Leadership of Founding Fathers

from Shearon for Schools.com 9/13 enhanced by Peter/CXO Wiz4biz

Background: The Author Donald T. Phillips of “The Founding Fathers on Leadership” begins by setting the stage for the American Revolution. He notes that the key leaders of the Revolutionary War were mostly businessmen – who were being severely affected by the Tax Act and other power grabs by the British crown. Although the Founding Fathers might have been prepared to live out their lives without taking on the extraordinary risk & effort involved in creating a new country – especially one based on principles never before embraced in the world – circumstances did not permit. The effort they undertook was one which had never been done before.

Setting the Stage. After running through a brief history of British actions that set the stage for the American Revolution, such as the ”Intolerable Acts”, actions against the colony of Massachusetts, the Stamp Act, and more, the author turns to the individuals involved, their characters, and the roles that they played during different times in the Revolution.

NOTE: The review of events leading to Revolution is mostly a brief mention of each act, without a great deal of explanation about the reasons & motivations for it or the impact on the colonies. In other words, it assumes some grasp of the history of this time and is just a reminder for a knowledgeable reader.

Family History. There is an interesting section on the common family histories of leaders. The Author suggests that many lose their fathers early, or have distant or difficult relationships with them. On the other hand, many are unusually close to their mothers. It is interesting how the Founders of Americe managed to generate forward motion, given the fact that many of them were focusing on a goal that had never been envisioned before, much less obtained. Apparently, there was some sense early on the need for the colonies to establish a collaborative effort. A number of the early patriots began calling for a Continental Congress. This provided a mechanism to move forward. Talk about a collaborative effort to meet an Visionary challenge! The quarter-century from 1771 to 1796 has to be one of the greatest examples of such an effort ever. See the contribution of a few key players.

Leadership Traits of Key Founders
“We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.” Benjamin Franklin: at the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

[ Samuel Adams & Patrick Henry, George Washington, Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson and many more in Premium Content ]