Seven Who Stand Tall

By Don Shearon First Published July 5, 1974At this period of the year, perhaps more than any other, many Americans' thoughts dwell upon our gallant forefathers who risked everything — all their worldly goods, even their very lives and those of their families — that a new nation of free men could become a reality on this continent.Regrettably, Americans no longer observe Independence Day with anything resembling patriotism. It's far too simple to just take a drive into the country, perhaps pack a picnic lunch, or visit Uncle Ed's folks over in the next county.We no longer thrill to the sounds of band music, to the sheer beauty of the Stars and Stripes waiving in the summer breeze, to the daring deeds of Revolutionary War heroes as recited by the area's acknowledged champion orators, frequently county officials.It was rewarding, then, to find a brief interview with one of the country's leading U. S. history scholars in the current issue of U. S. News & World Report.Richard B. Morris, professor of history at Columbia University, is the author of a recently published volume titled “Seven Who Shaped Our Destiny: The Founding Fathers as Revolutionaries.”The seven named by Prof. Morris as, in his opinion, “the very best” among all the famous names of this country's Revolutionary period were Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, John Jay, Alexander Hamilton and James Madison.These names appear most frequently in the interview Morris granted the magazine as the Columbia professor relates today's United States in its formative years two centuries ago.Among the points made by Morris: These seven men, and their compatriots of the period, had “a greater sense of morality … a greater sense of personal honor” than do 20th century politicians.These Founding Fathers were “very sensitive” to criticism, but the difference is that the criticism in that era came weeks, perhaps months, after the event, not instantly as it does today.“All of the Founding Fathers at one point or another were subject to very hostile criticism,” Morris contends.“There was a great deal of criticism of Washington's leadership … Jefferson was virtually hounded out of the governorship of Virginia at the end of the American Revolution, and he was especially resentful of criticism. Generally speaking, after a prolonged bout of criticism, he would go into semi-retirement.”The closest thing to a Watergate during the Revolutionary period, as seen by Prof. Morris, was the purloining of some letters of Gov. Thomas Hutchinson of Massachusetts. The letters were turned over to Benjamin Franklin who sent them confidentially to Thomas Cushing, the speaker of the Massachusetts house of representatives. They ultimately came into the possession of Samuel Adams who had them published.Of this affair, Prof. Morris says: "If Franklin justified it (purloining and publishing the letters), it would be on the grounds of the need for the colonists to know about the hostile attitude of the governing officials in Massachusetts toward them and the officials' conspiratorial efforts, as he saw it, to take away their liberties.”In the 20th century, Prof. Morris said, a number of great intellectuals have been numbered among the American citizenry, but for the most part they have moved into the areas of science and technology and other fields rather than into government.“Government,” says Prof. Morris, “is in the hands of the second-rate and the third-rate, and we've got to do something to regenerate that enthusiasm for government on the part of the younger generation and on the part of first-rate people. No first-rate people want to expose themselves to so many of the rigors and disadvantages of government service, notably the invasion of privacy in their personal lives.”At this Independence Day period — or at any other time of the year — the interview with Prof. Morris in USN & WR's July 8 issue is recommended reading.

Norma McDaniel

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