www.washingtonpost.com Open in urlscan Pro
23.60.207.88  Public Scan

Form analysis
3 forms found in the DOM

<form class="wpds-c-gRPFSl wpds-c-gRPFSl-jGNYrR-isSlim-false">
  <div class="transition-all duration-200 ease-in-out"><button type="submit" data-qa="sc-newsletter-signup-button" class="wpds-c-kSOqLF wpds-c-kSOqLF-uTUwn-variant-primary wpds-c-kSOqLF-eHdizY-density-default wpds-c-kSOqLF-ejCoEP-icon-left">Sign
      up</button></div>
</form>

<form class="wpds-c-gRPFSl wpds-c-gRPFSl-jGNYrR-isSlim-false">
  <div class="transition-all duration-200 ease-in-out"><button type="submit" data-qa="sc-newsletter-signup-button" class="wpds-c-kSOqLF wpds-c-kSOqLF-uTUwn-variant-primary wpds-c-kSOqLF-eHdizY-density-default wpds-c-kSOqLF-ejCoEP-icon-left">Sign
      up</button></div>
</form>

<form class="w-100 left" id="registration-form" data-qa="regwall-registration-form-container" novalidate="">
  <div>
    <div class="wpds-c-jMGJfg wpds-c-jMGJfg-iPJLV-css">
      <div class="wpds-c-cgcUHx"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 16 16" fill="currentColor" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false" role="img" class="wpds-c-fBqPWp ">
          <path d="M1 3v10h14V3Zm12.19 1L8 8.32 2.81 4ZM2 12V4.63l6 5 6-5V12Z"></path>
        </svg></div>
      <div class="wpds-c-iQOSPq"><span role="label" id="radix-:r1:" class="wpds-c-bROtJV wpds-c-iJWmNK">Enter email address</span><input id="registration-email-id" type="email" aria-invalid="false" name="registration-email"
          data-qa="regwall-registration-form-email-input" data-private="true" class="wpds-c-djFMBQ wpds-c-djFMBQ-iPJLV-css" value="" aria-labelledby="radix-:r1:"></div>
    </div>
  </div>
  <div class="dn">
    <div class="db mt-xs mb-xs "><span role="label" id="radix-:r2:" class="wpds-c-bROtJV"><span class="db font-xxxs gray-darker pt-xxs pb-xxs gray-dark" style="padding-top: 1px;"><span>By selecting "Start reading," you agree to The Washington Post's
            <a target="_blank" style="color:inherit;" class="underline" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/information/2022/01/01/terms-of-service/">Terms of Service</a> and
            <a target="_blank" style="color:inherit;" class="underline" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/privacy-policy/">Privacy Policy</a>.</span></span></span>
      <div class="db gray-dark relative flex pt-xxs pb-xxs items-start gray-darker"><span role="label" id="radix-:r3:" class="wpds-c-bROtJV wpds-c-jDXwHV"><button type="button" role="checkbox" aria-checked="false" data-state="unchecked" value="on"
            id="mcCheckbox" data-testid="mcCheckbox" class="wpds-c-bdrwYf wpds-c-bdrwYf-bnVAXI-size-125 wpds-c-bdrwYf-kFjMjo-cv wpds-c-bdrwYf-ikKWKCv-css" aria-labelledby="radix-:r3:"></button><input type="checkbox" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"
            value="on" style="transform: translateX(-100%); position: absolute; pointer-events: none; opacity: 0; margin: 0px; width: 0px; height: 0px;"><span class="wpds-c-bFeFXz"><span class="relative db gray-darker" style="padding-top: 2px;"><span
                class="relative db font-xxxs" style="padding-top: 1px;"><span>The Washington Post may use my email address to provide me occasional special offers via email and through other platforms. I can opt out at any
                  time.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
    </div>
  </div>
  <div id="subs-turnstile-hook" data-test-id="regform" class="wpds-c-eerOeF center"></div><button data-qa="regwall-registration-form-cta-button" type="submit"
    class="wpds-c-kSOqLF wpds-c-kSOqLF-hDKJFr-variant-cta wpds-c-kSOqLF-eHdizY-density-default wpds-c-kSOqLF-ejCoEP-icon-left wpds-c-kSOqLF-ikFyhzm-css w-100 mt-sm"><span>Start reading</span></button>
</form>

Text Content

Accessibility statementSkip to main content

Democracy Dies in Darkness
SubscribeSign in
OpinionsEditorials Columns Guest opinions Cartoons Submit a guest opinion
Today's Opinions newsletter
OpinionsEditorials Columns Guest opinions Cartoons Submit a guest opinion
Today's Opinions newsletter


OPINION

WHAT EXPLAINS THE GENIUS OF THE AMERICAN FOUNDERS?

Looked down on by England’s ruling class, they reacted by redefining what it
means to be civilized.

