Hvem er grundlæggerne af uafhængighedserklæringen?
Benjamin Franklin
Founding Fathers of the United States
Historikeren Richard B. Morris identificerede i 1973 følgende syv personer som de vigtigste grundlæggere: John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison og George Washington. Adams, Jefferson og Franklin var medlemmer af den Femkommission, der udarbejdede uafhængighedserklæringen. Hamilton, Madison og Jay var forfattere til The Federalist Papers, som anbefalede ratifikation af forfatningen. De forfatninger, som Jay og Adams havde udarbejdet for deres respektive stater New York (1777) og Massachusetts (1780), blev i høj grad brugt som grundlag for udformningen af den amerikanske forfatning. Jay, Adams og Franklin forhandlede Paris-traktaten (1783), der skulle afslutte den amerikanske revolutionskrig. Washington var øverstkommanderende for den kontinentale hær og var formand for forfatningskonventet. Alle havde yderligere vigtige roller i USA's tidlige regering, hvor Washington, Adams, Jefferson og Madison var præsident. Jay var nationens første øverste dommer, og Hamilton var den første finansminister. Mens Franklin var USA's øverste diplomat og senere regeringsleder i Pennsylvania.
Benjamin Franklin
Founding Fathers of the United States
Historian Richard B. Morris in 1973 identified the following seven figures as the key Founding Fathers: John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and George Washington. Adams, Jefferson, and Franklin were members of the Committee of Five that drafted the Declaration of Independence. Hamilton, Madison, and Jay were authors of The Federalist Papers, advocating ratification of the Constitution. The constitutions drafted by Jay and Adams for their respective states of New York (1777) and Massachusetts (1780) were heavily relied upon when creating language for the US Constitution. Jay, Adams and Franklin negotiated the Treaty of Paris (1783) that would end the American Revolutionary War. Washington was Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army and was President of the Constitutional Convention. All held additional important roles in the early government of the United States, with Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and Madison serving as President. Jay was the nation's first Chief Justice and Hamilton was the first Secretary of the Treasury. While Franklin was America's most senior diplomat and later the governmental leader of Pennsylvania.
Founding Fathers of the United States