The United States of America’s
“founding fathers” refers to the men who served as dominant
figures in the development of the nation from the period prior
to the Revolutionary War and the drafting of the Constitution up
through the early 19th century. The prominent figures
around the time of the American Revolution, commonly referred to
as the “founding fathers,” include George Washington, John
Adams, Alexander Hamilton, and Thomas Jefferson, among others.
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George Washington
George Washington is commonly referred to as the father of the
nation. Having led the Continental Army to victory over Great
Britain during the Revolutionary War, he was shortly thereafter
elected as the first President of the United States (1789-1797).
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John Adams
John Adams was a well-known
political philosopher and diplomat that served primarily during
the Revolutionary War. Adams served as the country’s first Vice
President for two terms under George Washington (1789-1797), and
later the nation’s second President (1797-1801).
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Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton, born in St. Kitts and Nevis (a British
colony at the time) was a renowned politician, statesman,
financier, and political theorist. He was one of the authors of
the Federalist Papers, the series of interpretive essays
on the American Constitution. Hamilton was also one of the
principal leaders in the calling of the Constitutional
Convention in 1787. As Secretary of the Treasury under
President Washington, Hamilton laid the foundations for the U.S.
financial system of today.
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Thomas Jefferson
Jefferson served as the United States’ third President
(1801-1809), and was one of the more prominent figures in U.S.
history for his writings on the ideal of Republicanism and
political Enlightenment. He was a primary author of the
Declaration of Independence (1776), and during his presidency,
Jefferson contributed to the territorial growth of the United
States through the 1803 Louisiana Purchase.
