The Founding Fathers were patriots. The root word of ‘founding’ is ‘found’, which means to “take the first steps in building”. The first builders of the nation. The use of the word ‘father’ in this sense means originator. They began the whole thing.
In this context, a father is one who has become one of the leading men as of a country. Just like a man is a father to a boy. The originator, the starter, the one who sees it through.
The way we use these words together today refers to the men who were there at the beginning of our new nation. The ones who originated or started the process of building a new nation. Nation means a politically organized community.
I can remember in detail a story which was told to me several years ago. A good friend had a son, Ken, who was working for a large grocery store in his area. He was a good high school student as well as worker. One evening my friend was waiting in his car to give his son a ride home after work. The store manager appeared at his car window. He rolled it down. The manager introduced himself and asked if her were Ken’s dad.
Many years ago our former President, Calvin Coolidge, said this: “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common that unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and dedication alone are all powerful.”
Benjamin Franklin was one of the most successful diplomats in our nations early history. He was so good at making friends, and helping them to agree on lending money to the colonies that we won the Revolutionary War.
In the last few blogs, I have focused a little on Washington and the Battle of Trenton. The miraculous battle was immortalized by that painting of Luetze of Washington crossing the Delaware. You’ll remember that in that battle Alexander Hamilton was one of the young soldiers who helped create the victory.
I would like to remind you of the acts of two of the other great American heroes of the Revolution who took part in that battle. The Battle of Trenton.
Many know of the miraculous march on the British stronghold at Trenton on Christmas night, 1776. You have most likely seen the beautiful painting by Emanuel Leutze in 1851, depicting the crossing of the Delaware River to stealthily approach the Hessian soldiers who were camped there.
John Adams doesn’t get the honor and acclaim he deserves! Even in his lifetime he saw this coming. He said:
My wife has been asking me what I want to do now that I’m retired. The other night I woke up at about 2 or 2:30 with a thought on my mind. It seemed important to me at that time in my groggy condition. So what did I do? I got out of bed, went into my office, found a scrap of paper and a pencil and wrote down my thought.