Stephen Ambrose's Contributions Of Our Founding Fathers

Stephen Ambrose’s writings of our Founding Founder’s contributions to our country are fascinating. Not only did Ambrose discuss what made our past Presidents great, but he also discussed their shortcomings—professionally and personally. Most people have a preconceived idea of the contributions our Founding Fathers, which is mostly positive. What they do not realize is that like the men that came before them (Christopher Columbus), they were less than perfect. Moreover, one could draw the theory that some of our founding fathers were bigoted, racist's men. When in reality, during the early-mid part of their lifetime, their beliefs and actions-such as owning slaves-were not looked down upon, but merely an accepted practice during that time. While it has been widely recognized that President Jefferson owned slaves, Ambrose's attention to President Jefferson's personal life was fascinating. For example, while most Americans know that President Jefferson bore a child with one of his slaves, what they did not know is that he spent most of his life in debt, despite being well educated (Ambrose 2). Also, despite knowing/believing that owning slaves and profiting from

Ambrose notes that while President Washington is often credited with be being a successful general, his army lost more battles than they won (Ambrose 9). Despite this and the fact that President Washington was not as educated as President Jefferson, he was true leader. There is no better example than President Washington and his men crossing the Delaware River in 1776 or overcoming freezing, harsh conditions the next winter at Valley Forge, winning the Revolutionary War (Ambrose 10). Despite the adverse climate conditions, President Washington was able to motivate and lead an army of under supplied, minimally trained men to victory against the powerful British army. The prize: