Preview

Why The Founding Fathers Were Important To A Successful America?

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
700 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Why The Founding Fathers Were Important To A Successful America?
What values did the founding generation believe were important to a successful America? If more Americans pondered this question, they would have a more clear understanding of why those brave men who came before us risked their blood, treasure and sacred honor to create the greatest nation on Earth. The Founding Fathers were a revolutionary group whose goal was American liberty. They believed in religious freedom in order for a successful America. They understood that the citizens should have a say in their government and that the government only gets its power from the consent of the governed (http://ourtp.org/blogs/blog/our-turning-point/personal-responsibility/2012/03/17/what-did-the-founding-fathers-want-for-america).

The founding fathers wanted American Liberty. In Thomas Jefferson’s draft of the Declaration of Independence, he condemned the injustice of the slave trade and also blamed the presence of enslaved Africans in North America on the British. Jefferson therefore acknowledged that slavery violated the natural rights of the enslaved, while at the same time he excused Americans of any responsibility for owning slaves themselves. The Continental Congress rejected the tortured logic of this passage by deleting it from the final document, but this decision also signaled the
…show more content…
N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Jan. 2014. .
"The Founding Fathers and Slavery (Founding Fathers)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 6 Jan. 2014. .
"WallBuilders - Issues and Articles - The Founding Fathers and Slavery." WallBuilders - Issues and Articles - The Founding Fathers and Slavery. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Jan. 2014. .

"The Founders and the Central Government." Outside the Beltway. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Jan. 2014. .

"Our Founding Fathers Were NOT Christians." Our Founding Fathers Were NOT Christians. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Jan.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    Imagine oneself back at the constitutional convention in seventeen eighty-seven. All of the brightest minds and most respected people in one place, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the southeast of the state, near New York. Because it is May, and just beginning to be summer, it is hot, and because all the windows are closed in the interest of secrecy, it is stifling as well. Fifty-five well known thinkers of the age, all white males, have come. They range in age from James Madison, an up-and-comer and a prodigy who is twenty five to Benjamin Franklin, a wise, venerable, learned man who is eighty one. Delegates from eleven states are present, New Hampshire not turning up until July, and Rhode Island not at all, thinking to veto the proceedings by their absence. The problem that had caused these proceedings was that the Articles of Confederation, the current system of government was too weak. although the Northwest Ordinance resulted of it, and it fixed the fear of a strong central government and dominance by large states, there were unfair competition among states, unenforceable trade agreements, no power over states governments, no president, no judicial branch and the government could not pay debts because they could not force states to pay taxes. As the cons out-weighed the pros, it was clear that something had to be done. The framers decided to create a new government completely. The question was; How do we give the government the power it needs while preventing tyranny? This essay will address the many and varied was the constitution guards against tyranny. In this essay, the word tyranny refers to James Madison’s definition, which states, “The accumulation of all powers…in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many (is) the very definition of tyranny.” (James Madison, Federalist Paper #47, Hook Document). The constitution addresses tyranny in four main ways: the balance of powers between national and state…

    • 1740 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    From the 1760s to the 1860s opposition to slavery grew and morphed, culminating in the outbreak of the American Civil War. The writing of the Three-Fifths Clause, in 1787 (Source 1) reveals how, from the birth of the Union, the issue of slavery forced sides to come to uneasy compromises. Slavery at this time was purely a political and economic issue. Throughout the 100 years however, the opposition to slavery evolved. The formation the single issue party, The Free Soil party, in 1848, symbolised a shift towards a moral opposition to slavery. Although the Free Soil Party had an economic incentive to push for the abolition of slavery, they also argued that free men on free soil offered a morally superior system to slavery. Magee depicts the multifaceted…

    • 354 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    "Did the Founding Fathers Screw Up?" The American Prospect. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Oct. 2012. .…

    • 701 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    There is no denying that slavery has existed since the beginning of time. References and drawings describing slavery have been traced all the way back to the biblical era. While many people associate the word slavery with the African race, history shows that multiple races and cultures have undergone such captivity. In “The Origins of Antiblack Racism in the New World” by David Brian Davis and “Unthinking Decision: Enslavement of Africans in America to 1700” by Winthrop D. Jordan, two historians express varying opinions on racialized slavery towards Africans. Their argument differs not only in time and location but also the underlining factor in which slavery became racialized.…

    • 866 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    was steadily growing. However the reasons for this growth are debated among historians' as to…

