WE THE PEOPLE, CREATED BY SCANDALOUS MEN, WHO WROTE LIKE GODS, sadly lived dishonorably in untruths with a myriad of imperfections…
AUGUST 23, 2025
BoJenn
“WE THE PEOPLE” MAY NOT HAVE MEANT THE TOTALITY OF ALL PEOPLE. AT THE TIME OF ITS WRITING, THE PHRASE MAY HAVE CARRIED UNSPOKEN BOUNDARIES—PERHAPS “WE, THE WHITE PROPERTY-OWNING MEN,” OR EVEN “WE, THE COLONISTS” AS OPPOSED TO INDIGENOUS PEOPLES OR ENSLAVED AFRICANS. TO UNDERSTAND THIS PROPERLY, I MUST LEAN INTO THE CHARACTER AND DAILY LIVES OF OUR FOREFATHERS: WHO THEY WERE, WHAT THEY BELIEVED, AND THE CIRCLES OF INFLUENCE THEY LIVED IN DURING THE EARLY AMERICANIZATION OF THE THIRTEEN COLONIES.
THE FOUNDERS STOOD AT A CROSSROADS BETWEEN ENLIGHTENMENT IDEALS OF LIBERTY AND EQUALITY, AND THE ENTRENCHED REALITIES OF HIERARCHY, SLAVERY, AND DISPLACEMENT. BY LOOKING CLOSELY AT THEIR HOME LIVES, EDUCATION, AND THE PHILOSOPHIES THEY ABSORBED, WE GAIN INSIGHT INTO HOW THEY DEFINED “THE PEOPLE”—AND PERHAPS MORE IMPORTANTLY, WHO THEY CHOSE TO EXCLUDE.
GEORGE WASHINGTON (1732–1799) COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE CONTINENTAL ARMY DURING THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. FIRST PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (1789–1797). ADVOCATED FOR UNITY AMONG THE COLONIES AND WARNED AGAINST POLITICAL PARTIES. A VIRGINIA PLANTER WHO ENSLAVED PEOPLE, REFLECTING THE CONTRADICTIONS OF LIBERTY AND BONDAGE IN THE NEW REPUBLIC.
THERE HAVE BEEN SOME MODERN CLAIMS AND SPECULATIONS ABOUT GEORGE WASHINGTON’S SEXUALITY, BUT IT’S IMPORTANT TO SEPARATE HISTORICAL EVIDENCE FROM INTERPRETIVE OR SPECULATIVE ARGUMENTS.
✅ THE FACTS
GEORGE WASHINGTON (1732–1799) MARRIED MARTHA DANDRIDGE CUSTIS, A WEALTHY WIDOW, IN 1759. THEIR MARRIAGE LASTED UNTIL HIS DEATH, THOUGH THEY HAD NO BIOLOGICAL CHILDREN TOGETHER. WASHINGTON’S LETTERS AND PERSONAL PAPERS SHOW AFFECTION AND RESPECT TOWARD BOTH MEN AND WOMEN, BUT NONE PROVIDE DIRECT EVIDENCE OF ROMANTIC OR SEXUAL RELATIONSHIPS WITH MEN. DURING HIS LIFETIME AND FOR CENTURIES AFTERWARD, NO CONTEMPORARY ACCUSED HIM OF HOMOSEXUALITY.
⚠️ George’s (scandalous) SPECULATION scandal for that time in history
IN THE LATE 20TH AND EARLY 21ST CENTURIES, A FEW WRITERS (SUCH AS WILLIAM KRAMER, A CULTURAL HISTORIAN) SUGGESTED WASHINGTON MAY HAVE HAD SAME-SEX INCLINATIONS. KRAMER POINTED TO: WASHINGTON’S LIFELONG CLOSENESS WITH MALE FRIENDS AND FELLOW OFFICERS. HIS HIGHLY EXPRESSIVE LANGUAGE IN LETTERS (THOUGH EMOTIONAL, FLOWERY WRITING WAS COMMON IN THE 18TH CENTURY, ESPECIALLY AMONG MEN). THE ABSENCE OF BIOLOGICAL CHILDREN IN HIS MARRIAGE (THOUGH HISTORIANS NOTE WASHINGTON LIKELY HAD FERTILITY ISSUES DUE TO ILLNESS IN HIS YOUTH).
And, I must confess, this fertility issue sounds like a likely excuse or coverup for Washington’s admiration of Hamilton that was greater than his expressed praise for Martha. Yet, the flag she made, though he probably designed, was a zest for his appreciation. William Kramer accused Washington of being “the queen” of the battlefield because he decorated all the uniforms for the men and chose to live and be in the midst of The Revolution with men who were known in history for being homosexual. One: Baron von Steuben
Baron von Steuben is primarily known for his significant role in training and organizing the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He is credited with transforming the loosely organized militias into a more disciplined and effective fighting force.
