The Founding Fathers on Happiness, Success, and Liberty
While countless people contributed to the formation of the United States of America in the 1770s, seven men in particular are considered the nation’s Founding Fathers: George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and James Monroe. With ambition, vision, and determination, this group of minds created a representative democracy to withstand centuries.
No figure looms so large in American history as George Washington, who led the rebel forces to victory against Great Britain and became the new nation’s very first President. He was succeeded by John Adams, who wrote extensively against the tyranny of British rule and was the first to propose that each colony (and later, state) should maintain its own independent government. Thomas Jefferson, President number three, famously wrote the Declaration of Independence, while Benjamin Franklin, in addition to being an unparalleled inventor, helped draft the U.S. Constitution.
The no-longer-overlooked Alexander Hamilton served as the country’s first Treasury Secretary, establishing a financial plan for the fledgling government. James Madison, the fourth President, became known as the “Father of the Constitution” after penning the Bill of Rights, and James Monroe served as the nation’s fifth President after declaring that European colonization would no longer be allowed in the Americas.
Here, we’ve collected some of our favorite quotes from these founders, whose words continue to guide and inspire generations of Americans.
