EDMUND BURKE was a member of the British Parliament, well-known for his support for the cause of the American colonies before and during the American Revolutionary War, and his strong opposition to the French Revolution. He is a widely-acknowledged influence on the ideals of American conservatism.
The Works of the Right Honorable Edmund Burke
ELIAS BOUDINOT was an American Founding Father from New Jersey. He was one of the Presidents of the Second Continental Congress, as well as an influential delegate from New Jersey in Congress. He was a mentor of Founder Alexander Hamilton, with whom he frequently corresponded, along with other noted Founders. He was the brother-in-law of Richard Stockton (signer of the Declaration of Independence), a trustee of Princeton University, and the First President of the American Bible Society. his writings are a history of his deep involvement in the Founding, and of the Founding Era in general.
- Works by Elias Boudinot (Internet Archive)
- The Age of Revelation (1801)
- The Second Advent (1815)
- A Star in the West (1816)
- Journal, Or, Historical Recollections of American Events during the Revolutionary War (Google Books)
WILLIAM BRADFORD was governor of Plymouth Plantation in what is now the state of Massachusetts. He was a leader of the Separatist congregation, known as the Pilgrims, who arrived on the shores of Cape Cod in 1620. William Bradford recorded the history of this congregation and of Plymouth Plantation, which was one of the first American settlements in the northern colonies, and the group of men and women which framed the Mayflower Compact, an early American founding document.
- Bradford's History of Plymouth Plantation (The Massachusetts Historical Society, 1912)
- The History of Plymouth Plantation (1620-1647), volume 1 and volume 2
- Selections from Early American Writers: William Bradford
SIR WILLIAM BLACKSTONE was a famed English jurist, known most for his four-volume Commentaries on the Laws of England, which are widely recognized as the British common law (which had previously been oral) in written form. In the years preceding and during the American Founding Era (1760-1805), Blackstone's Commentaries were one of the most widely-read volumes in America. They were one of the few sources quoted most-often by the Founding Fathers (along with the Bible, Montesquieu, and Locke), and they all widely recommended their perusal. For generations after the Founding, Blackstone's Commentaries, along with the Bible, were required reading in American law schools.
- Commentaries on the Laws of England (Avalon Project)
- Commentaries on the Laws of England (LONANG)
FRANCIS BACON of England was one of the famed writers of the Enlightenment period whose works were read widely across Europe, and in America. He was quoted by several of the Founders, and Thomas Jefferson considered him one of the three greatest minds the world ever produced (Jefferson ranked Bacon along with Isaac Newton and John Locke).
FISHER AMES is best known as the one who drafted the final version of the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights. He was a native of Massachusetts, a Federalist member of the U. S. Congress where he represented his state. Ames had an extensive correspondence with several distinguished Founding Fathers, including John Adams, John Jay, and Alexander Hamilton.
- The Works of Fisher Ames, Complied by a Number of His Friends, to which are prefixed, Notices of His Life and Character (by John Thornton Kirkland, 1869)
- The Works of Fisher Ames (edited by his son Seth Ames), volume I and volume II
SAMUEL ADAMS is known as the "Father of the American Revolution," for he organized the resistance to British tyranny in New England, forming the "Sons of Liberty," "The Committees of Correspondence," and was a ring-leader of the Boston Tea Party. It is he who coined one of the famous cries of the Revolution: "No taxation without representation!" His writings are a history of the cause, progress, and ideals of the American Revolution.
The Writings of Samuel Adams (edited by Henry Alonzo Cushing, 1904-1908)
ABIGAIL ADAMS was the wife of John Adams and John Quincy Adams. During the time that her husband was founding the United States, she wrote volumes of letters full of history, insight, personal information, and wisdom to her husband and to other figures. Her letters provide a huge insight into the times in which she lived and wisdom advanced for her time.
- Letters of Mrs. Adams, the Wife of John Adams (Google Books)
- Familiar Letters of John Adams and His Wife Abigail Adams, during the Revolution (Google Books)
- Select Letters of Abigail Adams from 1761-1816 (Family Tales)
- New Letters of Abigail Adams (Internet Archive)
- Memoir of Mrs. Adams, by Charles Francis Adams (Internet Archive)
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS was a true son of the American Revolution. His father was John Adams, American Founding Father and statesman, and his mother was Abigail Adams, correspondent and writer. John Quincy Adams served with his father in foreign courts, as well as in the House of Representatives and as President. His writings are a rich legacy of the generation which proceeded from the Founding Fathers, and his words are the account of a man who grew up in the midst of the founding and lived to tell the proceeding generations about it.
- Selections from his Diary (Massachusetts Historical Society)
- Printed Voluminous Works (Internet Archive)
- Select Letters from 1779 -1831 (Family Tales)
- Poems of Religion and Society: with notices of his life and character (Making of America)
- Writings of John Quincy Adams (Google Books)
This is a plan for some updating I plan to do on this blog when I have the opportunity, that is, plenty of time to write and organize. But I don't think that I do today. Let me simply outline what I plan to do.
- Make a list of old books which are available online, which have helped me in my research, and which, I am sure, will be of help to others.
- Instead of having a single post with the writings of the Founders, I would like to make a directory of names of authors on the side-bar, so that their respective writings are easily accessible to the public. I will have a widget on the sidebar, with names of the various authors listed in alphabetical order by last name, which will lead you directly to a page on this blog that I will prepare for each author. It will have a brief biographical sketch, with some information that makes their writings relevant to the study of the American founding and history.