Re: The Common Ground thread
These seven men are most widely considered to be the "Founding Fathers". This is how old they were in 1776. I do believe five of them either owned slaves or married into slave-owning families. Unfortunately, the institution of slavery had been a part of American society for more than 150 years by 1776, and they were all born into this slaveholding society where the morality of owning slaves was rarely questioned.
James Monroe - 18
Alexander Hamilton - 21
James Madison - 25
Thomas Jefferson - 33
John Adams - 40
George Washington - 44
Benjamin Franklin - 70
While these seven are most widely considered to be the "Founding Fathers", there were many other men and women who played vital roles in attaining America's independence.
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