Founding Fathers

Description

An authoritative, accessible guide to the figures who shaped a nation

How did upstart colonists solidify the ideas celebrated in the Declaration of Independence and defeat the powerful British army? How did thinkers from disparate backgrounds shape a government that transformed modern politics? The Founding Fathers explains how, putting valuable information on this historic period at your fingertips--straight from one of the most trusted sources of information around the globe.

This comprehensive guide takes a compelling look at prominent statesmen such as Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, and George Washington and lesser-known but influential leaders such as Samuel Chase, Charles Pinckney, and others. Alphabetized for easy reference, it also offers discussions of key issues, including slavery, the separation of powers, the presidency, and Deism and Christianity; events, such as the American Revolution, the Whiskey Rebellion, and the Louisiana Purchase; and documents, including the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Every special essay and concise entry--from "Abigail Adams" to "George Wythe"--promotes the deeper understanding of the personalities, issues, and events that only Encyclop?dia Britannica can provide.

The book's balanced, fact-based coverage of the Founding Fathers is especially relevant today, when differing interpretations of their intent are used in debates over current policies. The Founding Fathers is the ideal resource for anyone looking to hone his or her knowledge of the fascinating figures who wrote the first chapter of U.S. history.

Sujets

• Historical
• Lettres et linguistique
• Biography
• Colonial history of the United States
• Autobiography

Informations

• Publié par: Turner Publishing Company
• Date de parution: 01 août 2007
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781620458754
• Langue: English

Extrait

Founding Fathers
Founding Fathers
The Essential Guide to the Men Who Made America

Encyclop dia Britannica

John Wiley Sons, Inc.
Copyright 2007 by Encyclop dia Britannica, Inc. Britannica, Encyclop dia Britannica, and the Thistle logo are registered trademarks of Encyclop dia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.
Published by John Wiley Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
Published simultaneously in Canada
Photo credits appear on page 259 and constitute an extension of this copyright page.
Wiley Bicentennial Logo: Richard J. Pacifico
Design and composition by Navta Associates, Inc.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Founding fathers : the essential guide to the men who made America.
p. cm.
Encyclop dia Britannica.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-0-470-11792-7 (pbk.)
1. Statesmen-United States-Biography-Dictionaries. 2. Politicians-United States-Biography-Dictionaries. 3. United States-History-Revolution, 1775-1783-Biography-Dictionaries. 4. United States-History-1783-1815-Biography-Dictionaries. 5. United States-Politics and government-1775-1783-Dictionaries. 6. United States-Politics and government-1783-1809-Dictionaries.
I. Encyclop dia Britannica.
E302.5.F68 2007
973.3092 2-dc22
[B]
2007006001
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3
Contents
Note to the Reader

Introduction by Joseph J. Ellis
Adams, Abigail
Adams, John
Adams, Samuel
Alien and Sedition Acts
American Revolution
Articles of Confederation
Bill of Rights
Blair, John
Burr, Aaron
Carroll, Charles
Chase, Samuel
Checks and Balances
Clark, Abraham
Constitution of the United States of America
Continental Congress
Dayton, Jonathan
Declaration of Independence
A Closer Look: The Founding Fathers and Slavery by Anthony Iaccarino
Democratic-Republican Party
Dickinson, John
Federalist Papers
Federalist Party
Franklin, Benjamin
French and Indian War
Gerry, Elbridge
Gwinnett, Button
Hale, Nathan
Hamilton, Alexander
Hancock, John
Henry, Patrick
Hopkinson, Francis
Intolerable Acts
Jay, John
Jay Treaty
Jefferson, Thomas
A Closer Look: The Jefferson-Hemings Paternity Debate by Joseph J. Ellis
King, Rufus
Lee, Richard Henry
Livingston, Robert R.
Louisiana Purchase
Madison, Dolley
Madison, James
Marshall, John
Mason, George
Middleton, Arthur
Monroe, James
Morris, Gouverneur
Morris, Robert
Paine, Robert Treat
Paine, Thomas
A Closer Look: The Founding Fathers, Deism, and Christianity by David L. Holmes
Paris, Treaty of
Paterson, William
Pinckney, Charles
Pinckney, Charles Cotesworth
Rodney, Caesar
Rush, Benjamin
Rutledge, John
Separation of Powers
Shays s Rebellion
Sherman, Roger
Stamp Act
Townshend Acts
Washington, George
A Closer Look: The Presidency of the United States of America by Forrest McDonald
Whiskey Rebellion
Wilson, James
Witherspoon, John
Wolcott, Oliver
Wythe, George

