Not Your Father's Founders: An "Amended" Look at America's First Patriots PDF
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NOT YOUR FATHER’S FOUNDERS AN “AMENDED” LOOK AT AMERICA’S FIRST PATRIOTS FEDERAL FACTS, REVOLUTIONARY REVELATIONS, AND QUOTATIONS TO LIVE (and Die) BY! ________________________________________________ ARTHUR G. SHARP, MA Author’s Note Some dates, names, and places given in this book may not agree with those in other historical accounts. That is because record keeping was not an exact science in the eighteenth century. And the British Empire, including its North American colonies, switched calendars in 1752 (“Old Style” versus “New Style”) to make sure the new year started on January 1. Consequently, there is often confusion regarding dates of individuals’ births and events. For example, depending on the source, Ethan Allen’s birth date was January 10, 1738; January 21, 1738; January 21, 1737; or even some other date, depending on the conversion between the Julian and Gregorian calendars. And, he was born in either Litchfield or Roxbury, Connecticut (which is a geography issue, not calendar related). In any case, he was born and lived during the Founding Fathers’ era— and performed remarkable feats. Those are the criteria on which this book is based. CONTENTS Introduction Abigail Adams John Adams John Quincy Adams Samuel Adams Ethan Allen Penelope Barker Josiah Bartlett William Campbell Samuel Chase Henry Clay Lydia Darragh Silas Deane John Dickinson Benjamin Franklin Elbridge Gerry Nathanael Greene Alexander Hamilton John Hancock Benjamin Harrison Patrick Henry Joseph Hewes Stephen Hopkins John Jay Thomas Jefferson John Paul Jones Rufus King Henry Knox Arthur Lee Richard Henry Lee Philip Livingston Robert R. Livingston James Madison John Marshall James Monroe Gouverneur Morris Robert Morris Jeremiah O’Brien James Otis Jr. Thomas Paine Charles Cotesworth Pinckney Caesar Rodney Benjamin Rush Haym Salomon Deborah Sampson Roger Sherman Thomas Sumter Benjamin Tallmadge James Thacher George Walton Joseph Warren Mercy Otis Warren George Washington Martha Washington John Witherspoon Appendix A: The Acts of King George III and Parliament Appendix B: Contributions of Women To the brave American men and women who stood up for their rights in the late eighteenth century and contributed to the construction of a new nation— the United States of America. Acknowledgments For the efforts of teachers who drum history into students’ heads in countless classrooms—even when the students do not think they are listening. INTRODUCTION What’s All the Fuss About? The men and women profiled in this book compose a hall of fame of patriots and heroes of the American Revolution. While you may think you’ve heard all there is to hear about them before, you haven’t. The stories in this book are not the typical tales readers are used to hearing about the Founding Fathers and the other people who worked behind the scenes to carry out their revolution. These offbeat profiles are what make this book unique. More importantly, they’ll give you a new perspective on the men and women who founded the country. The founders portrayed here were not always as moral and upright as some histories present them. They had foibles and idiosyncrasies. That’s what made them human—and explains why they sometimes acted bizarrely, lived lives of luxury while the country struggled to feed and clothe its army, engaged in scandalous extramarital affairs, etc. While he was president of the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia, John Hancock rode around town in an exquisitely decorated chariot, accompanied by fifty armed horsemen and several servants. Benjamin Franklin often defied social mores. In Paris, he played chess late into the night with a close friend of his, a much- younger woman named Madame Brillon de Jouy (1744–1824), while she lay in her bath. Silas Deane may have been murdered, although no one will ever know for sure because his body was buried in an unmarked grave in England and never repatriated. Deborah Sampson was a male impersonator. These are the stories that make this book required reading if you’re trying to gain insights into the real personalities of the men and women who created the United States. Each profile includes a summary of the patriot’s life, his or her contributions and achievements, and sidebars that highlight unusual or little-known information. The profiles are listed in alphabetical order because no one was more important than anyone else. All of the people included were instrumental in creating the republic we live in without regard to whose contributions were more significant on a scale of one to ten. Appendix A includes a brief description of the three Acts of King George III and Parliament that inflamed American patriots and spurred them to seek their independence from Britain. Quotations to Live (and Die) By! “GEORGE THE THIRD OUGHT NEVER TO HAVE OCCURRED. ONE CAN ONLY WONDER AT SO GROTESQUE A BLUNDER.” —E C B , B DMUND LERIHEW ENTLEY RITISH POET In these pages, you’ll find thinkers and doers, the people who wrote the Constitution, the people who fought to protect it, and the people who upheld it. They include statesmen, spies, scalawags, and soldiers. They came from all walks of life. In the face of hostile laws enacted by the British sovereign, and at great risk to their lives and liberty, they were united in a single purpose: to form an independent United States of America.
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