All these political leaders have been studied and written about extensively. Here are some highlights of their contributions.
George Washington's place in American history is unchallenged. He was a man of enormous passions who struggled mightily and mostly successfully to keep them under control. His devotion to his nation never wavered, and he rejected all temptations to power, even while accepting as duty his summonses to positions of leadership. Though he tried to stay "above politics," he was generally sympathetic to Federalists—he sided with Hamilton over Jefferson.
Perhaps the greatest testimony to Washington's character comes from a description by Colonel Benjamin Tallmadge (who had been Washington's intelligence chief) of Washington's farewell to his officers in New York City at the end of the Revolution. Tallmadge wrote:
At 12 o'clock the officers repaired to Fraunces Tavern in Pearl Street where General Washington had appointed to meet them and to take his final leave of them. We had been assembled but a few moments when his Excellency entered the room. His emotions were too strong to be concealed which seemed to be reciprocated by every officer present.
After partaking of a slight refreshment in almost breathless silence the General filled his glass with wine and turning to the officers said, "With a heart full of love and gratitude I now take leave of you. I most devoutly wish that your latter days may be as prosperous and happy as your former ones have been glorious and honorable."
After the officers had taken a glass of wine General Washington said, "I cannot come to each of you but shall feel obliged if each of you will come and take me by the hand."
General Knox being nearest to him turned to the Commander-in-chief who, suffused in tears, was incapable of utterance but grasped his hand when they embraced each other in silence. In the same affectionate manner every officer in the room marched up and parted with his general in chief. Such a scene of sorrow and weeping I had never before witnessed and fondly hope I may never be called to witness again.
Alexander Hamilton, Federalist, was perhaps the most controversial figure of all a revolutionary heroes. A brilliant intellect, his public career was tinged by a romantic scandal, to which he nevertheless responded honorably. He had a noted business-financial bias. He believed in original sin—the natural depravity of human beings and therefore felt that strong controls were necessary to maintain an orderly society. He was possessed of authoritarian inclinations along with an entrepreneurial spirit. His ambition, fueled by personal passion, led him to excesses and made him enemies. In the famous duel with Aaron Burr that ended his life, Hamilton planned only to fire over Burr's head, but Burr's shot struck and mortally wounded Hamilton. His death was considered a national tragedy.
John Adams, Federalist, had an agricultural bias but otherwise thought much like Hamilton. He was a true republican, though he was accused of monarchical sympathies. A brilliant political thinker and writer, Adams had an abrasive personality and was argumentative to the point of being considered rude and cantankerous. His adoring wife Abigail was his most trusted adviser, and she did her best to keep her passionate husband's temper in check. Lacking diplomatic skills, Adams was not an especially able executive. Yet, as president, he worked diligently to keep the United States out of what would have been a costly and possibly fatal war with France. He deserved a second term as president, but retired peacefully to his home in Massachusetts where he lived quietly for another quarter of a century.
Thomas Jefferson, Republican, is another of the controversial founding fathers. Another man of great passions, he carried within him an internal struggle between his head and heart. Ten years after his marriage to Martha Skelton, with whom he had six children, only two of whom survived to adulthood. he was left a widower. Jefferson lived the rest of his life as a bachelor, although it is now generally accepted that he had an intimate relationship with the beautiful slave woman Sally Hemings, his wife's half sister. Jefferson's great contributions came from his intellect, unsurpassed among the founding generation. The issues about which he seemed to have cared most passionately for religious freedom and education. A true child of the Enlightenment, he saw a little to be gained from what he considered superstitious beliefs, believing that faith "is a matter which lies solely between man and his God." He also believed that an educated population was the surest defense against tyranny; one of his major achievements was the creation of the University of Virginia
James Madison, Republican, might be the least appreciated of all the founding fathers, although in recent years his star has continued to rise as historians have come to regard him as the preeminent political thinker of his time. He, like Jefferson, was a firm believer in religious freedom and the separation of church and state. He rightly deserves this title of father of the Constitution, as no single figure had a greater hand in its creation. Always flexible in his political beliefs, he modified them wisely to suit changing circumstances. Succeeding Jefferson as president, he was thrust into an unpopular war brought about by circumstances beyond his control. Although served poorly by his advisers, he nevertheless saw the conflict to a reasonably successful conclusion. He lived for 20 years after his presidency and was the last of the founding fathers to die.
Benjamin Franklin. A Federalist in that he supported the Constitution, he did not live to see the first real parties develop, Franklin was undoubtedly the most colorful figure of his age. A man of large appetites and extraordinary talents, his genius showed itself in the fields of science, politics, diplomacy and civic responsibility. As a raconteur, he was unparalleled in his time; his Poor Richard's Almanac contains the wit and wisdom of his Puritan ancestry, a pithy overview of Yankee ingenuity. The most famous and beloved American of his time, at least in the salons of Paris, he was one of the few signers of both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. He died in 1790 at age 84, and his funeral was attended by thousands. He could be called the leading figure of the Enlightenment in America.
John Marshall, Federalist, although not always considered one of the founding fathers, had as much impact on the future of the country as almost any of them. As an officer who served under Washington during the Revolution, he developed strong feelings of nationalism that he carried with him into his years on the Supreme Court. A distinguished and successful lawyer, Marshall was appointed by John Adams as Chief Justice. He served from 1801 to 1835 and was the author of numerous landmark decisions. One of his biographers called him "the man who made the court supreme." He created an air of collegiality among the justices and instituted a number of practices that continue to this day on the nation's highest tribunal. A poll of attorneys once unanimously voted him the greatest chief justice in American history.
World History
