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Founding Fathers are persons instrumental in the establishment of an institution, usually a political institution, especially those connected to the origination of its ideals. The term is most often used in more reverential treatments of national history.
Objections have sometimes been raised to indicate that the term is inherently partial to the role of men in history, and thus sexist. Alternate terms, such as "Framers", or "Founders" may be used to be more inclusive of female participation. There is, of course, the counter-argument that patriarchal dominance in history has been the rule and that the term is thus more descriptive of an era (or of most eras) than it is truly sexist.
Alternate terms such as these may also be used to indicate a more neutral attitude to the individuals in question, as while anyone may be a founder of a nation, the implication of familial relationship is likely to be something more personal. An American, for instance, might be less likely to refer to the "Founding Fathers" of Canada, and vice versa--the term itself is generally particular to one's own country, and may be more often used in reference to American history than to that of other nations.
Examples
- United States of America: The creators and early developers of the United States of America, such as the signatories of its Declaration of Independence and the framers of its Constitution—see Founding Fathers of the United States.
- Commonwealth of Australia: The leaders of the Australian federalist movement in the 1890s might be described as Founding Fathers.
- Confederation of Canada: Canada has its Fathers of Confederation—see Canadian Confederation.
- European Union: , Robert Schuman, Jean Monnet, Konrad Adenauer, Alcide De Gasperi, Paul-Henri Spaak and Altiero Spinelli have been referred to as the founding fathers of the European Union.
- German Federal Republic: Otto von Bismarck, the "Iron Chancellor", engineered the unification of the numerous states of Germany. Modern, democratic Germany was decisively shaped by the "Fathers of the Basic Law" in the 1948 Constitutional Convention at Herrenchiemsee and by the first Federal Chancellor, Konrad Adenauer.
- Italy: Giuseppe Garibaldi, Victor Emmanuel II, Count Cavour, Giuseppe Mazzini have been referred to as the founding fathers of the Kingdom of Italy.
- South America: José de San Martín, Simon Bolivar, Jose Antonio Paez, General Rafael Urdaneta, Francisco de Paula Santander have been referred to as the founding fathers of the northern countries of South America (Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Panama, Ecuador, Bolivia).
- Swiss Confederation: Both the anonymous Eidgenossen who drew up the Federal Charter of 1291, or the liberal statesmen who helped found the modern Swiss Confederation in 1848 can be considered the founding fathers of Switzerland. Among the latter, those who became the first members of the Swiss Federal Council were perhaps the most notable: Ulrich Ochsenbein, Jakob Stämpfli, Jonas Furrer, Martin J. Munzinger, Daniel-Henri Druey, Friedrich Frey-Herosé, Wilhelm Matthias Naeff and Stefano Franscini.
- Portugal: Count Henry from Burgundy (1066–1112), appointed Count of Portugal as a reward for military services to León, and with the purpose of expanding the territory southwards. His son, Afonso I of Portugal (1109?–1185), a Templar Brother (13.03.1129), who took control of the county after Henry died and was recognized by the Holy See, in 1179, as the First King of Portugal, through the Manifestis Probatum bull. Also Gualdim Pais (1118–1195) who was Grand Master of the Order of Knights Templar (1157) in Portugal, a military monastic Order which had a proeminent function in the Portuguese Reconquista of the Iberic land from the Moors and, simultaneously, defended the young Kingdom of Portugal from invasion.
- Lusitania: An ancient Roman province approximately including the current Portuguese territory. It was inhabited by the Lusitanian tribe (6th century BC) composed of strong warriors, whose origins are uncertain, and who gave severe resistance to Roman expansion into the regions of Western Iberia. Their most important leader was Viriathus, a shepherd and a great warrior. Most of his life and war against the Romans are part of the Portuguese national myth and Viriathus is seen as the earliest Portuguese national hero. The Lusitanians may be regarded as the mythical founding fathers of the Portuguese nation.
See also
"Founding Fathers"