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's famous painting is usually incorrectly identified as a depiction of the signing of the Declaration. What the painting actually depicts is the Founding Fathers of the United States, also known as the '''Fathers of Our Country''', the '''Forefathers''', '''Framers of the Constitution''' or the '''Founders''', are the Political Leaders who signed the Declaration Of Independence or the United States Constitution , or otherwise participated in the American Revolution as leaders of the Patriot s. They were opposed by the Loyalists who supported the British Monarchy and opposed independence (However, most of the Loyalists stayed in the U.S. after 1783 and supported the new government. A Short History of the United Empire Loyalists ) COLLECTIVE BIOGRAPHY OF THE FOUNDING FATHERS The 55 delegates who attended the United States Constitutional Convention represented a cross section of 18th-century American leadership. Almost all of them were well-educated men of means who were dominant in their communities and states, and many were also prominent in national affairs. Virtually every one had taken part in the Revolution; at least 29 had served in the Continental Army , most of them in positions of command. Scholars have examined the collective biography of them as well as the signers of the Declaration and the Constitution.See Brown (19764); Martin (19739); "Data on the Framers of the Constitution," at {Link without Title} Political experience The signers of the Constitution had extensive political experience. By 1787, four-fifths, or 41 individuals, were or had been members of the Continental Congress . Practically all of the 55 delegates had experience in colonial and state government, and the majority had held county and local offices. Martin (1973); Greene (1973)
Occupations The 1787 delegates practiced a wide range of high and middle-status occupations, and many pursued more than one career simultaneously. They did not differ dramatically from the Loyalists, except they were younger and less senior in their professions. Greene (1973) Thirty-five were Lawyers or had benefited from Legal Education , though not all of them relied on the profession for a livelihood. Some had also become Judge s. Brown (1976)
Family and finances A few of the 1787 delegates were wealthy, but most of the country's top wealth-holders were Loyalists who went to Britain. Most of the others had financial resources that ranged from good to excellent. On the whole they were less wealthy than the Loyalists. Some of them were in war in Indian continents. Greene (1973)
Demographic information Brown (1976) and Harris (1969) provide detailed demographic information on each man.
The Founding Fathers had strong educational backgrounds. Brown (1976); Harris (1969) Some, like Franklin, were largely Self-taught or learned through Apprenticeship . Others had obtained instruction from private tutors or at academies. About half of the men had attended or graduated from college in the colonies or Britain. Some men held Medical Degrees or advanced training in Theology . For the most part, the delegates were a well-educated group. A few lawyers had been trained at the Inns Of Court in London , but most had apprenticed to an American lawyer. Longevity and family life For their era, the 1787 delegates (like the 1776 signers) were average in terms of life spans.Brown (1976) Their average age at death was about 67. The first to die was Houston in 1788; the last was Madison in 1836. The one who reached the oldest age was Johnson, who died at 92. A few—Franklin, Jefferson, Madison, Williamson, and Wythe—lived into their eighties. Either 15 or 16 depending on Fitzsimons's exact age) died in their seventies. Twenty or 21 in their sixties; eight lived into their fifties; and five lived only into their forties. Two ( Alexander Hamilton and Richard Dobbs Spaight ) were killed in Duel s. Most of the delegates married and raised children. Sherman fathered the largest family: 15 children by 2 wives. At least nine (Bassett, Brearly, Johnson, Mason, Paterson, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, Sherman, Wilson, and Wythe) married more than once. Four (Baldwin, Gilman, Jenifer, and Alexander Martin) were lifelong Bachelor s. Religion The three major foundational documents of the United States of America are the Declaration of Independence (July 1776), the Articles of Confederation (drafted 1777, ratified 1781) and the Constitution of the United States of America (1789). There are a total of 143 signatures on these documents, representing 118 different signers. (Some individuals signed more than one document.) There were 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence. There were 48 signers of the Articles of Confederation. All 55 delegates who participated in the Constitutional Convention of 1787 are regarded as Founding Fathers, because it is this group that actually debated, drafted and signed the U.S. Constitution, which is the basis for the country's political and legal system. Only 39 delegates actually signed the document, however, meaning there were 16 non-signing delegates - individuals who were Constitutional Convention delegates, but were not signers of the Constitution. There were 95 Senators and Representatives in the First Federal Congress. If one combines the total number of signatures on the Declaration, the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution with the non-signing Constitutional Convention delegates, and then adds to that sum the number of congressmen in the First Federal Congress, one obtains a total of 238 "slots" or "positions" in these groups which one can classify as "Founding Fathers" of the United States. Because 40 individuals had multiple roles (they signed multiple documents and/or also served in the First Federal Congress), there are 204 unique individuals in this group of "Founding Fathers." These are the people who did one or more of the following: - signed the Declaration of Independence - signed the Articles of Confederation - attended the Constitutional Convention of 1787 - signed the Constitution of the United States of America - served as Senators in the First Federal Congress (1789-1791) - served as U.S. Representatives in the First Federal Congress The religious affiliations of these individuals are summarized below. Obviously this is a very restrictive set of names, and does not include everyone who could be considered an "American Founding Father." But most of the major figures that people generally think of in this context are included using these criteria, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Adams, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, John Hancock, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and more.
