NationStates Jolt Archive

Washington.

'Nuff said! ;)

Benjamin Franklin, especially for this little quote of his:

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety

This is why they named that (failed) reform of the Patriot Act the "Ben Franklin Patriot Act," and I agree with his quote wholeheartedly

I like Franklin. He was witty. Wish we had presidents this century that were half as smart as the FF's...

I like Franklin. He was witty. Wish we had presidents this century that were half as smart as the FF's...

Amen! :p

I don't like any of them. They were all for government.

I don't like any of them. They were all for government.

Letila, I would just like to point out that all the founding fathers were for a central government that (in comparision to the US govt today) held very little authority - they had all hoped the individual States could sort things out on their own (a philosophy I am very much for) and that Federal intervention would be very uncommon

Did you know that some of the FF wanted Franklin to write the Declaration of Independence? They decided to go with Jefferson, because some feared that Franklin would hide a joke in the document.

Did you know that some of the FF wanted Franklin to write the Declaration of Independence? They decided to go with Jefferson, because some feared that Franklin would hide a joke in the document.

Really? I never knew that. :p Well, like the old cliche' goes, you learn something new everyday... Thanks! :)

Jefferson, easily. A steadfast supporter of states rights and small government.

How are we defining "Founding Fathers"?

I mean ... if we go by the signers of the Declaration of Independence, our choices are:

John Hancock
Samuel Adams
John Adams
Robert Treat Paine
Elbridge Gerry
Josiah Bartlett
William Whipple
Matthew Thornton
Stephen Hopkins
William Ellery
Roger Sherman
Samuel Huntington
William Williams
Oliver Wolcott
William Floyd
Philip Livingston
Francis Lewis
Lewis Morris
Richard Stockton
John Witherspoon
Francis Hopkinson
John Hart
Abraham Clark
Robert Morris
Benjamin Rush
Benjamin Franklin
John Morton
George Clymer
James Smith
George Taylor
James Wilson
George Ross
Caesar Rodney
George Read
Thomas M' Kean
Samuel Chase
William Paca
Thomas Stone
Charles Carrol
George Wythe
Richard Henry Lee
Thomas Jefferson
Benjamin Harrison
Thomas Nelson, Jr.
Francis Lightfoot Lee
Carter Braxton
William Hooper
Joseph Hewes
John Penn
Edward Rutledge
Thomas Heyward
Thomas Lynch
Arthur Middleton
Button Gwinnett
Lyman Hall
George Walton

Each one of those men took it upon themselves to put their name on a document that would lead to inevitable war with the current world superpower - England. That sort of bravery knows no boundaries and I believe each and every one of these men, whether you call them revolutionaries or terrorists, are deserving of a place of honor.

However, this leaves out dozens of men - including George Washington - who also had an integral part of the founding of our country. Then again, there has been a vast difference between those who make the law and those who enforce the law since the beginning. Jefferson, for instance, was a law maker, while Washington simply enforced the law. Fascinating precident that the great enforcer became the first President. :)

I don't think I could pick a favorite.

Lafayette and the French crown (Yorktown, Cornwallis aso. how much do Rep. NS people like to forget them). :)

jefferson
gotta love a red head

Though I would like to point out that if I were ever to meet GWB in person, I would only give him my favorite Alexander Hamilton quote:

Here sir, the people govern.

Or, as James Madison so eloquently put it:

An elective despotism was not the government we fought for; but one which should not only be founded on free principles, but in which the powers of government should be so divided and balanced among several bodies of magistracy, as that no one could transcend their legal limits, without being effectually checked and restrained by the others.

George Washington? What a clever guy. Too clever for words. He all but tricked his army into staying put when winter set in, prevented mutinies with retorhical flourishes and dramatic entrences and exits. As a tactician, he was only moderately gifted, but with the big pitcure, the man was genius.

From my point of view, taken induvidually, the founding fathers were far too quirky, set on specific agendas, or weak in some area or another. As a group however, they pooled their strengths and minimized their weakness. No one man ever fathered the US. The US encompassed all of the founding father's dreams, hopes and aspirations...And for that we now enshrine them as heroes of US culture as a group.

Hmm...a tie between Washington and Franklin. Washington had the General's skills and set a tradition for U.S. Presidents broken in the 20th century.

Frankin, on the other hand, was a really smart guy. I mean....what else describes him? Other than the fact he wanted a Turkey instead of a Hawk...

And the Unitarians are, as expected, leading by a mile so far on the whole.