Von Steuben served in the Prussian military for years before he was dismissed from the army due to rumors of homosexuality. After he was fired, he bounced from job to job, eventually accepting an offer from Benjamin Franklin to help the Continental army. Dec 15, 2023
Personally, it doesn’t bother me if George Washington is heterosexual or homosexual sexual. It isn’t a problem for me, but I hat is the issues are when facts are covered up by humans to make a simple man become more acceptable to the public and that is a lie, and untruthful.
THOMAS JEFFERSON (1743–1826)
PRINCIPAL AUTHOR OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE (1776). THIRD PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (1801–1809). CHAMPIONED ENLIGHTENMENT IDEALS OF LIBERTY, EDUCATION, AND SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE. LIKE WASHINGTON, HE ENSLAVED PEOPLE WHILE WRITING ELOQUENTLY ABOUT FREEDOM AND EQUALITY.
HIS SCANDALOUS REPUTATION: JEFFERSON IS BELIEVED TO HAVE HAD A DECADES-LONG RELATIONSHIP WITH SALLY HEMINGS, AN ENSLAVED WOMAN AT MONTICELLO, BEGINNING WHEN SHE WAS QUITE YOUNG. MODERN DNA EVIDENCE CONFIRMS THAT JEFFERSON FATHERED AT LEAST SIX OF HER CHILDREN, SEVERAL OF WHOM WERE FREED LATER IN LIFE. THIS CONTRADICTION—DECLARING THAT “ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL” WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY KEEPING PEOPLE ENSLAVED AND FATHERING CHILDREN WITH A WOMAN
HE LEGALLY OWNED—REMAINS ONE OF THE DEEPEST STAINS ON HIS LEGACY.
Thomas Jefferson is a man who speaks to others beneath him, with judgmental words of enlightenment, yet he himself, was no example of his own enlightenment.
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN (1706–1790)
STATESMAN, DIPLOMAT, INVENTOR, AND PUBLISHER. INSTRUMENTAL IN SECURING FRENCH SUPPORT DURING THE REVOLUTION. A VOICE OF PRAGMATISM, COMPROMISE, AND CIVIC IMPROVEMENT. OPPOSED SLAVERY LATER IN LIFE AND BECAME PRESIDENT OF THE PENNSYLVANIA ABOLITION SOCIETY.
THE SCANDALS: WOMANIZER REPUTATION: FRANKLIN WAS NOTORIOUS FOR HIS FLIRTATIONS AND LOVE AFFAIRS, BOTH IN AMERICA AND ESPECIALLY IN FRANCE, WHERE HIS CHARM EARNED HIM THE NICKNAME “LE PHILOSOPHE GALANT” (THE GALLANT PHILOSOPHER). HIS LETTERS AND PERSONAL WRITINGS OFTEN REVEAL A PLAYFUL, SOMETIMES RISQUÉ TONE TOWARD WOMEN.
ILLEGITIMATE CHILD: FRANKLIN FATHERED AN ILLEGITIMATE SON, WILLIAM FRANKLIN, WHOSE MOTHER’S IDENTITY REMAINS UNCERTAIN. WILLIAM LATER BECAME A LOYALIST DURING THE REVOLUTION, LEADING TO A DEEP RIFT BETWEEN FATHER AND SON. CONTROVERSIAL WRITINGS: FRANKLIN OCCASIONALLY PUBLISHED PROVOCATIVE ESSAYS, INCLUDING SATIRICAL PIECES ON TOPICS LIKE SEX AND MORALITY, WHICH FUELED HIS REPUTATION AS WITTY BUT SCANDALOUS.
I was so disappointed reading about Benjamin Franklin because it was my wanting and desires to know that he was the most loving, caring, and upright man in history. And, unfortunately, I was wrong again.
JOHN ADAMS (1735–1826)
LAWYER, REVOLUTIONARY THINKER, AND STRONG ADVOCATE FOR INDEPENDENCE. SECOND PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (1797–1801). OPPOSED SLAVERY ON MORAL GROUNDS, THOUGH DID NOT PUSH FOR ITS ABOLITION NATIONALLY. BELIEVED IN A STRONG CENTRAL GOVERNMENT AND RULE OF LAW.
