Analysis Of Gordon S. Wood's Revolutionary Characters

Over the course of our country’s history there have been several characters that revolutionized modern day America. These characters are now only publicized in museums with little to no intellect on how important they are to our country. Although their history is taught in schools and history lectures about their success, one can think, what made these founders so special? The personality of these founders aided in their decisions on what was important to make America better. In the intensely written work Revolutionary Characters: What Made the Founders Different, Gordon S. Wood analyzes eight founding fathers such as George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, George Madison, John Adams, Thomas Paine and Aaron Burr. From the time of the American Revolution, these characters contributed knowledge and leadership that fueled the creation of a growing country. What we neglect to understand in modern day history is how important their character, described as a self-conscious, self-made man, was to the decisions they used to govern and create. Gordon S. Wood accurately defines and analyzes these eight different founding fathers by focusing directly on their character and how it influenced the decisions and progressions made during the …show more content…
These enlightenment thinkers challenged British authority in order to build a new free country. Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison all correspond with the philosophy reflected in the Declaration of Independence that drove our country to freedom. Others, such as George Washington, Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr contributed leadership qualities that strengthened the growth of the United States. Working towards the independence of the United States these founding fathers battled to break ties with British control that would soon lead to a new free country under an undeclared