FOUNDING FATHERS’ BIOGRAPHIES
In your hands you have a TOP SECET collection of the biographies of some of our nation’s Founding Fathers. After reading these biographies, your task is to work with a partner to find ways to prove these men GUILTY of treason and ways to DEFEND these men and justify their rebellion.
You must come up with at least two reasons of guilt and defense for each of the Founding Fathers included in this packet. We will then debate whether these men were guilty or innocent. (This packet will be collected when finished)
GOOD LUCK!
Name:______GHS Per______
Partner’s Name:______
Sources:
Benjamin Franklin-Representing Pennsylvania 1706-1790
Benjamin Franklin, born in Boston, Massachusetts, on January 17, 1706, may by his life alone be the most profound statement of what an American strives to be.
With no formal education beyond the age of 10 years, Franklin was celebrated throughout Europe, welcomed in any Royal Court, sought out by every prestigious society. Indeed, Franklin was worshipped wherever his name was known.
He attended grammar school at age eight, but was put to work at ten. He apprenticed as a printer to his brother James, who printed the New England Courant [a newspaper], at age twelve, and published his first article there, anonymously, in 1721. Young Benjamin was an avid reader, inquisitive and skeptical. Through his satirical articles, he poked fun at the people of Boston and soon wore out his welcome, both with his brother and with the city. He ran away to New York and then on to Philadelphia at the age of 16, looking for work as a printer. He managed a commission to Europe for the purpose of buying supplies to establish a new printing house in Philadelphia, but found himself abandoned when he stepped off ship. Through hard work and frugality he bought his fare back to Philadelphia in 1732 and set up shop as a printer. He was appointed clerk of the Pennsylvania Assembly in 1736, and as Postmaster the following year. In 1741 he began publishing Poor Richard's Almanac, a very popular and influential magazine. He was elected to the Pennsylvania Assembly in 1751 and served as an agent for Pennsylvania (and ultimately for three other colonies) to England, France, and several other European powers. He was elected to the Continental Congress in 1775, where he played a crucial role in the rebellion against Great Britain, including service to Jefferson in editing the Declaration of Independence
Notable Quote: “It is undoubtedly the Duty of all Persons to server the Country they live in, according to their abilities..”
How can you prove guilty: 1.______2.______
How can you defend:
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John Adams-Representing Massachusetts 1735-1826
Adams began his education in a common school in Braintree. He secured a scholarship to Harvard and graduated at the age of 20.
He apprenticed to a Mr. Putnam of Worcester, who provided access to the library of the Attorney General of Massachusetts, and became a lawyer in 1761. He participated in an outcry against British laws. Adams became a prominent public figure in his activities against the Stamp Act, in response to which he wrote and published a popular article, Essay on the Canon and Feudal Law. He was married on Oct. 25, 1764 and moved to Boston, assuming a prominent position in the patriot movement. He was elected to the Massachusetts Assembly in 1770, and was chosen one of five to represent the colony at the First Continental Congress in 1774.
Again in the Continental Congress, in 1775, he nominated Washington to be commander-in-chief on the colonial armies. Adams was a very active member of congress, he was engaged by as many as ninety committees and chaired twenty-five during the second Continental Congress. In May of 1776, he offered a resolution that amounted to a declaration of independence from Great Britain. He was shortly thereafter a fierce advocate for the Declaration drafted by Thomas Jefferson. Congress then appointed him ambassador to France, to replace Silas Dean at the French court. He returned from those duties in 1779 and participated in the framing of a state constitution for Massachusetts, where he was further appointed Minister plenipotentiary to negotiate a peace, and form a commercial treaty, with Great Britain. In 1781 he participated with Franklin, Jay and Laurens, in development of the Treaty of Peace with Great Britain and was a signer of that treaty, which ended the Revolutionary War, in 1783.
Notable quote: “Each individual of the society has a right to be protected by it in the enjoyment of his life, liberty, and property, according to standing laws… But no part of the property of any individual can, with justice, be taken from him, or applied to public uses, without his own consent, or that of the representative body of the people. In fine, the people of this commonwealth are not controllable by any other laws than those to which their constitutional representative body have given their consent.”
How can you prove guilty: 1.______2.______How can you defend:1.______2.______
John Hancock-Representing Massachusetts
1737-1793
The signature of John Hancock on the Declaration of Independence is the most easily recognizable of all. It is perhaps no surprise that the story of his part in the revolution is equally engaging. Few figures were more well-known or more popular than John Hancock. He played an instrumental role, sometimes by accident, and other times by design, in coaxing the American Revolution into being.
Born in Braintree, Massachusetts in 1737, he was orphaned as a child, and adopted by a wealthy merchant uncle who was childless. Hancock attended Harvard College for a business education and graduated at the age of 17. He apprenticed to his uncle as a clerk and proved so honest and capable that, in 1760, he was sent on a business mission to England. There he witnessed the coronation of George III and engaged some of the leading businessmen of London. In 1763, his uncle died and John Hancock inherited what was said to be the greatest body of wealth in New England. This placed him in a society of men who consisted mainly of loyalists, suspected by the working population because of their great affluence and social power.
