“What made the founders different?” in Revolutionary Characters by Gordon Wood
The book talks about the founders of the ancient times of America and the significant steps that they took. These ancient figures are considered to be of great inspiration to the whole of the country and even the world as a whole. Presently, there exists a different crop of leaders that handle their operations in a different way with a varied range of purpose kept in mind. Thus the question, why don’t we have such crop of leaders in the present time? Why the contrast?
The America leaders have been attributed to an elegance that has been far distinguished from present leaders. They are attributed to varied character traits and manner of handling governance issues. However, Wood presents the founders in a light not common, he presents them as normal human beings and not mystic human beings as known by most individuals. He argues that behind the elegance that is proclaimed on these founding fathers, America presents a certain critique of its own leaders. As such, the desire for capability and lack of interest in leadership is presented to us through George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Wood establishes his subjects’ social and economic backgrounds and looks at their attributes that is presented in their correspondence. Wood focuses at their conduct in the late 18th and 19th century stating that the founding fathers cannot be separated from their era as the present situation is unique.
Initially, Americans were termed to be worshippers of their constitution. They are acknowledged for the role that they played. The founding fathers possessed words and deeds that the citizens followed with faith. The revolutionary characters or founders were in a position to combine their ideas and politics in the best possible so as to effectively manage its people. This book aims to find the answers to questions as to what made the founding fathers so different from the present time leaders. The book, as written by Professor Gordon Wood, compares the historical happenings to the present point in time. Professor Wood consequently acquired the belief that what the founding fathers possessed character wise was different from the present people as well as some of the other leaders in the future. With the present day constitutional knowledge that follows its making, people continue to look to these leaders for the acquisition of the wise and valuable acts that they did in the past. These leaders are being put to use in the present times as a gauge to measure the leaders. As opposed to other countries, America is founded on the basis of what it believes in rather than the basis of identity thus the need to know the founders. George Washington is remembered for being one of the greatest of presidents and a leading and unique member of the generation of the time. John Adam is known for being of high intellectual attribution, Wood states of how the constitution was misunderstood and that his career was of unity and not a change from federalism to rights and democracy as argued by many people. Wood stated that any transformation “was as radical and social as any revolution in history, but it was radical and social in a very special 18th-century sense.” He added that “one class did not overthrow another; the poor did not supplant the rich. But social relationships — the way people were connected one to another — were changed, and decisively so.”
Thomas Jefferson, upon realizing that he was on the verge of becoming famous, collected portraits of those he considered to be relevantly important. These ranged from George Washington, John Adams who was the first US minister of Great Britain and himself as done by Brown. The main reason for this was to include these individuals in the collection of principal American characters.
Jefferson, who died in July 4, 1826, was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence. The consecutive generations would not fail to look back at the exceptionality that befell this founder and the constitutional makers. These founders were associated to being bigger than life and respectable human beings. They were “a forest of giant oaks” as put across by Lincoln. They were attributed to being intellects and possessors of political capacities well ahead the leaders that followed them. The leaders also did possess some similar characteristics to the present leaders like the silencing of publications, and manipulations and spoiling of votes.Thomas Jefferson among other democratic leaders was provoked by the inspiration and democratic character of the constitution. Wood presents Jefferson as being less of a demi god and the head of the normal human being, Hamilton on the other hand as the one who integrated business and government. These leaders were not satisfied with the progress that was attributed to the constitution in relation to the varied structures of the government, more so the Senate. The founders possessed a character of leadership that made it possible for the creation of a governmental system that more so worked towards delimiting the sources of their own greatness. According to Professor Wood, the founders, in this case Thomas Jefferson concluded that the destruction of the greatness of the founders was in no way replicable.
Thomas Jefferson has been used, in relation to their reputable reputations, as the basis for criticizing America. This takes the fact that they have been quite important to America and its way of life and hence used for inspiration and centrally applied senses of the daily practices. Jefferson has been used as an idol who has acquired negative remarks over the past 40 or so years. These negative attributions of the founders have been much more widespread than it was initially and has even gone further to them being ignored. These prove to be far more devastating. The founders are presently considered to not possess any form of respect that it used to have and has degenerated to a debate among scholars and jurists. The founders are now considered to be very different from the present leaders and constitutional reformers considering that the founders have contrasting views concerning matters of race, the role of the woman and equality.
The epilogue focuses on the character that the founders had that made them stand out. Their inspirational acts concerning the political matters as well as social issues were worth admiring. Such wise acts have lived to be remembered in the present time. Thomas Jefferson’s handling of the constitutional matters made him a famous leader amongst his countrymen and revolutionary leaders found it worthy to adapt his character. The epilogue however does not present the overall themes.
The characters of the founders are necessary to be able to know the role that they played for the successes they are attributed to. The founders acquired the attribute of being disinterested that was classically known as being virtuous or self-sacrifice. This was a result of the fast commercialization that took place in the eighteenth century. The character in the eighteenth century is quite different from how it is taken presently or in the modern time. The contrast that existed in the modern times and the eighteenth century is that the long ago period had leaders that had to become actors which has led us to focus on the writings that they did to acquire their characters. Jefferson was termed to as have a pretentious character which is a character that is acquired from the inner self of the individual. According to Hamilton, Jefferson was to be preferred to Aaron Burr considering his eccentric and extraordinary career. Burr was considered to be concerned only in his self-interests in politics which resulted to his down fall. The comparison made between Burr and Jefferson was based mainly on the inner character of Jefferson. Wood lists the interfering an at times changing views of the founders when they were handling matters of the common man of those who have and the ones who don’t have, religious matters and special issues. Wood states that “The Political Depravity of the Founding Fathers in all the frauds and tricks that go to make up the worst form of practical politics, the men who founded our State and national governments were always our equals, and often our masters.”
Gordon Wood argues that what had set the founders different from their present leaders was the ability to integrate their intellectual gains in politics with the life of affairs and leadership. According to Professor Wood, the founders played a part in their own demise as they established changes that acted on their own falling. The founders played part to their destruction that never affected the sources to their greatness which was why the form of government that was established is still intact in the modern time. George Washington was known to keenly watch his actions so as to maintain the fame he had already acquired. Burr was however not part of this as he acted very different though he was remembered for some efforts he had done. The founders did not acquire demise due to their own doing but as a result of a goal which was bigger this made their fame long lasting. Thomas Jefferson was also known to possess a good understanding of the public audience and included a great amount of care when developing his writings. Thomas Jefferson was also accustomed to varied forms of views from the other founders. He believed that the common man made him rely on a weak government, poor legislature, minimal taxes, no debt and government closer to the people. Contrastingly, Hamilton did not have any faith in the common man hence acquiring the character of believing in a strong national government, a social and economic aristocracy and taxes among other issues.
Wood reminds us that these men were not richly born and gentility, they were born in a normal way as we all, he found out that “it is not suffrage that gives life to democracy; it is our democratic society that gives life to suffrage.” He adds that their success were as a result of proper creation of egalitarian system that later leaders were not poised to acquire. It is consequent that some of the leaders have acquired respect and treatment that they do not deserve. Though they have done their best in establishing successful governments, they are not all that perfect as they have been attributed to. Some of the leaders are not worthy of the treatment that they are allocated with. But there are however some leaders that do deserve respect for the effort they played in creating the government that it is presently. Though they had faults as any other normal human being, they played a key role in creating the present government.
Work Cited
Wood, Gordon S. Revolutionary Characters: What Made The Founders Different. New York, USA: Penguin Press, 2006.
