HW for March 12: the Founding Fathers and Washington's Farewell Address (pp. 133-137)
Answer to one of the following:
1. Who were the founding fathers? Select your least favorite and explain why.
2. Comment, from your reading of George Washington's "Farewell Address" (anthology, pp. 116-125), on his views about how to manage internal and external affairs in the new nation he helped to build.
The founding fathers refer to the prominent figures who played significant roles in the establishment of the United States, particularly during the drafting of the U.S. Constitution. This esteemed group includes George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and Benjamin Franklin.
ReplyDeleteIf I were to select a least favorite founding father, it would be Thomas Jefferson.
Although he played a remarkable role in drafting the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson's personal paradoxes are hard to ignore. Despite advocating for individual liberty and equality, he owned slaves and endorsed racist beliefs, which contradicted his professed ideals. Furthermore, his relationship with Sally Hemings, a woman he owned as a slave, raises ethical questions and highlights the hypocrisy in his beliefs. While Jefferson's contributions to American democracy are undeniable, his personal contradictions make him a complicated and very unstable figure to admire without hesitation.
It's crucial to critically examine historical figures, acknowledging both their achievements and their flaws, in order to understand the complexities of history and its impact on contemporary society.
ReplyDeleteAt the end of the eighteenth century, George Washington published his “Farewell Address”, after two terms of his presidency. This document reveals the early importance placed on the safeguarding of sovereignty and democracy, with relevance to some topics which are still discussed in our contemporary society.
Firstly, it is surprising that, at this time, the President of a New Nation would be preoccupied the rise of factions and if “the chief of some prevailing faction [...] turns his disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of public liberty”, explaining that “an extremity of this kind” (p. 133) will agitate the community and create polarization (“animosity of one part against the other” p. 133). Similarly, nowadays, this sentiment resonates with modern debates over populist leaders who may seek to undermine democratic principles, through emotional discourse and advocating for the segmentation of different factions within society, particularly targeting minorities.
Moreover, Despotism is clearly condemned, promoting a power divided into different depositaries, rather than a centralized power, while the ones entrusted with administration should remember that it is a free country and confine themselves to their constitutional spheres. However, he admits changes in the constitution, but they must be done in complete conscience, always carefully and only if it is strictly necessary.
Furthermore, religion and morality are highlighted as crucial for political prosperity, asserting that these principles enable individuals to discern their duties as citizens, thus contributing to the maintenance of a free government. He uses enlightenment ideals to support his argument, “reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle” (p. 134). These ideals are also essential when it comes to public opinion, since he defends that the government should be constituted by a co-operation between the representatives and the public opinion, so the latter “should be enlightened” (p. 134).
In terms of foreign policy, his main argument is that the country should be impartial in its international relations, since hatred or sympathy towards a certain country causes people to depart from their duty and their interests, influencing the process of decision-making.
In general, George Washington promotes the idea of the American Experiment, talking about US as the “novel example of a people always guided by an exalted justice and benevolence” (p. 135), warning for the population not to fall into the mistakes of other nations (“prevent our nation from running the course which has hitherto marked the destiny of nations” p. 137), and giving his advices to safeguard the nation’s path forward.
Graff, Henry and Nevins, Allan. “George Washington”. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2024. https://www.britannica.com/biography/George-Washington.
Washington, George. “Washington’s Farewell Address: to the People of the United States”. The National Constitution Center, 1796. https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/resources/pdf/Washingtons_Farewell_Address.pdf
“The Founding Fathers, a group of predominantly wealthy plantation owners and businessmen, united 13 disparate colonies, fought for independence from Britain and penned a series of influential governing documents that steer the country to this day. All the Founding Fathers, including the first four U.S. presidents, at one point considered themselves British subjects. But they revolted against the restrictive rule of King George III—outlining their grievances in the Declaration of Independence, a powerful (albeit incomplete) call for freedom and equality—and won a stunning military victory over what was then the world’s preeminent superpower.” (history, 2023).
