Favorite Founding Father?

[white_wolf]

I'm doing some reading of the Founding Father's writings and it got me curious, who is the Founder you all find closest to your views or admire the most? Mine would have to be Thomas Paine, I love Agrarian Justice. Plus, I don't think he gets the credit he deserves, he wasn't very well respected near the end of his life, mainly for his work The Age Of Reason, which angered a lot of people, but he was very important as John Adams said: "Without the pen of Paine, the sword of Washington would have been wielded in vain."

[Zorra]

1. I like these 4 almost equally because of their unique perspectives:

Jefferson, Madison, Paine, Franklin.

Jefferson has a slight edge because I totally love the Declaration of Independence.

[L. Coyote]

2. Ronald Reagan

I was home schooled :rofl:

[LiberalEsto]

3. Can we please try to call them Founders

instead of Founding Fathers? I'm sure there would have been female founders too, if they had been allowed involvement by the male founders.

[closeupready]

4. James Madison, without any doubt.

nt

[Hosnon]

5. I have two: Madison and Jefferson

Madison for his intellect; Jefferson for his populist passion.

[Annata4Peace]

6. None of them

They designed a gov't that tried to allow the average person as little voice as possible. Not a white man? Too bad.

No direct election of president.

No direct election of senators.

Blacks only count as 3/5 of a person.

Policy of stealing land from native tribes.

Need I go on?

[MineralMan]

8. We fixed that later.

You have to take the times into consideration. They produced a flexible document that could be changed. It has been.

[Annata4Peace]

13. Fixed? It's still a fight.

Corporate personhood. Free speech zones. Blatant violation of human rights. All exist today because of the structure setup by the founders.

Ever wonder why the branch of gov't that is closest to the people, the House of Representatives, has the least amount of power?

[MineralMan]

14. Uh huh....whatever you say.

Name a better and more flexible system that is in operation. Thanks.

[Annata4Peace]

20. Since you asked

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iroquois_Confederacy#Government

[white_wolf]

17. You do realize some of the Founders opposed those views?

Thomas Paine was notorious for his opposition to slavery, land ownership required for voting, among other things. You can't judge them based on the standards of our time. We can judge them by the standards of their times and in many ways they were years ahead of the curve, especially Paine, yes I know I'm slightly biased towards him.

[MineralMan]

7. I'm a strong Jeffersonian, I guess.

Paine, however, is a favorite, too.

[kestrel91316]

9. Ol' Ben Franklin was a hoot! Jefferson comes close, for his rewrite of the bible.

[Contrary1]

10. "You know, well, all of them

because they came collectively together with…so much diversity in terms of belief but collectively they came together to form this union.”

:rofl:

Actually, Benjamin Franklin.

[SteveG]

11. Ben Franklin

Has always been my favorite.

[RevStPatrick]

12. Tom Paine

Common Sense, Rights of Man, Age of Reason...

[Shiver]

15. Josiah Bartlett

'cause President Bartlet on The West Wing is a descendant of his.

[hifiguy]

16. Benjamin Franklin

for his wit, intelligence and all-around creative genius. And it was Franklin who edited Jefferson's first draft of the Declaration of Independence.

[One_Life_To_Give]

18. Washington

For stepping down and opposition to military coup.
Franklin and Adams for outmaneuvering the French into our not becoming a French Colony at the conclusion of the revolution.
Madison for his work on the Constitution and Jefferson for his positions on liberty.

And lets not forget all the Farmers, Clerks, etc. turned soldier/militia/sailor that made it possible.

[dawg]

19. Abigail Adams

[Paper Roses]

21. Thomas Jefferson. A man well ahead of his time.

[InvisibleTouch]

22. Probably Thomas Jefferson. Fond of Ben Franklin as well. n/t

[Golden Raisin]

23. Jesus.

:sarcasm:

[frylock]

24. b frank