American Founders’ Month (and Freedom Week) in Florida: George Mason

Sept 29 Mason
It’s American Founders’ Month (and Freedom Week!) in Florida. Today, on the last day of Freedom Week, we have one of the most important, but perhaps least remembered, Founders: George Mason.

Why does George Mason matter? After all, he was one of only three delegates to the Convention of 1787 who refused to sign the Constitution. But it is, indeed, that very refusal that tells us why George Mason matters: He is the Father of the Bill of Rights. It was Mason’s vocal objections, and his work on the Virginia Declaration of Rights, that led to the drafting and incorporation of the Bill of Rights into our Constitution.

Even with the promise from the Federalists to include a Bill of Rights, Mason fought hard against ratification of the Constitution; his arguments failed to persuade enough Virginians to vote against ratification however. And his fervent and sometimes angry opposition to the Constitution in some ways destroyed his relationships with those who he fought beside for independence. In a letter to his son, he wrote that

You know the friendship which has long existed (indeed from our early youth) between General Washington and myself. I believe there are few men in whom he placed greater confidence; but it is possible my opposition to the new government, both as a member of the national and of the Virginia Convention, may have altered the case.

Indeed, Washington himself was bitter about Mason’s opposition, and they never reconciled before Mason’s death in 1792. Despite his opposition to the Constitution, however, is to George Mason that most Americans owed their first tastes of liberty under the new government and his Bill of Rights. You can learn more about George Mason from this excellent lesson provided by the Bill of Rights Institute. 

Grab the PowerPoint slide featured at the top of this post: George Mason AFM

Additional entries in the American Founders’ Month series:
Introduction to the Founding Fathers
Who Was George Washington?
Abigail Adams: Founding Mother and so much more
John Adams: A Hero of Liberty
James Madison: Father of the Constitution
The Sons of Liberty: The Tea Party and More
Mercy Otis Warren: Antifederalist and Advocate for Liberty
Alexander Hamilton: More Than a Musical
George Middleton: An Early Leader for Civil Rights and Equality
Patrick Henry: Liberty or Death
Thomas Jefferson: A Complex Man
Phillis Wheatley: Poet
Judith Sargent Murray: Fighter for Women


American Founders’ Month in Florida: Judith Sargent Murray

Sept 28 Murray
American Founders’ Month (and Freedom Week!) continues in Florida. Today, let’s take a look at one of the earliest advocates for women’s rights in our young nation’s history: Judith Sargent Murray.

Judith Sargent Murray was born in pre-Revolutionary Boston, the daughter of a well-to-do merchant family. It as fortunate for us, as it was for her, that her parents believed in educating their daughters as well as their sons. Unfortunately, this education was limited to reading and writing; Sargent Murray had little opportunity for advanced education. Instead, she took advantage of her father’s vast library and educated herself in history, civics, philosophy, literature, and so much more. This education, so much of it self-taught, she put to work as a writer and thinker and, most importantly, advocate for the rights of women and the equality of the sexes.

For Judith Sargent Murray, the way in which we consider the roles and educations of boys and girls was unjust, stifling, and wrong. In her seminal work, ‘On the Equality of the Sexes‘ (1790), she raises doubts about the argument that men are inherently the intellectual superiors to women:

“Yet it may be questioned, from what doth this superiority, in thus discriminating faculty of the soul proceed. May we not trace its source in the difference of education, and continued advantage?…As their years increase, the sister must be wholly domesticated, while the brother is led by the hand through all the flowery paths of science”

In other words, the only reason men can claim superiority to women is because we do not give women the same education and opportunities as men! This theme would reappear throughout her work over the years, and she never ceased believing that America offered a great opportunity for a reconsideration of the role and education of girls. The new nation, after all, needed women who would raise the next generation to believe in and understand the American spirit and model, a ‘Republican motherhood‘ that required educated, passionate, and (to a degree for its day) liberated women.

Sargent Murray practiced what she preached, educating the children in her house as she believed they deserved and as was right. She also wrote hundreds of essays and letters and articles, many of which were published under pen names in such a way as to hide the fact that she was a woman, for she feared her arguments would be automatically rejected. She was a ‘Founding Mother’ of the pursuit of equal rights, an advocate for the American project, and someone who encouraged the new nation to live up to the ideals it promised. You can learn more about the wonderful Judith Sargent Murray from this excellent lesson.

Grab the PowerPoint featured at the top of this post: Judith Sargent Murray AFM

Additional entries in the American Founders’ Month series:
Introduction to the Founding Fathers
Who Was George Washington?
Abigail Adams: Founding Mother and so much more
John Adams: A Hero of Liberty
James Madison: Father of the Constitution
The Sons of Liberty: The Tea Party and More
Mercy Otis Warren: Antifederalist and Advocate for Liberty
Alexander Hamilton: More Than a Musical
George Middleton: An Early Leader for Civil Rights and Equality
Patrick Henry: Liberty or Death
Thomas Jefferson: A Complex Man
Phillis Wheatley: Poet


American Founders’ Month and Freedom Week: Phillis Wheatley

Sept 27 Wheatley

American Founders’ Month (and Freedom Week) continues in Florida. Today, we look at an early voice of patriotism, liberty and hope: Phillis Wheatley.

