The Founding Fathers’ July 4th Fate

The Founding Fathers’ July 4th Fate

It was July 4th, 1776. Thomas Jefferson was sweating and not just because it was a hot summer day in Philadelphia. He held the Declaration of Independence in his hands and gazed at the phrase, “all men are created equal…”

Known for the elegant persuasiveness of his writing, Jefferson was uniquely qualified to draft the Declaration of Independence. He not only lived during the height of the Enlightenment, but he also personified this intellectual awakening, which emphasized reason, individualism, and empirical science over tradition and blind faith. As a true “Renaissance Man,” Jefferson excelled in many fields, including agriculture, architecture, music, archaeology, science, and literature.

He was also a man of great contradictions. Despite Jefferson’s words, “all men are created equal,” he owned over 600 slaves throughout his lifetime at his plantation, Monticello, in Virginia.

The introverted Jefferson loathed being the center of attention, but on July 4th, 1776, he was center stage as he submitted the Declaration of Independence for approval by the Continental Congress. His anxiety was compounded by the knowledge that the secession of the thirteen American colonies from the British Empire would lead to war.

While drafting the Declaration, Jefferson had welcomed the editorial contributions of John Adams and Benjamin Franklin. Adams, a devout Christian, hailed from Massachusetts. This seasoned trial lawyer possessed a sharp intellect and dynamic speaking ability. He had successfully defended the British soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre in 1770—one of the precipitating events which led to the American Revolution. Adams was also vain, self-righteous, irritable, and hypersensitive to criticism,, which could make him an insufferable companion.

Pennsylvanian Benjamin Franklin was a witty, sociable, and charming genius. Known as “America’s Leonardo da Vinci,” he was highly respected on both sides of the Atlantic for his extraordinary achievements as an inventor, publisher, diplomat, and scientist, which included discovering electricity. Despite his lack of formal schooling, Franklin was awarded honorary doctorate degrees in Britain from the University of St. Andrews and Oxford University, earning him the title “Dr. Franklin.”

Aside from Hancock’s showiness, the men who signed the Declaration of Independence were relatively conservative. They were a mix of lawyers, jurists, merchants, and farmers who had a lot to lose from war with Great Britain.

Across the Big Pond in London, an infuriated King George III and Parliament viewed the Declaration of Independence as high treason. With its formidable army and the world’s largest navy, Britain was confident it would quickly crush the American rebellion.

General George Washington of Virginia took command of American military forces. Serving under him was an eighteen-year-old who dropped out of the College of William and Mary to join the fight. He served with distinction, rapidly rose to the rank of Major, and was even wounded in battle. His name was James Monroe.

Jefferson, Adams, and Franklin knew America desperately needed military and financial assistance from Britain’s archenemy, France. In 1776, France had Europe’s largest army and a powerful fleet second only to the British navy.

Enlisting French support would not be easy. King Louis XVI was an absolute monarch—the very type of ruler the Americans were trying to oust. Paris was France’s capital, but King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette ruled from the secluded Palace of Versailles. Louis was woefully out of touch with the French people, as he was immersed in a court mired in rigid protocols, decadent indulgence, and rife with intrigue and treachery. The task of navigating this political quagmire fell to Dr. Benjamin Franklin.

Fluent in French, Franklin developed a clever strategy to endear himself to the Court of Versailles. France was the epicenter of fine food, culture, and fashion. While ambassadors from other countries emulated French fashion, Franklin did just the opposite. In lieu of silk attire, he dressed in a plain brown suit, and instead of a wig, he wore a fur cap to project the image of a rustic frontiersman from the wilds of America.

This deliberate violation of protocol won him the admiration of the French aristocracy. Franklin rose to celebrity status, and his likeness appeared on medallions, rings, and snuffboxes, showcasing the admiration he garnered. The insecure King Louis envied the attention Franklin received. According to the Royal Academy of Sciences, to display his contempt, King Louis actually commissioned chamber pots with Franklin’s portrait painted at the bottom.

Franklin navigated this royal insult with grace while skillfully advocating for an alliance. However, French leadership was hesitant to engage in a war that appeared to be a lost cause. Nonetheless, Franklin patiently awaited the opportune moment to act. That moment arrived in October 1777 when news reached Versailles of the major American victory at the Battle of Saratoga. Ironically, the winning American general was none other than the future traitor Benedict Arnold.

Franklin, however, used the leverage of Saratoga to negotiate a military alliance with France. Within a few years, Spain and Holland also declared war on the British Empire, which then found itself under attack worldwide. In 1781, American and French forces decisively defeated the British at the Battle of Yorktown. The Treaty of Paris in 1783 formally ended the war, and the United States of America was formally recognized as a sovereign nation.

The price of freedom is anything but free. While we remember the July 4th Founding Fathers superstars like Washington, Jefferson, Adams, and Franklin, all the men who signed the Declaration of Independence paid a heavy price. The war bankrupted many of them; others were captured by the British, their homes plundered, and family members killed. Yet the courage and dedication of these Founding Fathers led to the great ongoing experiment in democracy known as the United States.

After a long and distinguished career, Benjamin Franklin died at age 84 in Philadelphia on April 17, 1790. George Washington served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. He was 67 when he died at his Mount Vernon estate on December 14, 1799.

John Adams, the second US President, and Thomas Jefferson, the nation’s third president, had a complex and often contentious relationship. Jefferson defeated Adams in the hotly contested presidential election of 1800. Their negative campaigning against each other was shocking even by today’s standards. After the election, they didn’t speak to each other for 11 years.

Decades of tension subsided as they reconciled during their later years. As the 90-year-old Adams drew his last breath, his final words were, “Thomas Jefferson survives.” Ironically, Jefferson died at age 83 just hours earlier on the same day. Both men died on July 4th, 1826, fifty years to the day of the Declaration of Independence.

Revolutionary War Hero James Monroe served two terms as the fifth President of the United States (1817-1825). He is considered a Founding Father, as he was the last president of the Revolutionary War generation. He died at age 73 on July 4th, 1831.

Three Founding Father Presidents passed away on July 4th. Could this somehow be a sign that July 4th, 1776, has a significance far beyond being just another date on the calendar?

Perhaps America’s 16th President, Abraham Lincoln, best described this significance during the Gettysburg Address when he stated: “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal…”

“The price of freedom is anything but free.”

-Mark Anthony, JD, Psychic Explorer®

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