., 1973), pp. 1-22 [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0032-3195(197303)88%3A1%3C1%3ATSOOTA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-U online in JSTOR]
* P.M.G. Harris, "The Social Origins of American Leaders: The Demographic Foundations, " ''Perspectives in American History'' 3 (1969): 159-364.
* Mark E. Kann; ''The Gendering of American Politics: Founding Mothers, Founding Fathers, and Political Patriarchy'' Praeger, 1999
* Adrienne Koch; ''Power, Morals, and the Founding Fathers: Essays in the Interpretation of the American Enlightenment'' 1961
* Frank Lambert. ''The Founding Fathers and the Place of Religion in America.'' 2003.
* Martin, James Kirby. ''Men in rebellion: Higher governmental leaders and the coming of the American Revolution,'' (1973)
* Robert Previdi; "Vindicating the Founders: Race, Sex, Class, and Justice in the Origins of America," ''Presidential Studies Quarterly,'' Vol. 29, 1999
* Cokie Roberts. ''Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation'' (2005)
* Gordon S. Wood. ''Revolutionary Characters: What Made the Founders Different'' (2006)
==External links==
* [http://www.archives.gov/national_archives_experience/constitution_founding_fathers.html NARA - America's founding fathers]
* [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9437376/The-Founding-Fathers-and-Slavery Encyclopaedia Britannica, The Founding Fathers and Slavery]
* [http://www.bethlehempaonline.com/signers.html What Happened to the Signers of the Declaration of Independence?]
* [http://blogs.britannica.com/blog/main/category/founders-faith-forum/ Britannica blog - a scholar blog forum on Founding Fathers and their Faith]
[[Category:American Revolution]]
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