Views on the Founding Fathers after a CSA victory.

[GameBawesome]

The Founding Fathers were the leaders for the Thirteen Colonies during the American Revolutionary War, breaking off from Britain and forming the United States or America, and later on form the Constitution. The seven commonly famous members included are George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay and James Madison. Others included are John Hancock, Richard Henry Lee, Henry Knox, Robert Morris, Gouverneur Morris, Roger Sherman, and other members of the Continental Congress or Framers in the Constitutional Convention (There were a lot)

However, an issue with the Founding Fathers was the topic of slavery. A commonly fact that a lot of people like to point out about the Founding Fathers is that a lot of them owned slaves. This included George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison. Some were abolitionist like Gouverneur Morris and Benjamin Rush, or at least made some Anti-Slavery comments such as Alexander Hamilton, John Jay and Benajamin Franklin (Though the latter two had owned slaves at one point of their lives)

Point is, the Founding Fathers were not unified on the issue of slavery, which was a major topic in the new nation and varied on what to do (Whether to abolish it, limit it, or protect it) So, they can-kicked the issue to accommodate the new nation, thinking it would eventually die out.

However, by the 19th Century, slavery actually expanded, and would remain a controversial topic that eventually led to the South seceding and the American Civil War. During that time, both sides would cite the constitution to justify their causes. Some Founding Fathers, such as George Washington, would become symbols for the CSA. But eventually, the CSA was defeated and slavery would be abolished.

Now, with that context out of the way, in an alternate history, where the Confederate States of America won its independence, how would the views of the Founding Fathers (The seven, Revolutionary generals, members of the Continental Congress, Framers in the Constitutional Convention) be viewed by both the USA and now independent CSA? Now, given that there were a lot of Founding Fathers, it'll be a large topic to discuss.

For a small example, for some of the Presidents IMO, George Washington would probably still be revered by both sides (Though for different interpretations).

What do you think? How do you think the Founding Fathers would be viewed in a Post-CSA victory.

 

[Fatt Shea]

Both sides will exaggerate aspects of them that agree with their side with the Union highlighting anti slavery statements and the confederates highlighting that many of them were slave owners

 

[EasternRomanEmpire]

The Founding Fathers were the leaders for the Thirteen Colonies during the American Revolutionary War, breaking off from Britain and forming the United States or America, and later on form the Constitution. The seven commonly famous members included are George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay and James Madison. Others included are John Hancock, Richard Henry Lee, Henry Knox, Robert Morris, Gouverneur Morris, Roger Sherman, and other members of the Continental Congress or Framers in the Constitutional Convention (There were a lot)

However, an issue with the Founding Fathers was the topic of slavery. A commonly fact that a lot of people like to point out about the Founding Fathers is that a lot of them owned slaves. This included George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison. Some were abolitionist like Gouverneur Morris and Benjamin Rush, or at least made some Anti-Slavery comments such as Alexander Hamilton, John Jay and Benajamin Franklin (Though the latter two had owned slaves at one point of their lives)

Point is, the Founding Fathers were not unified on the issue of slavery, which was a major topic in the new nation and varied on what to do (Whether to abolish it, limit it, or protect it) So, they can-kicked the issue to accommodate the new nation, thinking it would eventually die out.

However, by the 19th Century, slavery actually expanded, and would remain a controversial topic that eventually led to the South seceding and the American Civil War. During that time, both sides would cite the constitution to justify their causes. Some Founding Fathers, such as George Washington, would become symbols for the CSA. But eventually, the CSA was defeated and slavery would be abolished.

Now, with that context out of the way, in an alternate history, where the Confederate States of America won its independence, how would the views of the Founding Fathers (The seven, Revolutionary generals, members of the Continental Congress, Framers in the Constitutional Convention) be viewed by both the USA and now independent CSA? Now, given that there were a lot of Founding Fathers, it'll be a large topic to discuss.

For a small example, for some of the Presidents IMO, George Washington would probably still be revered by both sides (Though for different interpretations).

What do you think? How do you think the Founding Fathers would be viewed in a Post-CSA victory.

The Union will try to minimize/hide the fact that many of the Founding Fathers had slaves and will focus on the rest of their history, the Confederacy will use this as propaganda to prove their arguments.

 

[Galba Otho Vitelius]

The Confederates argued that they weren't doing anything different vs. DC than the "founders" were doing vs. Westminster.

 

[Mildtryth]

Many probably wouldn't change much, but I could see at least some Confederates picturing Jefferson as a reckless demagogue.

 

[jmc247]

The ordinary person in the North and South heavily divided up the founders on what their views on state vs federal power happened to be.

Jefferson and Madison were broadly considered the men on the right side of the state vs federal power issue in the South. The real state centered folks liked Patrick Henry. Hamilton and Washington were considered those most on the right side of the issue among Republicans. Among northern Democrats it was Jefferson.

Washington was considered the man in the middle between Jefferson and Hamilton, so he was the most fought over between the North and South. The strongest federalizers among the founders like Hamilton were in the doghouse during the Davis admin in terms of promotion on stamps and money and in books. But, Hamilton had his fans among Whigs and those closest to the Whigs like Lee.

The direction of the South post war if it's guided by straight agrarianism like the Cotton States wanted or a light industrial policy like many in the northern South wanted will determine if the founders bigger on centralization are pushed there as they were in the North in the 1860s.