Exhibit Guide Home Exhibits Introduction Founding Generation Founding Documents You Be the Judge Defining Freedom The Struggle Continues Faces of Freedom Marketplace of Ideas Censorship: What Is It? Musical Hit List Draw the Line Resources Museum Map Glossary

Shaping the foundation of the freedoms we enjoy today was no easy task. Members of the founding generation had varying viewpoints on the rights and limits of freedom. They fiercely debated these ideas for hours in meetings and wrote hundreds of essays and letters expressing their opinions. It was an environment where ideas were expressed, debated, rejected and adopted as the Founders shaped the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights. The founders categorized themselves into two different groups known as the Federalists and Anti-Federalists. These groups were defined by their political views and evolved into the modern day party system that we have today in U.S. politics. The Federalists supported the Constitution and believed in a centralized government with some checks and balances, and some powers reserved for the states. The Anti-Federalists were against the Constitution because they felt it threatened instead of protected individual liberties. Come meet some of the men and women who helped us develop our ideas of freedom and democracy. The founders didn’t always agree with each other even among others in their own party. Our founding documents and the freedoms we enjoy today were the result of struggle, debate and compromise. It’s a legacy that carries into the modern day as we continue to debate what our freedoms mean. John Adams George Mason Benjamin Franklin Thomas Paine Alexander Hamilton Mercy Otis Warren Thomas Jefferson George Washington James Madison John Witherspoon John Adams John Adams was a forceful advocate for independence in the Continental Congress and was a member of the committee to draft the Declaration of Independence. He drafted the Massachusetts state constitution—the oldest written constitution in the world. Learn more back to top Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin was a delegate to the Continental Congress and edited Thomas Jefferson’s draft of the Declaration of Independence. Franklin submitted a plan that also heavily influenced the writing of Articles of Confederation. Learn more back to top   Alexander Hamilton After the Revolutionary War, Alexander Hamilton pushed for a strong national government and was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention. Hamilton was one of the authors of the Federalist Papers which urged the ratification of the Constitution. Learn more back to top   Thomas Jefferson As author of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson gave ringing words to ideas about inalienable rights and the consent of the governed. After the Constitution was ratified, Jefferson became one of the leaders of the Democratic-Republican party and was elected the nation’s third president. Learn more back to top   James Madison The principal author of the Constitution and Bill of Rights, Madison, a federalist, did not initially believe a bill of rights was necessary. Learn more back to top   George Mason George Mason was author of the Virginia Declaration of Rights, which was the first state bill of rights. It later became a model for the Bill of Rights. Learn more back to top   Thomas Paine Thomas Paine was a best-selling author who set forth the American cause for independence through his writing. Paine published Common Sense in January of 1776, and later The American Crisis, a series of pamphlets meant to bolster colonial morale from 1776-1783. Learn more back to top   Mercy Otis Warren Mercy Otis Warren was a prolific writer about revolutionary politics and wrote an anonymous pamphlet fervently opposing the ratification of the Constitution without a bill of rights. Warren’s widely published writings helped plant the seeds for the American Revolution. Learn more back to top   George Washington George Washington led the Continental Army while the Declaration of Independence was being drafted. Washington was elected president of the Constitutional Convention, and was unanimously elected the nation’s first President. Learn more back to top   John Witherspoon A prominent theologian and president of Princeton University, John Witherspoon was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Learn more back to top << Previous Section    Next section >>

Onboard the Freedom Express At this exhibit, visitors can listen to members of the founding generation debate whether or not a Bill of Rights should be added to the U.S. Constitution.