    • 183 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Freehling’s article, “The Founding Fathers and Slavery”, he aims to show that Thomas Jefferson and his contemporaries believed in ideology that all men were created equal. He also goes on to show that the Founding Fathers took preliminary measures to diminish slavery all together. Although he admits the overall process was slow and small, he says, “The impact of the Founding Fathers on slavery... must be seen in the long run” (Freehling 82). Freehling also introduces other historians who oppose the idea that the fathers were even antislavery. On the contrary, "Scholars such as Robert McColley, Staughton Lynd, William Cohen, and Winthrop Jordan have assaulted every aspect of the old interpretation" (Freehling 81). Freehling goes on to include some key events such the congressional ordinance imposed by Jefferson in 1784, the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, and the African slave trade that navigated its way through ending slavery.…

    • 551 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    As slaves became this reliable resource, a distinguishment was made between Europeans and Africans. Laws were passed, such as the slave codes, which establish Africans as slaves and gave white indentured servants more freedom. Before Bacon’s Rebellion Europeans did not necessarily see themselves as superior to Africans or think of them as any less competent or productive. What changed Europeans’ view of Africans was the fact they were associated specifically with planation slavery. They were punished when they did not fulfill their work quota, and the labor they endured was arduous. Others started to generalize about about the African race and transformed the idea of racism into a negative one. The idea of racism also became acceptable during the time of the writing of the Declaration of Independence. Even Thomas Jefferson the spokesman for the idea, equality to all, approved of this racial inequality due to the fact he did not want to give up his slaves. Therefore, the idea that slaves are not considered to be human beings was adapted in order to preserve wealthy landowners profitable plantations, and its cheap source of…

    • 880 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Civil War Origins and Legacy

    • 2553 Words
    • 11 Pages

    Andrist, R. (1967). The American Heritage: History of the making of the nation 1783 – 1860. American Heritage Publishing Co., Inc.…

    • 2553 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin are frequently regarded to be two of the most influential figures in early American history. Both men contributed greatly to the founding of the nation and are considered to be two of the forefathers of the new country. While there are great similarities in both their public and political lives as well as within their personal lives. Even with the uncanny similarities with these two men, there are also slight differences as be expected of two different men. However, while their histories intertwine a great deal and there are many historical breakthroughs that the figures share, it is what they do not that is of greatest interest. This is because each man brought a different set of understanding and skills to the nation. While both were great men and offered tremendous services to the country individually, it is clear that the United States would be severely hurt without the contributions of both.…

    • 1915 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Dbq Slavery

    • 352 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In the 1600’s slavery played an immense role in early America, as well as vastly impacting lives later on. There were many debates over whether slavery should be abolished, most of these debates were directed towards the presidents of this time frame which included James Madison, James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, and Andrew Jackson. These men all shared the same opinion that slavery should be abolished because it is tyrannical and inequitable (Zucconi 1). The presidents during this dreadful time all claimed that slavery needs to be eradicated because no man should be able to own another because it is unjust. James Monroe believes that taking away and creating unequal rights is evil and it’s nefarious ways must be demolished. (Randall 20). An argument was made by James Madison that slavery played a big role in Virginia's government. Although, Virginia's government was democratic it was truly aristocratic (Zucconi 14). All in all, the presidents during this time frame are…

    • 352 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Slavery in America has changed greatly today than in the early 1800s. Although slavery hasn’t completely dissolved, the way it is viewed upon nowadays and what type of work slaves are being used for, are very different.…

    • 286 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Three-Fifths Compromise

    • 513 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In 1787, at the time of the Constitutional Convention, slavery in the United States was a harsh reality. The census of 1790 counted slaves in nearly every state, the only exceptions being Massachusetts and the "districts" of Vermont and Maine. In the entire country 3.8 million people were counted; 700,000 of them, or 18 percent, were slaves. These statistics are a striking example of the prominence of slavery in the history of the United States. They also exemplify the obvious contradiction between the institution of slavery and the advocacy of equality presented by the framers of our Constitution. Despite the freedoms reserved in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, slavery was not only tolerated, it was regulated.…

    • 513 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Cited: Horton, James Oliver, and Lois E. Horton. Slavery and the Making of America. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2005. Print.…

    • 1403 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Slavery Critical Essay

    • 870 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Slavery in America has always been a touchy subject, especially when it comes to the truths about the effects of slavery on the slaves themselves. The accounts by slaves are few and far between, and the accounts that are available often tell one side of the story about slavery. This is why I decided to take the Slavery in America course. I hoped to find out more information about the truth of slavery in American history, and I wanted to possible get an insight into what my great, great grandmother had to deal with as a slave in Virginia. With that said, I came into this course with my own personal perceptions of slavery in America, and also about the beginnings of the European slave trade itself. In this critical essay, I will take a look at my pre-existing views and compare them with what I have learned over the first four weeks of class.…

    • 870 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    African American History

    • 3538 Words
    • 15 Pages

    Goodman, D. (2010). The fourteenth amendment 's effect on article IV, section 2, clause 1 of the…

    • 3538 Words
    • 15 Pages
    Powerful Essays