Chapitre 1 : De la colonisation à l’indépendance des Etats Unis
Leçon 4 : The Founding Fathers
The phrase “Founding Fathers” was first introduced in the 1920s, when the United-States experienced a thriving economical phase. American people took pride in their efficient political institutions such as the White House, Congress, and the Supreme Court.
The most famous Founding Fathers were, of course, George Washington, Commander in Chief of the American Army during the War of Independence (1789-1797) and first President of the United States; Benjamin Franklin, famous for his investigations into electricity and for negotiating the 1783 Treaty of Paris ending the Revolutionary War; John Adams, the second president of the United States (1797-1801); Thomas Jefferson, the lead author of the Declaration of Independence (1776), US ambassador in Paris from 1785 to 1789 and third US President; James Madison, nicknamed “The Father of the Constitution” and fourth US President.
When the phrase “Founding Fathers” is used in its generic meaning, it refers to the leaders, who, at some point in American History, played a crucial role in the Revolution, the Declaration of Independence, or/and the development of the American political institutions.
- The Signers = the people who signed the Declaration of Independence
- The Framers = the people who took part in drafting the proposed Constitution of the United States.
|
George Washington
|
|
Thomas Jefferson
|
|
Benjamin Franklin
|
|
James Madison,
|
|
John Adams
|
