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James Madison was the fourth President of the United States, hailed as the “Father of the Constitution” for the pivotal role he played in the drafting of the U.S. Constitution. He was also instrumental in the creation of the Bill of Rights. Born as the son of a wealthy tobacco planter, Madison had a comfortable […]

The election of 1800 was a crap sandwich without the bread. John Adams was running for reelection against Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr. Jefferson and Burr clearly unseat Adams (largely in part due to the 3/5ths compromise), but due to the way ballots worked at the time it wasn’t sure who would actually win. At […]

  Thomas Jefferson would return to the homeland, anticipating a short stay before returning to Paris. That, however, didn’t happen. A revolution is taking hold in France while the new president under the Constitution (George Washington) is asking the Sage of Monticello to be his Secretary of State. Washington’s top advisors were Thomas Jefferson and […]

After some tough times (both professionally and personally), Thomas Jefferson needed an escape. Fortunately, the new nation also needed a strong, new diplomat to minister to France, as it was about time for the aging Benjamin Franklin to return home. Jefferson considered his time in Paris as some of the best and most memorable days […]

  Thomas Jefferson may be the most talented person to ever be our head of state. While his claim to fame is his penning of the Declaration of Independence, he was talented in a large variety of fields. Thomas was born the son of a wealthy Virginian planter, Peter Jefferson. When his father died, Tom […]

After spending many years abroad serving as a diplomat, Adams would return home just in time to see his country get off to a new start. There was no question of who would be the first president; but who would be his number two guy? John Adams was the most sensible choice. It was a […]

  As was his character, Adams had spent the previous eight months showing his true devotion to the cause. I doubt that any worked harder than he, or fought harder in congress for what he believed in. He contributed at every turn toward the American cause of independence, with the timing and wording of the Declaration, […]

Born into a comfortable yet not wealthy household, John Adams didn’t have instant access to the burgeoning aristocracy as Washington or Jefferson. He would earn it, in the end. Born only a couple of years after Washington, Adams’s world was quite different from the young gentleman from Virginia. He was raised just outside of Boston […]

George Washington was the reluctant leader. He accepted the public’s decision to become president, was persuaded to stay for a second term for the good of the country, but finally insisted on resigning before a third term. By this time, factions were resulting in severe infighting among the nation’s top leaders. Washington was becoming an […]

  After the war, more than anything George just really wanted to get back to his farm. He was away from his home for the entire duration of the war. Though he had left a nephew in charge, things weren’t up to snuff and he had earned his reprieve. Many people forget that after the […]