Category Archives: Founding Fathers

President’s Day

Posted on by September 21, 2015

I was asked to give a presentatio about our Founding Fathers to an advanced placement Senior High School Government class just a few years ago. It was only a couple of weeks before their school calendar showed a vacation day called Presidents Day.

So I asked the class “What is Presidents Day all about?”

The most common response from the students was “just another reason to have a holiday–a three day weekend.” When I persisted in wanting to know which President to honor the most common response was “it doesn’t matter. Choose your favorite President, or honor all of them.” These are honor students now. read more

John Adams: “That Book Hasn’t Yet Been Printed!”

Posted on by September 21, 2015

The family of one of my clients who has passed away, are in the process of settling the estate and distributing personal items including jewelry, paintings, objects d’art, furniture and books. This is an interesting process and in many families can lead to disputes and disagreements. It can even divide a family if they let it.

I counsel my clients to remember these are only “things.” And Things should never be as important as good family relationships. That’s what the parents would have wanted. read more

Christmas with George Washington

Posted on by September 21, 2015

Christmas tree

Christmas with George Washington

When you are visited by someone as admired and revered as George Washington, you tend to get speechless, reserved and a little discomfited. That’s how we were when George came for Christmas.

We were saved because we knew George and Martha were good hosts, and so were very likely to be good guests as well. We prepared a customary Christmas dinner to be served in our dining room. So there was turkey, ham, roast beef brisket, mashed potatoes, gravy, peas, salad, and Kari’s famous orange rolls. Then, for dessert, Linda’s mouth watering Christmas cheesecake. read more

Christmas with Thomas Jefferson

Posted on by December 10, 2011

Christmas tree

Earlier I proposed that we consider what it would be like to have a Founding Father as a Christmas guest. (See Christmas with Benjamin Franklin.)

A most interesting visitor for our Christmas Celebration would be Thomas Jefferson. He would love our home. He was an architect. Have you been to his home, Monticello?

I’m afraid he wouldn’t like our wide winding staircase which you see as you enter our home. He believed staircases should be narrow, with taller steps, and out of the way, not obtrusive. They should be functional and not a showpiece for the home as they were in the South. Other than that he’d like our home design–master bedroom, quiet and away from the children, whose rooms were situated upstairs. Children were to be seen and not heard. read more

Benjamin Franklin for Christmas

Posted on by December 6, 2011

Christmas tree

It’s December. I got to thinking, there isn’t a whole lot written
about how our Founding Fathers actually spent their Christmas
Holidays. My imagination started working overtime wondering how
they would react to our own Christmas Celebrations.

What if some of our Founding Fathers skipped right from their own
family Christmas gathering and appeared at one of my own?  Let’s
just surmise and pretend, with our thinking cap in a prominent
position on our heads. Take Benjamin Franklin for example. read more

Thomas Jefferson – Are You Ready For Some Football?

Posted on by September 24, 2015

Thomas JeffersonJust the other day I was walking past the TV and I noticed there was a college football game on. The game was between the University of Miami, Florida, and the University of Virginia. I didn’t get to stop to watch the game, and I don’t know who won.

But it did give me cause to think “I wonder how many of those watching this game know anything about the beginnings of the University of Virginia?” Did you know that the original buildings and campus at Charlottesville, were designed by none other than Thomas Jefferson? Jefferson wanted the State of Virginia to be able to provide an outstanding college education for those citizens who desired an education. He made this a project of his retirement years, after he had completed two terms as President of the United States of America, and until his death on July 4, 1826 (the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence). read more

Ben Franklin — Mind Your P’s and Q’s

Posted on by October 24, 2011

Benjamin FranklinA few years ago my wife, my son and I traveled in New York State. One small town we stopped at was Palmyra, near the “Finger Lakes.” In that town there is now a restored place of business known as “The Grandin Press and Print Shop.” The owner of that shop had the most advanced printing press of the times in 1830. It was not much different from the printing press on which Benjamin Franklin printed his “Poor Richard’s Almanac” in the 1750’s. The printing press may have been somewhat improved, but the actions required by the printer was nearly the same. read more

Christopher Columbus and James Madison Stood by Their Decisions

Posted on by October 13, 2011

October 12 is officially Columbus Day. I hope you enjoyed it, and maybe even thought a little bit about Christopher Columbus! Columbus was a gifted sailor, mapmaker, navigator, and astronomer. One of his foremost characteristics was being persistent. He was decided that he could find a way across the oceans to sail East by going West.

He devised a plan and prepared a presentation to obtain funding. He first presented this plan to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. It was rejected. With dogged determination he went to Portugal and laid out his plans to the King. It was rejected. He moved on to France and showed the possibilities to their Monarch. It was rejected. He traveled to England and made another attempt to convince someone to support his ideas. It was rejected. read more

Constitution Day

Posted on by September 24, 2015

I realize we don’t celebrate this day like we do the 4th of July, but nonetheless I am surprised at how little people seem to know about it.

On September 17, I asked 7 or 8 of my friends and acquaintences a few simple questions. (Notice they weren’t all ‘friends’ or you would have expected them to be as patriotic as I am.)

The people I asked were young or old, white or black, educated or not so educated, as a sampling of our population. One of those was even an ex-Congressman. read more

The Constitution: “What? A Half a Bar of Soap?”

Posted on by September 24, 2015

Constitution Day is coming up on September 17. The Constitution of the  United States was unanimously (at the request of Benjamin Franklin) adopted by the People of the United States, through their representatives to the Constitutional Convention on that date in 1787.

Fifty-five wise and noble men put their all into the creation of that immortal document. Among these wise men, two were indispensable, or absolutely essential to its adoption. Without George Washington, the Father of Our Country, and James Madison, the Father of the Constitution, our U. S. Constitution would never have been created. read more