"The Greatest" Founding Father

[Dannen]

Voting for Washington:

War hero - check
great leader - check
voluntarily gives up power when it is time - check


Franklin and Jefferson are close though = )

 

[mrt144]

Hamilton; He is the American dream and thought about the future for America.

 

[Dachs]

James Madison. "He did more than most, and some things better than any."

Lincoln was a horrible human being, he waged war on the South!

I don't know you anymore.

 

[Cheezy the Wiz]

Samuel Adams, brewer and patriot.

Sam Adams Brewery was founded in the 1980s.

The real Sam Adams was somewhat of a complicated, dubious character. He was probably one of the first politicians to undertake acts specifically designed to create American independence, but it was years before there was a real reason for doing so. He also really sucked at business management.

Whichever one believed "All men are created equal" and didn't own any slaves and thought women should be allowed to vote.

Ah, you mean Mr. Paine. My choice, also.

 

[Dachs]

Ah, you mean Mr. Paine. My choice, also.

Paine was cool; I really liked his appearance in the Sandman vignette Thermidor in prison, talking to St. Just and Lady Constantine. Good stuff.

 

[Luckymoose]

it's kinda like comparing apples and oranges. Washington - greatest general, also good president; jefferson - greatest political theorist; adams - greatest jerk; and benjamin franklin - greatest diplomat, pimp, philosopher, and hemp smoker.

lolz lolz lolz.

 

[civ_king]

BEN JAMMIN'

total pimp sauce

lolz lolz lolz.

so what if he directed the American Insurgency? hit 'n' run tactics, sniping British Officers, clearly an honorable man eh?

 

[QuoVadisNation]

uggh.. I wasn't saying Washington was a military genius. Nor did I compare the guy to leaders like Genghis Khan. But generals can be still great even without serious military victories. It's what he symbolized and in that, he was an icon that kept a lot together even when he lived. Besides, he wins by default anyway because Benedict Arnold doesn't count. Burn in hell, Benedict, burn in hell : )

 

[cardgame]

hmm, I'm torn between Benny and George...

Aha, I didn't see Paine in there!

 

[Imperialmajesty]

James Madison

 

[Imperialmajesty]

My favorite being John Adams.

 

[mitsho]

I'm surprised John Adams didn't get more votes due to the TV series? On the poll, I know too less on the topic to comment, however I would like to point out how stupid historical rankings in General are. (besides you didn't define "greatest")

 

[Kozmos]

None, they are all traitors to the Glorious British Empire, and deserved nothing more than being hung from the neck.

You mean hung, drawn and quartered?

 

[IglooDame]

It's kinda like comparing apples and oranges. Washington - greatest general, also good president; Jefferson - greatest political theorist; Adams - greatest jerk; and Benjamin Franklin - greatest diplomat, pimp, philosopher, and hemp smoker.

Ditto. And I'd add Madison - greatest politician (and I don't mean politician in the inherently negative sense).

Washington takes the title since so much depended on him early on, with Madison and Jefferson as runners-up.

 

[Cutlass]

Hamilton; He is the American dream and thought about the future for America.

And would have concentrated power to the point of killing that dream. He made important contributions, but he needed to be kept on a shorter leash.

 

[civ_king]

And would have concentrated power to the point of killing that dream. He made important contributions, but he needed to be kept on a shorter leash.

too much power craze for me to like

 

[aelf]

Where's Peter Minuit? Pedro Álvares Cabral? Man, the poll sucks.

 

[mrt144]

And would have concentrated power to the point of killing that dream. He made important contributions, but he needed to be kept on a shorter leash.

That's the kind of person I like though; one who serves a purpose by pushing the limits.

 

[Miles Teg]

Lincoln wasn't a horrible human being, after all he waged war on the South!

Fixed.

Anyways, I'm going to have to go with Franklin. On an objective scale, he did more than any of the others, and was one of the less personally odious. Paine may have been a better philosopher, but he wasn't as influential. Jefferson would have been a contender, but gets points knocked off for the Sally Hemmings thing, and more importantly for encouraging the Paultards and Randroids. Madison gets serious points for the Constitution and the Federalist papers, but little else.

 

[Cheezy the Wiz]

Where's Peter Minuit? Pedro Álvares Cabral? Man, the poll sucks.

Or Benedict Arnold.