TOTAL 204 (Percentages reflect the breakdown of founders with known religious affiliations and does not include all the founders. See below for caveats)
In the table above, some people have been counted more than once because they changed religious affiliation from one denomination to another. Thus, the individual amounts added together total more than 100%. This method is used because it results in accurate numbers for each individual religious affiliation. For example, a total of 7 Quakers are shown in the table above. There were indeed 7 Quakers who were in this group. (However, not all of these were life-long Quakers.) For the most part, very few Founding Fathers switched denomination during their lifetime (less than 8%), so double-counting has occurred only rarely in this table. Quakers, in fact, are more likely to have switched denominations than members of any other religious denomination. Along with taking up arms and supporting military action against the British, a large proportion of Quaker Founding Father officially renounced or were expelled from the ardently pacifistic denomination they had been raised in and joined another denomination (usually Episcopalianism). Also, note that the proportions shown (percentage of each religious affiliation out of the total group of Founding Fathers) is the proportion out of Founders whose religious affiliation is known. The religious affiliation of a significant number of signers of the Articles of Confederation is not known, but if that information was available, it is expected that such information would not change the overall proportions significantly.
This information MUST be innacurate, as every religion listed is a Christian denomination and Thomas Jefferson was not a Christian, nor was Benjamen Franklin. These two are specifically named as included in this list, yet the denomination of 'diest' or even 'atheist' is not listed. Franklin nor Jefferson belonged to any of the listed Christian denominations. Post-convention careers The 1787 delegates' subsequent careers reflected their abilities as well as the vagaries of fate. Martin (1973) Most were successful, although seven (Fitzsimons, Gorham, Luther Martin, Mifflin, Robert Morris, Pierce, and Wilson) suffered serious financial reverses that left them in or near Bankruptcy . Two, Blount and Dayton, were involved in possibly treasonous activities. Yet, as they had done before the convention, most of the group continued to render public service, particularly to the new government they had helped to create.
Many 1787 delegates held important state positions, including governor (Blount, Davie, Franklin, Gerry, Langdon, Livingston, Alexander Martin, Mifflin, Paterson, Charles Pinckney, Spaight, and Strong) and legislator. And most of the delegates contributed in many ways to the cultural life of their cities, communities, and states. Not surprisingly, many of their sons and other descendants were to occupy high positions in American political and intellectual life. SIGNATORIES OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION DELEGATES Delegates who signed 16 Delegates who did not sign OTHER REVOLUTIONARY-ERA FIGURES CONSIDERED AS FOUNDING FATHERS FOUNDING MOTHERS In recent years historians have explored the role of women who supported the new nation, although no women held political office. With such representative women as Abigail Adams and Mercy Otis Warren , the Founding Mothers promoted the values of " Republican Motherhood ," and established unwritten traditions that became part of the nation's values.Previdi (1999); Kann (1999); Roberts (2005) SEE ALSO
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