ReplyDeleteMy least favourite founding father was Thomas Jefferson. He was responsible for the first draft of the Declaration of Independence in which he “(…) blamed George III for African slavery, charging the king with waging “cruel war against human nature itself, violating its most sacred rights of life & liberty in the persons of a distant people who never offended him, captivating & carrying them into slavery,” preventing the colonies from outlawing the slave trade and, ‘that this assemblage of horrors might want no fact of distinguished die, he is now exciting those very people to rise in arms among us.’ This passage Congress struck, unwilling to conjure this assemblage of horrors in the nation’s founding document.” (Lepore, 2018)
However, as Lepore mentions this passage was struck and Jefferson did not push for its inclusion. Moreover, as it was discussed in class, Jefferson had his own share of slaves and he even got involved and had children with enslaved women.
It’s dreadful how a man that promoted individual liberty and that all men are equal also enslaved over six hundred people over the course of his life.
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Sources:
https://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/founding-fathers-united-states
https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/thomas-jefferson#thomas-jefferson-s-later-years-and-death
Lepore, Jill (2018). These Truths. A History of the United States. W. W. Norton & Company.
The term "founding fathers" typically refers to the prominent figures who played key roles in the establishment of the United States, especially during the American Revolutionary War and the drafting of the U.S. Constitution. The list of founding fathers include commonly recognized figures such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and others.
ReplyDeleteIf I were to choose, I would select Aaron Burr as my least favorite founding father.
Aaron Burr is often remembered for his infamous duel with Alexander Hamilton, which resulted in Hamilton's death. While he was undoubtedly a talented politician and served as Vice President under Thomas Jefferson, Burr's legacy is marred by his involvement in scandal and his controversial actions.
Burr's political ambition and willingness to engage in ruthless tactics to advance his career, including alleged conspiracies and treasonous activities, make him a divisive figure in American history. His lack of moral scruples and his role in perpetuating political discord and personal vendettas detract from his contributions to the nation's founding.
In summary, while Aaron Burr was a significant figure in early American politics, his actions and character flaws, particularly his involvement in the Hamilton duel and other controversies, make him my least favorite among the founding fathers.
Matilde Silvestre
Delete1. The "Founding Fathers" were the prominent figures who played important roles in the American Revolution and the establishment of the United States of America. While it's subjective to label any of these historical figures as "least favorite," I have manifested my dissatisfaction towards Jefferson in class. Therefore I argue that Thomas Jefferson might be considered as such by some, although with significant achievements and contributions.
ReplyDeleteThomas Jefferson, despite his pivotal role in drafting the Declaration of Independence and his influence on American political philosophy, held contradictory views and actions. He famously wrote "all men are created equal" in the Declaration of Independence but was a slave owner himself (quite ironic), which is a significant moral failing by modern standards (even though we discussed the reasons for him to own slaves). His views on race were complex and often inconsistent, which has led to criticism and debate over his legacy. His flaws and inconsistencies make him a controversial figure, potentially earning him the title of "least favorite" among some people.
The term "Founding Fathers" typically refers to the prominent figures who played key roles in the establishment of the United States of America.
ReplyDeleteIf I had to choose a least favourite, it has to be Alexander Hamilton.
The man was a federalist, an avid supporter of a strong executive branch and centralized power. As a strong opposer to authoritarian regime, this definetly helped in my decision to pick him as my least favourite. Aditionally, as I study and research for my final paper on his wife, Eliza Schulyer, I've become increasingly aware of many misshaps and character flaws in his personality that make me view him even less favourably. He served his country as the first Secretary of Treasury, yet his family's personal finances were always finding themselves in though situations due to Hamilton's missmanagement of them, using them on shaky investments that never paid off. Aditionally, Hamilton was an adulterer, he had multiple extramarital affairs, something that says a lot about a person's character. To top it all of, after being blackmailed by the husband of one of his affair partner, in a desperate attempt to try and save his reputation, he came forth and public with his affair, not thinking for a moment how that would affect his family and the shame it would bring his wife.
Alexander Hamilton was a great man in the eyes of history, he made a great number of things for America, but i cannot oversee these flaws and not call him my least favourite Founding Father.