Surprising Facts About the Founding Fathers

Surprising Facts About the Founding Fathers

(Daily360.com) – Most Americans learned about the men who helped lead the cause of independence from England in school. These trailblazers have served as symbols of inspiration and freedom across the US. Still, there are numerous surprising facts about the Founding Fathers, including John Hancock, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson, that some people might not know.

For example, many people are unaware that the signers of the Declaration of Independence kept their names secret for a short time. They feared the British would hang them for treason, which was a significant reason to remain quiet about their identities. In fact, some figures were already on the wanted list for other reasons. John Hancock, for example, tried to avoid paying taxes on certain goods. England placed a 500 British pound bounty on his head, which Hancock found insultingly low.

Another fact that might be surprising is that Thomas Jefferson called for the elimination of slavery in the initial draft of the Declaration of Independence. He later removed the provision over concerns South Carolina and Virginia wouldn’t agree to approve the document.

John Adams was the first president to occupy the White House. He was also the first to introduce canines to the famous estate. In 1797, he brought his two dogs, Juno and Satan, with him. Yes, you read that right. One of his dogs was named Satan.

Many people know of the numerous exploits of Benjamin Franklin. He conducted an experiment with a kite and lightning and invented bifocals. Little known by most Americans, Franklin wanted to eliminate certain letters from the alphabet. They included C, J, Q, W, X, and Y. He said they were redundant.

Do you know any fun facts about the Founding Fathers people would be interested to know?

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