Founding Fathers

The founding fathers were mostly well-off and highly educated who valued freedom, but still knew a balanced government was needed.

Although there is no definitive list, the people in the signatories are usually recognized as founding fathers(even though some contributed far more than others). But other significant people not included were Patrick Henry, George Mason, and John Marshall.

People as described by the text

Washington: resolute military/political leader

• Hungry for land

Adams: Diplomat(representative); champion for independence

• Quarrelsome

Jefferson: Political leader, philosopher-statesman, diplomat

• vindictive(vengeful)

Madison: Father of the Constitution + Bill of Rights, author of Federalist papers

Franklin: won French help, helped Constitution get accepted by the Convention

Hamilton: Brilliant military aid

• ambitious

Hancock: vain

Henry: Tyrannical

Vocabulary

(if you click “linked resources [flashcards]” you can review these)

endow: given

unalienable: unable to be taken away

Prudence: sound judgment

Transient: Temporary

usurpations: to undermine with no right to do so

evinces: show/express

formidable: impressive in strength/excellence

abdicate: to give up

perfidy: betrayal of trust

redress: setting things right

emigration: the act of leaving a country to settle in another

magnanimity: nobility and generosity

conjured: to summon into action

consanguinity: being brethren, having the same British roots

acquiesce: agree/express in agreement

solemnly: formally with dignity

rectitude: honorable behavior

absolve: freed from

levy: to impose

Quotes from where they are found are below in case you want to see how they are used

The Preamble ———————-

• “We hold these truths to be self-evident, and that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights…”

  • endow: given

  • unalienable: unable to be taken away

Declaration of Rights ————-

• “Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes…”

  • Prudence: sound judgment

  • Transient: Temporary

• “But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government…”

  • usurpations: to undermine with no right to do so

  • evinces: show/express

The Grievances ———————-

• “He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

  • formidable: impressive in strength/excellence

• “He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us…”

  • abdicate: to give up

• “He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

  • perfidy: betrayal of trust

• “In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury”

  • redress: setting things right

• “We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here”

  • emigration: the act of leaving a country to settle in another

• “We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence”

  • magnanimity: nobility and generosity

  • conjured: to summon into action

• “They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, ‘Enemies in War, in Peace Friends'.”

  • consanguinity: being brethren, having the same British roots

  • acquiesce: agree/express in agreement

The Statement of Independence —

• "We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown…”

  • solemnly: formally with dignity

  • rectitude: honorable behavior

  • absolve: freed from

• “As Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace… and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do”

  • levy: to impose