Founding Fathers of the United States

The Founding Fathers of the United States, commonly referred to simply as the Founding Fathers, were a group of late-18th-century American revolutionary leaders who united the Thirteen Colonies, oversaw the War of Independence from Great Britain, established the United States, and crafted a framework of government for the new nation.

"Founding Fathers" redirects here. For the founding fathers of other countries, see List of national founders.

Founding Fathers of the United States
1760s–1820s
The Committee of Five (Adams, Livingston, Sherman, Jefferson, and Franklin) present their draft of the Declaration of Independence to the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia on June 28, 1776, as depicted in John Trumbull's 1819 portrait
LocationThe Thirteen Colonies
IncludingSigners of the Declaration of Independence (1776), Articles of Confederation (1781), and United States Constitution (1789)
Leader(s)
Key events
This article is part of a series on the
History of the
United States
The ratification of the U.S. Constitution in Philadelphia in 1787 (by Howard Chandler Christy, 1940)
Timeline and periods
Prehistoric and Pre-Columbian Erauntil 1607
Colonial Era 1607–1765
1776–1789
    American Revolution 1765–1783
    Confederation Period 1783–1788
1789–1849
    Federalist Era 1788–1801
    Jeffersonian Era1801–1817
    Era of Good Feelings 1817–1825
    Jacksonian Era1825–1849
1849–1865
    Civil War Era 1849–1865
1865–1917
    Reconstruction Era 1865–1877
    Gilded Age 1877–1896
    Progressive Era 1896–1917
1917–1945
    World War I 1917–1918
    Roaring Twenties 1918–1929
    Great Depression 1929–1941
    World War II 1941–1945
1945–1964
    Post-World War II Era 1945–1964
    Civil Rights Era 1954–1968
1964–1980
    Civil Rights Era 1954–1968
    Vietnam War 1964–1975
1980–1991
    Reagan Era 1981–1991
1991–2008
    Post-Cold War Era 1991–2008
2008–present
    Modern Era2008–present
Topics
Groups
Places
Territorial evolution
Regions
States
Territories
Cities

America's Founders are defined as those who signed the United States Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, and the United States Constitution, and others. In 1973, historian Richard B. Morris identified seven figures as key Founders, based on what he called the "triple tests" of leadership, longevity, and statesmanship: John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and George Washington.

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