Founding Fathers and Constitutional Framers

All of these men are considered Founding Fathers or Constitutional Framers, except Henry Clay, who was a prominent politician for a few decades in the first half of the nineteenth century. Henry Clay was a longtime Speaker of the House and also served as Secretary of State from 1825 until 1829.

The First Barbary War was fought by the American navy against the pirate forces of the Barbary States in North Africa. The war was the first major foreign militaristic action taken by the young United States from 1801 to 1805. It was fought during the administration of Thomas Jefferson.

Poor Richard’s Almanack was written and published by Benjamin Franklin. The almanac made Franklin rich and famous, and it helped spread Enlightenment ideas to the common people.

The Louisiana Purchase took place in 1803, during the Presidency of Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson purchased the massive Louisiana territory from Napoleon and the French Empire for the sum of fifteen million dollars. Interestingly, given Jefferson’s stance on limiting the power of the Federal government and the President, it established a precedent that the President and the government had greater power than that which was accorded in the Constitution.