The (very young) Founding Fathers
America's forebears were principled, intelligent, courageous ... and very, very young,
(Note: This is the 100th article published by Quoth the Maven. Thank you for your support!)
When we consider the Founding Fathers, we usually think of the same thing – elderly gentleman, wise, regal and a bit salty, with powdered whigs and stately postures, arguing about defiance, unfair taxes and self-determination.
They came from all walks of life: George Washington was a retired soldier, John Adams a Boston-raised lawyer, Paul Revere an engraver, and Thomas Jefferson the gentleman farmer from the Commonwealth of Virginia.
They almost certainly had English accents, though it was slightly different than the precision dialect we think of today. They were heavy drinkers – the Washington estate was once the largest distillery in the United States. And we all know about Samuel Adams.
However, one thing we don’t think about these revolutionaries is age. Turns out the Founding Fathers were young. In fact, really young.
These were not old men with cheap combovers and aching with shabbily made false teeth. They were young, energetic, idealistic and determined. If they lived today almost all would be considered Millenials (ages 28 to 43) or Gen Z (14 to 28). Only Benjamin Franklin, at 70, was considered long of tooth. But he made up for it with a youthful exuberance, scientific intellect, and a healthy libido from what we read.
If they lived today almost all would be considered Millenials (ages 28 to 43) or Gen Z (14 to 28).
Anyway, despite disagreements — Aaron Burr famously settled a spat with Alexander Hamilton by killing him in a duel in 1804 — they birthed a nation, the greatest political experiment in history based on the principles of Western Enlightenment, liberalism and freedom. They were contemplative, well-educated, judicious and rational. They understood the juxtaposition between law and a free society. The idea of checks and balances. They took their ideas from Enlightenment philosophers such as John Locke, Pierre Bayle, Voltaire, John Jaques Rousseau, Thomas Hobbes, Adam Smith and David Hume.
It is an interesting contrast to today’s leaders, who by comparison are rigid, senescent and uncompromising. In other words, old.
Their age in parentheses on July 4, 1776.
Thomas Jefferson (33)
Jefferson was barely out of his youth when he penned the Declaration of Independence at 33. He was already a wealthy landowner, having inherited 5,000 acres from his father at age 14. A graduate of the College of William and Mary, he was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses at age 26. He eventually became Ambassador to France, Secretary of State, John Adams’ Vice-President and third President of the United States.
James Madison (25)
Son of a Virginia tobacco farmer, Madison was the oldest of 12 children (only six survived to adulthood. Though he served in the Virginia militia, he saw no action in the Revolutionary War. Instead, he served in the Continental Congress and helped shape the nation’s course in the tentative aftermath of the war. A brilliant thinker and author, he was the main writer of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
Alexander Hamilton (21)
Born in what used to be known as the British Virgin Islands, he emigrated to New York as an adolescent. The youngest of the Forefathers, he first distinguished himself as a key advisor to General George Washington during the war. After the war, he became an important member of the Continental Congress and co-author of the Federalist Papers. It might be noted that he was the country’s first Treasurer and set up the national banking system that still exists today.
John Adams (40)
The second president of the United States had a love-hate relationship with Jefferson. The two men could not have been more different … Adams a short, neurotic, prickly lawyer from Boston and Jefferson a stately intellectual and gentleman farmer. But as much as the two differed in shaping the government — Jefferson a states-first advocate and Adams a hardened Federalist — their correspondence in later years revealed a mutual admiration and respect, a lesson our leaders of today should take to heart.
George Washington (44)
Our first war hero and president, it’s no wonder his visage is ubiquitous in American iconography. Washington made his name as a lieutenant colonel in the Virginia Regiment at age 22 in the French and Indian War. Afterward, he retired to his Mt. Vernon estate where he lived as a tobacco and wheat farmer at Mt. Vernon (VA) and sometimes politician before being called to duty as general of the Continental Army.
His 1796 farewell address became a preeminent statement on republicanism in which he wrote about the importance of national unity and the dangers that regionalism, partisanship, and foreign influence pose to it. Known literally as “The Father of our Country.”
John Jay (31)
John Jay's legacy as a statesman, diplomat, and jurist is significant. He was the president of the Second Continental Congress. But he was so much more. A firey pamphleteer, he was one of the strongest voices in shaping the federal government. Ambassador to Spain … Governor of New York … Secretary of State … and the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. It is important to note he co-authored (along with Hamilton and Madison) many of the 85 articles and essays that became known as the Federalist Papers.
James Monroe (18)
The fifth president of the United States and the last member of the Virginia dynasty. His name is inexorably attached to the Monroe Doctrine, the official mandate regarding the isolation of the United States from Europe, but not many people know he was the chief negotiator of the Louisiana Purchase (1803). During the Revolutionary War, he was a lieutenant in the Continental Army from Virginia and later studied law under Thomas Jefferson. He was elected to the Continental Congress at age 24. It should be noted that he voted against ratification of the Constitution. Monroe called for the federal government to have direct control over the militia in case of defense. In essence, he opposed the establishment of a standing army.
Others: Patrick Henry (40), Paul Revere (41), Aaron Burr (20), John Hancock (39), Thomas Paine (39), Henry Lee III (20), Nathan Hale (20), the Marquis de Lafayette (18), John Paul Jones (28),
Products of their time
It's important to remember that these men were products of their time. Life expectancy was shorter, and people often matured and took on significant responsibilities at earlier ages. However, their youth did not diminish their intellect, determination, or impact on the world.
Their' youthfulness offers valuable lessons for today. It reminds us that wisdom and greatness are not always confined to age.
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Jim Geschke was inducted into the Marquis Who’s Who Registry in 2021.
Thank you.
An inspiring report. Many of are running into major health challenges these days. I, for one, am finding them very disconcerting. It's good to hear of someone that is fighting the good fight and getting a satisfying result.