Founding Fathers

Thomas Jefferson was 33. Alexander Hamilton was around 21. James Monroe was just 18.

The Men we remember as part of America’s Founding Generation were younger than many people imagine.

And 250 years ago, they helped change the world.

After July 4, 1776, fifty-six Men would put their names on a piece of paper, risking everything they had: their homes, their fortunes, and their futures.

Benjamin Franklin, the eldest at 70, understood better than anyone how high the stakes were. Yet he signed with a steady hand.

Historians often speak of the “Key Seven”: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay.

A General, a Writer, an Inventor, a Lawyer, an Economist, a Scholar, and a Judge. Seven very different Men who argued, disagreed, and still helped shape a new nation