Hancock, however, soon became very involved in revolutionary politics and his feelings were, early on and clearly, for independence from Great Britain. He was elected to the Boston Assembly in 1766, and was a member of the Stamp Act Congress. In 1768 his sloopLibertywas impounded by customs officials at Boston Harbor, on a charge of running contraband goods. A large group of private citizens stormed the customs post, burned the government boat, and beat the officers, causing them to seek refuge on a ship off shore. Soon afterward, Hancock assisted the Boston Tea Party.
The following year he delivered a public address to a large crowd in Boston, commemorating the Boston Massacre. In 1774, he was elected to the Provincial Congress of Massachusetts and also to the Continental Congress. The dignity and character of John Hancock, celebrated by friend and enemy alike, did not suffer for his love of public attention. He was a populist in every sense, who held great confidence in the ability of the common man. He also displayed a pronounced contempt for unreasoned authority. A decree had been delivered from England in early 1776 offering a large reward for the capture of several leading figures. Hancock was one of them.
Notable quote: “Security to the persons and properties of the governed is so obviously the design and end of civil government…”
How can you prove guilty: 1.______2.______
How can you defend:
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Thomas Jefferson-Representing Virginia
1743-1826
More than a mere renaissance man, Jefferson may actually have been a new kind of man. He was fluent in five languages and able to read two others. He wrote, over the course of his life, over sixteen thousand letters. He was acquainted with nearly every influential person in America, and a great many in Europe as well. He was a lawyer, agronomist, musician, scientist, philosopher, author, architect, inventor, and statesman. Though he never set foot outside of the American continent before adulthood, he acquired an education that rivaledthe finest to be attained in Europe. He was clearly the foremost American son of the Enlightenment.
Jefferson was born at Shadwell in Albemarle county, Virginia on April 13, 1743. He was tutored by the Reverend James Maury, a learned man, in the finest classical tradition. He began the study of Latin, Greek, and French at the age of 9. He attended William and Mary College in Williamsburg at sixteen years old, then continued his education in the Law underGeorge Wythe, the first professor of law in America (who later would sign Jefferson's Declaration in 1776). Thomas Jefferson attended the House of Burgesses as a student in 1765 when he witnessedPatrick Henry'sdefiant stand against the Stamp Act. He gained the Virginia bar and began practice in 1769, and was elected to the House of Burgesses in 1769. It was there that his involvement in revolutionary politics began. He was never a very vocal member, but his writing, his quiet work in committee, and his ability to distill large volumes of information to essence, made him an invaluable member in any deliberative body.
Notable quote: “Educate and inform the whole mass of the people. Enable them to see that it is their interest to preserve peace and order, and they will preserve them.”
How can you prove guilty: 1.______2.______
How can you defend:
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Samuel Adams-Representing Massachusetts 1722-1803
Samuel and John Adams' names are almost synonymous in all accounts of the Revolution that grew, largely, out of Boston. Though they were cousins and not brothers, they were often referred to as the Adams' brothers, or simply as the Adams'. Samuel Adams was born in Boston, son of a merchant and brewer. He was an excellent politician, an unsuccessful brewer, and a poor businessman. His early public office as a tax collector might have made him suspect as an agent of British authority, however he made good use of his understanding of the tax codes and wide acquaintance with the merchants of Boston. Samuel was a very visible popular leader who, along with John, spent a great deal of time in the public eye agitating for resistance. In 1765 he was elected to the Massachusetts Assembly where he served as clerk for many years. It was there that he was the first person to suggest a meeting of a continental congress. He was a leading advocate of republicanism and a good friend of Thomas Paine. In 1774, he was chosen to be a member of the provincial council during the crisis in Boston. He was then appointed as a representative to the Continental Congress, where he was most noted for his oral speaking skills, and as a passionate advocate of independence from Great Britain.
Notable quote: “The natural liberty of man is to be free from any superior power on Earth, and not to be under the will or legislative authority of man, but only to have the law of nature for his rule.”
How can you prove guilty: 1.______2.______
How can you defend:
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William Floyd-Representing New York
1734-1821
William Floyd was born on Long Island on December 17, 1734. His family had emigrated to America in 1654 and by the time of his birth were well established and wealthy. Though he might have received the best education, his father died when he was in his teens, and William was required to take over the operations of the family farm. He was a member of the Suffolk County Militia in the early conflict with Britain. He attained the rank of major general, though at this late date he spent most of his time in the Continental Congress. In 1774 he was chosen to represent New York in the first Continental Congress. He served there through 1776, while his property was destroyed in the Revolutionary War. He acquired land on the banks of the Mohawk River after the war though it would be a few more years till he would retire there.
Notable quote: “The one thing you can't do when you're highly ranked is relax.”
How can you prove guilty: 1.______2.______
How can you defend:
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Josiah Bartlett-Representing New Hampshire
1729-1795
Josiah Bartlett was born at Amesbury, Massachusetts, in November, 1729. He studied the science of medicine, and practiced as a physician at Kingston, in New Hampshire. He became involved in politics and was elected a member of the Colonial Legislature. He was noted as a principled legislator, not susceptible to pressure from the Royal Governor, and as an active advocate against British oppression. He was a member of a Committee of Safety, and served as commander of a militia regiment in 1775. In that year he was also elected to represent New Hampshire in the Continental Congress. He voted for independence, and was the first to sign the Declaration, after John Hancock.
Notable Quote”
How can you prove guilty: 1.______2.______
How can you defend:
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