The seven Founding Fathers of the United States who are widely regarded as having made the most significant contributions to securing independence from Great Britain and establishing the U.S. government are John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and George Washington.
Four of those men became president, and all but one had connections to the military.
Washington, the nation's first president, has a rich military background. In 1753, Virginia's governor appointed him to be a surveyor with the rank of major.
During the French and Indian War, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel. In 1755, Washington and his militia joined British Army Gen. Edward Braddock's troops to expel the French from the Ohio River Valley. Before Braddock died in battle, he praised Washington and his Virginia militia for their courage in saving part of the English forces.
When the Continental Congress sought a commander for the Colonial Army in 1775, Washington was selected because of his extensive militia service during the French and Indian War. He served as the Army's commander in chief until the end of the Revolutionary War in 1783.
While Washington led the Army in numerous battles, some of the most significant include the Siege of Boston, the Battle of Long Island, the Battle of Kip's Bay, the Battle of Trenton, the Battle of Monmouth and the Siege of Yorktown.
During the Whiskey Rebellion in the late 18th century, a western Pennsylvania revolt against liquor taxation, Washington rode at the head of a 13,000-member militia to successfully suppress the insurgency. The rebels fled before the troops arrived. To this day, Washington remains the only sitting president to lead troops into battle.
As commander of the Continental Army, Washington was defending New York City in July 1776 and didn't sign the Declaration of Independence at the time of its adoption July 4, 1776. He received official notification along with a copy of the declaration from John Hancock and ordered it be read out loud to his troops assembled at the parade grounds in lower Manhattan on July 9, 1776.
Washington and 38 others did sign the Constitution of the United States of America on Sept. 17, 1787, and he presided over the debate of that document.
Adams, the nation's second president, is the only Founding Father who did not have military service. On June 11, 1776, Congress appointed a committee of five, including Adams, to draft the Declaration of Independence, which he and 55 others signed.
Adams wasn't present for the signing of the Constitution because he was in the Netherlands serving as the U.S. minister to that nation.
Although Adams wasn't in the military, he was instrumental in establishing the Continental Navy and Marine Corps in 1775. He also served as the head of the Board of War, which procured supplies for the Continental Army.
Jefferson, the third president, served as a colonel in the Albemarle County militia in Virginia from 1770 until 1779 but did not participate in combat.
Jefferson was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence. He did not sign the Constitution because he was overseas serving as the U.S. minister to France.
During Jefferson's presidency, the territory of Louisiana was acquired from France in the Louisiana Purchase. This acquisition nearly doubled the size of the U.S., as it included 828,000 square miles of land in the Mississippi River's drainage basin west of the river.
Madison, the fourth president, was commissioned as a colonel of the Orange County, Virginia, militia in October 1775 and served until May 1776. Like Jefferson, Madison didn't participate in battle.
Madison is considered the "Father of the Constitution" because of his pivotal role in drafting it and the Bill of Rights.
The War of 1812 occurred during his presidency.
While Franklin is best known for his work as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and political philosopher, he also had military service.
During King George's War, Franklin raised a militia to defend Philadelphia against a possible French naval attack. During the French and Indian War, he led troops in the defense of Philadelphia and also led a militia to Gnadenhütten, Pennsylvania, to build a fort to defend against Native American attacks.
Franklin was one of the drafters and signers of the Declaration of Independence. He's the only person to have signed that document, as well as the Treaty of Paris, which ended the Revolutionary War, and the Constitution.
Hamilton was commissioned an Army captain, March 14, 1776, and raised a company of artillery troops for the defense of New York City. His company fought in battles around the city and later in the battles of Trenton, Princeton and Yorktown. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel and served as Washington's aide-de-camp. By the time of his discharge from the Army in December 1782, he had been promoted to colonel.
Hamilton's artillery unit, 1st Battalion, 5th Field Artillery Regiment, never disbanded and is currently stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas. Of the Founding Fathers, he and Washington had the most extensive combat experience.
Jay served as an Army colonel with the 2nd New York Regiment during the Revolutionary War but did participate in battle. He went on to serve as president of the Continental Congress as well as the first chief justice of the United States and later became governor of New York.
In addition to the seven Founding Fathers, others made significant contributions to the nation's founding, including George Mason, Patrick Henry, John Hancock, John Marshall and Samuel Adams.
The term "Founding Fathers" was popularized by President Warren Harding, who frequently used it in many of his speeches.