Who Were Americas Founding Fathers?

Who were the Founding Fathers, and what were Americas founding fathers like? Historians may disagree about a complete list, but most would agree that these men were founding fathers of America.

• John Adams
• Samuel Adams
• Benjamin Franklin
• Alexander Hamilton
• John Hancock
• Patrick Henry
• John Jay
• Thomas Jefferson
• James Madison
• Thomas Paine
• George Washington

These men are famous and important people in American history. They were men who shaped America. Some were signers of the Declaration of Independence. Some were involved in writing, signing and adopting the US Constitution and are considered the founding fathers of the Constitution. All were an important part of the American Revolution.

We can learn much from reading about Americas Founding Fathers. We can learn about the great passion of great leaders in U.S. history. Leaders who conquered their fears to build a United States of America - the great democratic republic "experiment". Founding Father quotes are often still relevant today.

Here's a great clip highlighting some of the debate that was going on during this turbulent time in America. This clip is from the excellent HBO series "John Adams ".

Fun Facts about Americas Founding Fathers

George Washington was born on February 11, 1732, but in 1751 Great Britain changed from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar. An act of Parliament added eleven days to make the adjustment complete and in 1752 Washington celebrated his birthday on February 22!

Of Americas Founding Fathers who became president, only George Washington did not go to college.

George Washington delivered the shortest inaugural address of all time March 4, 1793. He had only one tooth at the time and his dentures often gave him pain when he wore them. It was only 135 words long and took a mere 90 seconds to deliver.

George Washington was the only president never to live in the White House, nor did he ever live in Washington, DC.

Vice President Aaron Burr shot Alexander Hamilton in a duel,on July 11, 1804. Hamilton died from the wound on July 12th.

The "New York Post" was established in 1801 by Alexander Hamilton.

Three founders died on July 4th - John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe. Jefferson and Adams both died on July 4, 1826 (exactly 50 years after the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Monroe died five years later on July 4, 1831.

Benjamin Franklin invented several things in his lifetime. Some of his inventions include: bifocals,urinary catheter, the lightning rod, the Franklin stove, odometer, and a tool called a long arm (to grasp objects too high for him to reach).

Ben Franklin organized the first volunteer fire company in Philadelphia, in 1736. It was called The Union Fire Company. (source: PBS.org)

Patrick Henry made his "Give me Liberty or Give me Death" speech in St. John's Church in Richmond, Virginia.

James Madison of Virginia was responsible for proposing the resolution to create the various Cabinet positions within the Executive Branch of our government and twelve amendments to the Constitution of which ten became the Bill of Rights.

Thomas Jefferson sent Meriwether Lewis and Thomas Clark on their famous expedition to explore the Western United States in 1804.

Thomas Jefferson returned from France with a French cook. He was fascinated with some of the food he had experienced while abroad, such as ice cream, macaroni and macaroons. He purchased a macaroni machine in the 1780's from Italy.

Search for books and videos about the founding fathers (and founding mothers!) on Amazon, if you'd like to delve a little deeper into American history!

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You can see a list of the Declaration of Independence signers and read the Declaration of Independence text by visiting those pages. And be sure to visit our Founding Fathers Fun Facts for more fun facts about the Founding Fathers!

There is a also a fun and interactive "Signing of the Declaration of Independence" at archives.gov.  You can add your name alongside the rest of the signers and print out a copy.

Do you have any fun facts about our Founding Fathers to share? Use this form to submit your fun facts about any of the founding fathers.

For more fun facts about Americas founding fathers, you might like Founding Fathers Fun Facts: And Other U.S. Trivia