Here are 20 Quotes From the Founding Fathers That Destroy the Modern Tea Party
The Tea Party is fond of the Founding Fathers — at least, they say they are. But their image of the Founders is colored by revisionist history and by their own myopia. The Founders were radicals, liberals, deists — three things the Tea Party hates. So they fashion the Founders in their own image.
Here are some quotes from the Founding Fathers that directly contradict the Tea Party line.
17. First up, George Washington, the Father of our country. Silly, George; he thought that the people ought to actually obey the government they established.
He also had some thoughts about who should be bearing those arms…
16. Thomas Jefferson is the “inconvenient” Founder. The Tea Party doesn’t like him very much but they have to concede his role as writer of the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson had an interesting opinion about giving judges too much power. Maybe he foresaw a Supreme Court like the one we have now…
Jefferson also had a problem with an overclass:
15. John Adams, our second president, shared Jefferson’s belief that all Americans should be treated equally. He might have men like the Kochs in mind, here…
14. James Madison is known as “The Father of the Constitution.” He had an opinion on the social “safety net” long before that term was used:
He also knew that liberty had boundaries. He might address this to the open carry nutters…
13. Thomas Paine, though not an actual Founding Father, was instrumental in the formation of America. His pamphlet, Common Sense, laid out the American cause in simple and strong terms. He wrote The American Crisis in 1777, inspiring the Continental Army; it was read by about the same percentage of the population then as watch the Super Bowl today. These words could easily be applied to Fox News…
12. Benjamin Franklin was a true American Renaissance Man. He founded the Post Office and the library system. He was head of the first anti-slavery society in our country. He was an inventor, writer, diplomat and sage. He served both in the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention. He saw much war but longed for peace…
11. Alexander Hamilton was the architect of the U.S. party system. He was pro-business and somewhat snooty. But even he knew that the greater good was most important…
10. Benjamin Rush was a member of the Continental Congress and was treasurer of the U.S. Mint for 16 years. As the founder of Dickinson College, he had an opinion about education that most liberals share…
9. John Marshall was the fourth Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and served as Secretary of State as well under Adams and into Jefferson’s term. He served as Chief Justice for 34 years, the longest of any in the position. The case of Marbury v. Madison is often said to be the most important case in our history. In it, the idea of judicial review was first applied, making it possible for federal courts to void acts of Congress in conflict with the Constitution.
8. George Mason, though he was a member of the Constitutional Convention, did not sign the resulting document. He believed that the government was doomed to become either a monarchy or a corrupt aristocracy. I wonder what he’d make of our new oligarchy?
7. John Jay was a member of the Continental Congress but, since he desired a reunion with Great Britain, did not sign the Declaration of Independence. However, once America gained its independence, served in the Federal government he had argued for. He became the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in 1789, but he retired to become Governor of New York. The most famous case to be heard in his SCOTUS, Georgia v. Brailsford, established the principle that in a jury trial the jury has the right and duty to judge the law as well as the facts in a case.
6. Daniel Webster served in both Congressional bodies, as a Representative from New Hampshire and a senator from Massachusetts. He became Secretary of State twice and is considered to be the best ever to hold that post. He was a lauded orator, said to be, “like no other speaker in American history.” Along with John C. Calhoun and Henry Clay, Webster formed the Whig party.
5. John Quincy Adams, the son of John Adams and our sixth president, was said to resemble his father in many ways. He served as Secretary of State under James Monroe before becoming president himself. Afterward, he hoped to retire but was sent as a Representative by his district. He collapsed on the floor of the House in 1848 and died in the nearby Speaker’s room two days later. You can see that he learned much at his father’s knee…
4. James Wilson served as a representative for Pennsylvania in the Continental Congress. He later served in the Constitutional Convention, and spoke in support of a strong federal government. He later was made an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court by President Washington.
3. Fisher Ames was the leader of the Federalist Party. He was a representative from Massachusetts for the ratifying of the Constitution and worked hard to help the new federal government on its feet. He served as a Representative to the new House from Massachusetts, often locking horns with James Madison. Ames was a dramatic orator and obviously knew why he had been sent to Congress…
2. William Penn, the storied founder of Pennsylvania, was a Quaker. When he founded the colony in 1677, he implemented a democratic system with freedom of religion, fair trials, elected representatives and separation of powers. Though he was born in England and died well before the war for independence, he was made an honorary American citizen in 1984 by President Reagan. Penn’s dedication to free religious expression was firm, as evidenced by his rebuke of those who persecute others…
1. James Monroe, our fifth president, was an anti-Federalist and sat with them at the Virginia Convention which ratified the Constitution. He served as a U.S. Senator, and as Minister to France, helped negotiate the Louisiana Purchase. He was born and raised Anglican, attending William and Mary College, an Anglican institution. But, later in life, he embraced Deism and eschewed organized religion…
The Founders were courageous, setting sail “in a skiff of paper” (as Ben Franklin put it), putting their fortunes and lives on the line to create this country. What they did overshadows anything the Tea Party or their representatives think they have accomplished.
The Founders said “YES!” to change, progress and stepping into the unknown. The Tea Party says “NO!” to… everything. When they compare themselves to the Founding Fathers, just laugh at them.
