Thomas Jefferson is credited as the major author of out constitution. Along with John Adam's and Benjamin Franklin, they were the chief crafter's and drafter's of our early paper's and final documents and declaration's of independence. At this time, each colony had their own constitution's and rules of governance. The "founding father" was a white, European, male, property owner. It would remain this way for 80 years, until slavery was eliminated. Legal rights far preceded actual rights, and continue to be dis-equal, and dis--in-franchise many non-white groups.
Jefferson once asked a seminal question:
“Sometimes it is said that man cannot be trusted with the government of himself. Can he, then, be trusted with the government of others?”
“Our legislators are not sufficiently apprised of the rightful limits of their power: that their true office is to declare and enforce only our natural rights and duties and to take none of them from us.”“The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others.”“The minority possess their equal rights, which equal laws must protect, and to violate would be oppression.”“The right of self-government does not comprehend the government of others.”“It [is] ridiculous to suppose that a man had less rights in himself than…his neighbors …This would be slavery, and not that liberty…for the preservation of which our government has been charged.”
“Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our own will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add “within the limits of the law,” because law is often but the tyrant’s will, and always so when it violates the right of an individual.”“No man has a natural right to commit aggression on the equal rights of another, and this is all from which the laws ought to restrain him.”“What more is necessary to make us a happy and a prosperous people?…a wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government.”
Jefferson and Adam's would help guide the early nation through the revision's, amendment's and fundamental structures. Jefferson's word's and writing's have remained significant and in highest esteem. Such high esteem, that in America, post WWI, Commissioner Putnam, with aid J. Edgar Hoover conducted the Putnam raid's, deporting around two million latin citizen's, and enforcing anti-sedition laws against many selected groups. One violation of these laws was having in your possession, body or home, any writings of Thomas Jefferson.
We hear a lot about the intent of our founding father's, both in constitutional law, and in the drafting of the constitution. White plantation owner's, banker's, pastor's, industry, English educated lawyer's and the like? So, a group of disgruntled white men got uppity with mother England, was able to wear down England with distance and resources, and became a new nation, needing to define itself. The militia's were made up of English colonist's, not American constitutional lawyer's. They were made up of blacksmith's, frontier's men, young boy's and any/everywhere of age males might be.
The problems of independence forced immediate action's such as currency, a postal system, a militia/military, a court system, a legislative system, and many, many additional immediate needs. Imagine the voluminous work that these fairly common early founder's had with feather quill and ink. To take a stance that they were all wise, and that their words rule is truly absurd, yet that has been our supreme court view for more than a decade and a majority view since Trump's three appointee's.
So when someone next mention's founding father's, as for some examples; you'll probably only get battle cries. "Give me liberty or give me death, uh, maybe just a glancing wound" Oh I made it out alive, I must be God's chosen.
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