12 min
1584

Key takeaways

Summary is AI-generated, newsroom-reviewed.

 * Gordon S. Wood discusses Founders' originality and flaws.
 * Founders seen as aristocrats, yet pushed for enlightened values.
 * Virginia produced notable leaders despite small population.
 * Burr contrasted with Founders' virtues and political ideals.
 * Provincial enlightenment contrasted with metropolitan England's corruption.

Did our AI help? Share your thoughts.

“The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776” by John Trumbull. (Trumbull
Collection/Yale University)
By Gordon S. Wood
July 2, 2024 at 5:45 a.m. EDT

Gordon S. Wood is the author of “The Radicalism of the American Revolution,”
winner of the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for history.

As we approach the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, we are bound to
look back at the Founding Fathers — or the Founders, as our anti-patriarchal
climate now prefers — with somewhat different feelings from those we formerly
had. Although most generations of Americans conceived of the Founders as
larger-than-life, “a forest of giant oaks,” as Abraham Lincoln called them, we
have tended to diminish them, seeing them as seriously flawed in matters of
race, social equality and the role of women.


Share
1584 Comments
Popular opinions articles
HAND CURATED
 * Opinion|How the attempt on Trump’s life has upended the presidential race
   July 14, 2024
   
   Opinion|How the attempt on Trump’s life has upended the presidential race
   July 14, 2024
 * Opinion|America’s close call
   July 14, 2024
   
   Opinion|America’s close call
   July 14, 2024
 * Opinion|What do we want to do, America?
   July 13, 2024
   
   Opinion|What do we want to do, America?
   July 13, 2024

View 3 more stories

NewsletterSundays
The Week in Ideas
Thought-provoking opinions you may have missed amid the news of the week.
Sign up

Subscribe to comment and get the full experience. Choose your plan →



NewsletterSundays
The Week in Ideas
Thought-provoking opinions you may have missed amid the news of the week.
Sign up
Company
About The Post Newsroom Policies & Standards Diversity & Inclusion Careers Media
& Community Relations WP Creative Group Accessibility Statement Sitemap
Get The Post
Become a Subscriber Gift Subscriptions Mobile & Apps Newsletters & Alerts
Washington Post Live Reprints & Permissions Post Store Books & E-Books Today’s
Paper Public Notices
Contact Us
Contact the Newsroom Contact Customer Care Contact the Opinions Team Advertise
Licensing & Syndication Request a Correction Send a News Tip Report a
Vulnerability
Terms of Use
Digital Products Terms of Sale Print Products Terms of Sale Terms of Service
Privacy Policy Cookie Settings Submissions & Discussion Policy RSS Terms of
Service Ad Choices
washingtonpost.com © 1996-2024 The Washington Post
 * washingtonpost.com
 * © 1996-2024 The Washington Post
 * About The Post
 * Contact the Newsroom
 * Contact Customer Care
 * Request a Correction
 * Send a News Tip
 * Report a Vulnerability
 * Download the Washington Post App
 * Policies & Standards
 * Terms of Service
 * Privacy Policy
 * Cookie Settings
 * Print Products Terms of Sale
 * Digital Products Terms of Sale
 * Submissions & Discussion Policy
 * RSS Terms of Service
 * Ad Choices

5.21.10






Already have an account? Sign in

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


TWO WAYS TO READ THIS ARTICLE:

Create an account
Free
 * Access this article

Enter email address
By selecting "Start reading," you agree to The Washington Post's Terms of
Service and Privacy Policy.
The Washington Post may use my email address to provide me occasional special
offers via email and through other platforms. I can opt out at any time.

Start reading
Subscribe
€2every 4 weeks
 * Unlimited access to all articles
 * Save stories to read later

Subscribe



WE CARE ABOUT YOUR PRIVACY

We and our 43 partners store and/or access information on a device, such as
unique IDs in cookies to process personal data. You may accept or manage your
choices by clicking below, including your right to object where legitimate
interest is used, or at any time in the privacy policy page. These choices will
be signaled to our partners and will not affect browsing data.

If you click “I accept,” in addition to processing data using cookies and
similar technologies for the purposes to the right, you also agree we may
process the profile information you provide and your interactions with our
surveys and other interactive content for personalized advertising.

If you do not accept, we will process cookies and associated data for strictly
necessary purposes and process non-cookie data as set forth in our Privacy
Policy (consistent with law and, if applicable, other choices you have made).


WE AND OUR PARTNERS PROCESS COOKIE DATA TO PROVIDE:

Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Create profiles for
personalised advertising. Use profiles to select personalised advertising.
Create profiles to personalise content. Use profiles to select personalised
content. Measure advertising performance. Measure content performance.
Understand audiences through statistics or combinations of data from different
sources. Develop and improve services. Store and/or access information on a
device. Use limited data to select content. Use limited data to select
advertising. List of Partners (vendors)

I Accept Reject All Show Purposes