Wheatley was born in Africa and enslaved as a young girl, sold to a wealthy Boston merchant family. There, she was educated, in the classics and in history and philosophy, discovering the joy of writing. She became a poet, recognized in London and in Boston for her prose. Indeed, her poetry inspired even other poets to write poems in her honor! She was, eventually, emancipated as a young woman, freed from the confines of slavery. Her writing continued, her prose celebrating the Revolution and its leaders, her Christian faith, her love of life and freedom, and the struggles against slavery. Sadly, Phillis Wheatley died very young, at about the age of 31, and her voice, one of the first and strongest African-American voices in our early history, was silenced. But we still have her poetry, and you can learn more about Phillis Wheatley and her celebrated poetry in this wonderful lesson.

Grab the PowerPoint slide featured at the top of this post: Phillis Wheatley AFM

Additional entries in the American Founders’ Month series:
Introduction to the Founding Fathers
Who Was George Washington?
Abigail Adams: Founding Mother and so much more
John Adams: A Hero of Liberty
James Madison: Father of the Constitution
The Sons of Liberty: The Tea Party and More
Mercy Otis Warren: Antifederalist and Advocate for Liberty
Alexander Hamilton: More Than a Musical
George Middleton: An Early Leader for Civil Rights and Equality
Patrick Henry: Liberty or Death
Thomas Jefferson: A Complex Man


American Founders’ Month in Florida: Alexander Hamilton

Alexander Hamilton AMF

It’s American Founders’ Month in Florida, and today we look at Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton, one of the youngest of those men and women so significant in the early life of the United States, has certainly experienced something of a renaissance lately. This is due in no small part to the wonderful work of Lin Manuel Miranda and his musical interpretation of Hamilton’s life and career. But did you know that this great musical is actually based on a fantastic historical book about this immigrant and leader? It draws from the work of historian Ron Chernow, and has inspired many Americans, young and old, to consider anew the life and beliefs of this sometimes controversial Founding Father.

Alexander Hamilton was many things. An intellectual, a Federalist, an immigrant, the father, and even savior, of the American economy, Treasury Secretary, an advocate for an aggressively strong federal government, an effective national bank, and ultimately a man who had as many enemies as he did friends. You can learn more about Hamilton from the New York Historical Society.

Grab the PowerPoint slide featured in this post: Alexander Hamilton AMF

Check out Lin Manuel Miranda performing one of the best songs from his impactful musical.

Additional entries in the American Founders’ Month series:
Introduction to the Founding Fathers
Who Was George Washington?
Abigail Adams: Founding Mother and so much more
John Adams: A Hero of Liberty
James Madison: Father of the Constitution
The Sons of Liberty: The Tea Party and More
Mercy Otis Warren: Antifederalist and Advocate for Liberty


American Founders’ Month in Florida: Mercy Otis Warren

Sept 19 Warren

American Founders’ Month continues here in Florida. Today, we take a look at one of the most influential of those women who played a role in the establishment and early days of the United States: Mercy Otis Warren.

Mercy Otis Warren was one of the most well-read and literate residents of Massachusetts in her day, man or woman. A playwright and a historian, an eloquent essayist and inveterate letter writer, she was one of the loudest voices speaking out against the failures and perceived tyranny of British government in Massachusetts and the other colonies.

A long time friend to both Abigail and John Adams, she broke with her dear friend over the creation of the U.S. Constitution, which she opposed as a violation of the ideals she and Adams were strong advocates for during the Revolution. Indeed, she was one of those Anti-Federalists who wrote in response to the Federalist Papers; using the nom de plume ‘A Columbian Patriot’, she wrote powerfully on perceived flaws in the new Constitution, and as herself to her dear friend John Adams on how he had so betrayed what they fought for. Sadly, her relationship with the Adams family never truly recovered.

You can learn more about this fascinating woman through the National Woman’s Hall of Fame. 

Grab the Powerpoint slide featured in this post: Mercy Otis Warren AFM

Additional entries in the American Founders’ Month series:
Introduction to the Founding Fathers
Who Was George Washington?
Abigail Adams: Founding Mother and so much more
John Adams: A Hero of Liberty
James Madison: Father of the Constitution
The Sons of Liberty: The Tea Party and More


American Founders’ Month in Florida: The Sons of Liberty

Sept 14 Sons of Liberty

American Founders’ Month in Florida continues today with a look at the Sons of Liberty. The Sons of Liberty were a sometimes controversial secret society devoted to combating what it perceived as British oppression by any means necessary.