Bibliography
Photo Credits
Note to the Reader
The history of our Revolution will be one continued lie from one end to the other, wrote John Adams in 1790. The essence of the whole will be that Dr. Franklin s electrical rod smote the Earth and out sprung General Washington. That Franklin electrified him with his rod, and thence forward these two conducted all the policy, negotiations, legislatures, and war. Adams may have failed to foresee the way historians of the future would concentrate on his own role in American history, but he sagely predicted posterity s obsession with the Founding Fathers. Biographer H. W. Brands makes this very point in his classic essay in The Atlantic Monthly (September 2003) called Founders Chic, while acknowledging, to his credit, his own contribution to the Founders cachet with his acclaimed biography The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin (2000).
So, with a cornucopia of books on the Founding Fathers to choose from, where do readers begin, especially readers wanting an introduction to the Founders, a good overview of the men, and a survey of the key issues of their day? In fact, which statesmen actually constitute this hallowed group? What did they accomplish? What did they patently fail to do? And did not some women, in particular First Ladies, contribute mightily to the country in its early days and to the establishment of a national ethos? The volume that follows, the latest in the Essential Guide series published by Britannica in conjunction with John Wiley Sons, provides a wonderful starting point for readers wanting answers to these very questions.
Encyclop dia Britannica is in a prime position to bring you this information. Its legendary print set, first published in 1768, is the oldest continuously published and revised work in the English language, and it was the basis for the first encyclopedia on the Internet ( Britannica Online ) in 1994. Today Britannica publishes a wide array of digital products and provides online services to children, students, and readers of all ages, in multiple languages worldwide. More than 100 Nobel Prize winners have written for Britannica.
The entries in this volume derive from Britannica s exhaustive coverage of American history, edited and managed by Britannica s editors Jeffery Wallenfeldt and Michael Levy, and they range in type from biographies and special essays to summaries of treaties and primary documents. They were written by leading scholars, including Forrest McDonald ( The Presidency of the United States of America ), Henry Graff (coauthor: George Washington ), Betty Boyd Caroli ( Abigail Adams and Dolley Madison ), and Pulitzer Prize-winning authors Gordon Wood ( Benjamin Franklin ), Allan Nevins (coauthor: George Washington ), Samuel Flagg Bemis ( James Monroe ), and Joseph J. Ellis ( John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and The Jefferson-Hemings Paternity Debate ); Professor Ellis also wrote the fine introduction that follows.
The entries are arranged alphabetically for easy access to specific subjects. Many readers, however, will doubtless read this book straight through, from beginning to end, and we have developed the entries with this in mind. So whether you choose to skip around or to read the book cover to cover, we trust you will find the information you are looking for.
With this wide array of articles and easy-to-use format, this volume should offer a quick, concise, and informative overview of the lives and legacy of the Founding Fathers. And if still more information on the Founders is desired, there is an extensive bibliography of additional sources at the end of this book. We also invite you to visit www.britannica.com , where authoritative answers-and even a multimedia spotlight on the American presidency-are just a click away.
Theodore Pappas Executive Director Encyclop dia Britannica, Inc.
Introduction
Joseph J. Ellis
Founding Fathers refers to the most prominent statesmen of America s revolutionary generation, responsible for the successful war for colonial independence from Great Britain, the liberal ideas celebrated in the Declaration of Independence, and the republican form of government defined in the United States Constitution. While there are no agreed-upon criteria for inclusion, membership in this select group customarily requires conspicuous contributions at one or both of the American foundings: during the rebellion against Great Britain, when independence was won, or during the Constitutional Convention, when nationhood was achieved.
Although the list of members can expand and contract in response to political pressures and ideological prejudices of the moment, the following 10, presented alphabetically, represent the gallery of greats that has stood the test of time: John Adams, Samuel Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, John Marshall, George Mason, and George Washington. There is a nearly unanimous consensus that George Washington was the Foundingest Father of them all.
The Debate
Within the broader world of popular opinion in the United States, the Founding Fathers are often accorded near mythical status as demigods who occupy privileged locations on the