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That really is true. The collection of politicians left right and center that we have now are really very weak. Could you imagine this crew in 1776?
What amazes me is the contrast in thought. Consider there were only about 65,000 to 75,000 words in the English language at the time of our founding compared to over a half a million words today, they managed to make such profound use of language to convey complex thoughts and concepts.
I have pondered how any of our founding fathers or thinkers of their time would react to our contemporary world. I chuckled at the line in the movie, "National Treasure" where Cage says, "People just don't talk like this anymore". I thought, that is because people rarely think like that anymore.
Perhaps it is just the rise of the common mans voice through things like the internet that make such comparisons so contrasted. It may have been no different during this time period, but we don't have as many of the thoughts of the common man on paper as we do our founders.
I have always felt a great kinship for Tom Paine. Partly because I played him in a play in college, but mainly because of his freethinking views.
It's easy (but wrong) to discount Washington because he seems to embody the most conventional of admirable qualities, like physical prowess and courage, but he is one of a handful of great men without whom we can say pretty clearly we wouldn't have a United States today. A few years ago when I visited Mount Vernon it was almost overwhelming to thing that I was running my hands on the very bannisters that George Washington touched.
It's also a great testament to him that although he could have been king, he refused.
What amazes me is the contrast in thought. Consider there were only about 65,000 to 75,000 words in the English language at the time of our founding compared to over a half a million words today, they managed to make such profound use of language to convey complex thoughts and concepts.
I have pondered how any of our founding fathers or thinkers of their time would react to our contemporary world. I chuckled at the line in the movie, "National Treasure" where Cage says, "People just don't talk like this anymore". I thought, that is because people rarely think like that anymore.
Perhaps it is just the rise of the common mans voice through things like the internet that make such comparisons so contrasted. It may have been no different during this time period, but we don't have as many of the thoughts of the common man on paper as we do our founders.
Yeah - and I don't thing most of the founders had to hire out clerks that specialized in language and thought.
I think they actually spoke and wrote on their own.
I have always felt a great kinship for Tom Paine. Partly because I played him in a play in college, but mainly because of his freethinking views.
It's easy (but wrong) to discount Washington because he seems to embody the most conventional of admirable qualities, like physical prowess and courage, but he is one of a handful of great men without whom we can say pretty clearly we wouldn't have a United States today. A few years ago when I visited Mount Vernon it was almost overwhelming to thing that I was running my hands on the very bannisters that George Washington touched.
It's also a great testament to him that although he could have been king, he refused.
Your Mt Vernon story reminded me of an experience I had back on October 22nd of 1992. My wife and I were changing trains in Philadelphia (heading from NYC to Lancaster PA) and had a few hours to kill so we made our way to Independence Hall to see the sights. We didn't realize it but Jerry Brown had chosen that very day and time to declare his candidacy for President - and had decided to do so outside that very building. As we sat inside listening to the tour guide tell his tale of the events of July 4th, 1776, through the open window came the sounds of our modern political process at work as Brown made his candidacy speech.
I'm not a big fan of Jerry Brown - but I have to credit his presence there with adding immeasurably to the special magic of that moment. It was WAYYYYYYY cool.
Glenn Beck asked Sarah Palin this question. She chose George Washington.
I consider George Washington to be this nation's first national figure, but I always think he was kind of peripheral as a Founding Father.
So I was wondering if any of the posters on CD had a favorite founding father, and why?
I don't think there would have been a Constitution or a United States under it without Washington. He presided over the Convention and had been with Randolph from Virginia very institutional in the calling of the Convention.
Washington was so important because people looked to him as the real leader of the country after the Revolution. He wasn't such a great President but people were willing to follow his lead for those first 8 years. Even though he presided he was not one of those who signed the document, but although he wanted to go back to Mount Vernon and spend his reclining years he saw that he was needed to institute the new government.
I liked Hamilton the best after the government was established because Washington looked to him for most of his advice.
However, Madison may well have had more to do with the writing of the bill. John Randolph of Virginia did most of the suggesting of things during the Convention because Virginia was the largest state in population. I liked him very much as a leader in the Convention. Most of the major compromises were made from things Randolph had suggested and the smaller states refused to accept.
The one compromise that isn't really understand by so many today was the 3/5 Compromise that came about because the southern states didn't want to count slaves for representation in Congress. This compromise was so important because there wouldn't have been a US without it. So many today don't like the fact that slaves were counted as only 3/5 of a person but I am sure there would not have been a United States without this agreement.
I must say that because of who he was George Washington has to the the most important of all. Many want Madison to be the top dog because he is called the Father of the Constitution. He got that name because he took notes all day and then wrote his book at night from his notes. That book he wrote is not really very interesting reading but he does mention some of the fights and near fights that occurred. Since about half of those there were under 40 there were some hot arguments.
The average age was 42 since half of the men there were in their 30s. Washington was 55 at the time, and old Ben Franklin was 81. At the end of the convention as he was leaving a woman asked Franklin what kind of government they had created and he replied, "A republic if you can keep it." He knew just how shaky the thing would be to get going. When asked what kind of sun was on the top of Washington's chair, Franklin said it was a rising sun as he hoped so much for the success.
For me it's Jefferson. I'm no libertarian, but I'm always amazed at Jefferson's mind. He was a great thinker and, like me, was interested in EVERYTHING! I could talk to that man for hours! I have to admire great minds like that.
Adams is right up there. Very down to earth, sensible and a decent human being. The most underrated founding father IMO.
Thomas Paine wasn't one of the founders in that he wasn't at the Convention.Thomas Jefferson was in France at the time as ambassador to France.
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