While they may be most famous for organizing boycotts of British goods and dumping tea into Boston Harbor, they also took sometimes-violent action against people seen as serving British interests. We all recall, for example, those images from the era that illustrate Sons of Liberty tarring and feathering British tax collectors.

Philip_Dawe_(attributed),_The_Bostonians_Paying_the_Excise-man,_or_Tarring_and_Feathering_(1774)_-_02

The Bostonian Paying the Excise-Man, 1774 British propaganda print, referring to the tarring and feathering, of Boston Commissioner of Customs John Malcolm four weeks after the Boston Tea Party. The men also poured hot tea down Malcolm’s throat

The Sons of Liberty were sometimes extreme in their pursuit of liberty; was that extremism always justified? How can we really say, from our own vantage point today? What a fascinating discussion we can have! You can learn more about the fascinating Sons of Liberty and its role in the Boston Tea Party from the Massachusetts Historical Society. 

Grab the PowerPoint slide featured in this post: Sons of Liberty AFM

Additional entries in the American Founders’ Month series:
Introduction to the Founding Fathers
Who Was George Washington?
Abigail Adams: Founding Mother and so much more
John Adams: A Hero of Liberty
James Madison: Father of the Constitution


American Founders’ Month in Florida: John Adams

Sept 12 J Adams

John Adams remains one of the most fascinating of the Founders. A passionate patriot and one of the earliest supporters of American independence from Great Britain, he nevertheless felt it important to provide legal defense to those British soldiers accused of crimes as a result of the Boston Massacre.

“The Part I took in Defence of Cptn. Preston and the Soldiers, procured me Anxiety, and Obloquy enough. It was, however, one of the most gallant, generous, manly and disinterested Actions of my whole Life, and one of the best Pieces of Service I ever rendered my Country. Judgment of Death against those Soldiers would have been as foul a Stain upon this Country as the Executions of the Quakers or Witches, anciently. As the Evidence was, the Verdict of the Jury was exactly right.” 

His rivalry with his colleague and once-and-future-friend Thomas Jefferson is also a fascinating aspect of the ‘strange bedfellows’ relationships that were necessary in the pursuit of America independence.

Check out the National Humanities Center’s activity on Adams and leadership here to get a sense of who this Founder was and how he influenced our nation.

Grab the PowerPoint slide featured in this post: John Adams AFM

And if you are so inclined, check out this humorous but realistic and passionate take on the patriot John Adams, from 1776.

 

Additional entries in the American Founders’ Month series:
Introduction to the Founding Fathers
Who Was George Washington?
Abigail Adams: Founding Mother and so much more
James Madison: Father of the Constitution


American Founders’ Month in Florida: Benjamin Franklin

Sept 8 Franklin

Our celebration of American Founders’ Month here in Florida continues with a look at Benjamin Franklin. Mr. Franklin may be one of the most fascinating of the people who contributed to this country during the Founding Era. He was known for his wit, his charm, his brilliance, and yes, even his way with the ladies. He may be introduced to younger kids with the story of his decidedly unwise but ultimately legendary act of flying a kite in a thunderstorm, but truly, he was so much more than that. Take some time and check out this great DocsTeach resource on dear Mr. Franklin’s time as a politician and diplomat!

Grab the PowerPoint slide featured in this post: Ben Franklin AFM

And the wonderful musical 1776 is always worth checking out for some excellent historical debates and discussions. Here, Benjamin Franklin talks about what makes Americans different from their English cousins, featuring some of the wit and charm and especially intellect and passion he was known for  (relevant clip begins around :34).

 

Additional entries in the American Founders’ Month series:
Introduction to the Founding Fathers
Who Was George Washington?
Abigail Adams: Founding Mother and so much more


American Founders’ Month in Florida: Abigail Adams

Sept 6 A Adams

Abigail Adams is perhaps one of the most well known of what we might call the Founding Mothers, the women who participated, in one form or another, in the establishment of the United States of America. Indeed, she was more than simply the wife of of one president (John Adams) and the mother of another (John Quincy Adams). But what was she, really, and what do we owe to her memory and her contributions to our country? Check out the overview and really cool primary sources in this lesson provided by the Massachusetts Historical Society to learn more about this incredible woman.

You can download the PowerPoint slide to share with your students here: Abigail Adams AFM

Additional American Founders’ Month Posts:
Introduction to the Founding Fathers
Who Was George Washington?


American Founders’ Month in Florida: George Washington

Sept 3 or 4 Washington

George Washington is perhaps the one Founding Father that most people, both here and abroad, may recognize by both name and image. From his placement on the one dollar bill and the quarter, to his name on numerous cities throughout the United States as well as our architecturally rich capital, Washington is everywhere. Today, we bring you this link to Mount Vernon, on the life, legacy, and character of our first president.

You can download the PowerPoint slide on Washington here: SEP 3 AFM MVGW