The White House has today put up a link to a new government website that collates and offers key documents from the revolution and the founding era. But it appears that the administration couldn’t bring itself to say, “Founding Fathers”:
Perhaps our readers might come up with some other politically correct names for the revolutionary generation?
Meanwhile, notice the first suggestion as to how viewers might use this treasure trove of information:
Here are a few possibilities for using Founders Online:
‐ Assemble the Founders’ views on slavery into a single set of search results in which many of the original documents do not use the word at all.
‐ Collect all the correspondence between Adams and Jefferson along with their contemporaries’ views on each man to create a richer portrait on their fraught relationship and lasting friendship.
‐ Trace the Founders’ letters and diaries and debates leading up to the Constitutional Convention, their thoughts during the meetings in Philadelphia, the ratification of the Constitution by the states, and how the Washington administration, first Congress, and first Supreme Court implemented the grand experiment.
‐ Find insights into their private lives: the devotion expressed in the letters between John and Abigail Adams; Madison’s views on slavery; Hamilton’s feud that led to the fatal duel with Burr; the stuffed moose sent to Jefferson in Paris; Ben Franklin’s turkey; and yes, Washington’s decades-long problems with his teeth.
Stunning.
UPDATE: Ah, well. It was fun while it lasted. The White House has now updated the page to read “Founding Fathers.” Perhaps the administration got the “Founding Founders” idea from this speech?