THE SCANDALS: ALIEN AND SEDITION ACTS (1798): ADAMS SIGNED INTO LAW A SERIES OF ACTS THAT MADE IT HARDER FOR IMMIGRANTS TO BECOME CITIZENS, ALLOWED THE PRESIDENT TO IMPRISON OR DEPORT “DANGEROUS” FOREIGNERS, AND CRIMINALIZED CRITICISM OF THE GOVERNMENT. THESE WERE DEEPLY UNPOPULAR AND SEEN AS AN ATTACK ON FREE SPEECH AND DEMOCRACY. “MONARCHIST” ACCUSATIONS: OPPONENTS ACCUSED ADAMS OF LEANING TOWARD MONARCHY, ESPECIALLY DUE TO HIS BELIEF IN A STRONG EXECUTIVE BRANCH. JEFFERSON’S ALLIES PAINTED HIM AS BETRAYING THE REVOLUTION’S IDEALS. QUASI-WAR WITH FRANCE: HIS HANDLING OF THE UNDECLARED NAVAL WAR WITH FRANCE (1798–1800) LED TO BITTER DIVISIONS WITHIN HIS OWN FEDERALIST PARTY AND WEAKENED HIS PRESIDENCY. PERSONALITY CONFLICTS: ADAMS WAS FAMOUSLY BLUNT, ARGUMENTATIVE, AND PRIDEFUL. EVEN ALLIES OFTEN FOUND HIM ABRASIVE, WHICH HURT HIS POLITICAL STANDING.
SO WHILE ADAMS AVOIDED THE PERSONAL SCANDALS THAT PLAGUED JEFFERSON OR FRANKLIN, HIS POLITICAL LEGACY IS DEEPLY TIED TO ONE OF THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL LAWS IN EARLY U.S. HISTORY.
John Adam’s, what can I say, but his life’s work is an example of another president’s who I find to be a failure #45.
🦅 FOUR FOUNDING FATHERS: ACHIEVEMENTS & SCANDALS
FOUNDING FATHER
ACHIEVEMENTS
SCANDALS / CONTRADICTIONS
GEORGE WASHINGTON (1732–1799)
– COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF CONTINENTAL ARMY IN THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. – FIRST U.S. PRESIDENT (1789–1797). – SYMBOL OF UNITY, WARNED AGAINST PARTISAN POLITICS.
– ENSLAVED HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE AT MOUNT VERNON, EVEN AS HE LED A FIGHT FOR LIBERTY. – MODERN SPECULATION ABOUT POSSIBLE HOMOSEXUALITY BASED ON HIS CLOSE FRIENDSHIPS AND EXPRESSIVE LETTERS (THOUGH NO HISTORICAL PROOF). – HARSH TREATMENT OF NATIVE AMERICANS DURING EXPANSION.
THOMAS JEFFERSON (1743–1826)
– PRINCIPAL AUTHOR OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE (1776). – THIRD U.S. PRESIDENT (1801–1809). – ADVOCATED ENLIGHTENMENT IDEALS, EDUCATION, RELIGIOUS FREEDOM.
– ENSLAVED MORE THAN 600 PEOPLE DURING HIS LIFE, INCLUDING CHILDREN. – DNA EVIDENCE CONFIRMS HE FATHERED SEVERAL CHILDREN WITH SALLY HEMINGS, AN ENSLAVED WOMAN. – DECLARED “ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL” WHILE EXCLUDING WOMEN, BLACK PEOPLE, AND NATIVE AMERICANS.
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN (1706–1790)
– DIPLOMAT WHO SECURED FRENCH SUPPORT DURING THE REVOLUTION. – INVENTOR, PUBLISHER, CIVIC LEADER. – LATER-LIFE ABOLITIONIST, PRESIDENT OF PENNSYLVANIA ABOLITION SOCIETY.
– REPUTATION AS A WOMANIZER; MANY AFFAIRS IN AMERICA AND FRANCE. – FATHERED AN ILLEGITIMATE SON (WILLIAM FRANKLIN). – PUBLISHED SATIRICAL AND RISQUÉ WRITINGS THAT DREW CRITICISM.
JOHN ADAMS (1735–1826)
– STRONG ADVOCATE FOR INDEPENDENCE. – SECOND U.S. PRESIDENT (1797–1801). – OPPOSED SLAVERY MORALLY (THOUGH DID LITTLE POLITICALLY TO END IT). – CHAMPIONED RULE OF LAW.
– SIGNED THE ALIEN AND SEDITION ACTS (1798), SEEN AS SUPPRESSING FREE SPEECH AND TARGETING IMMIGRANTS. – ACCUSED OF BEING TOO “MONARCHICAL.” – QUASI-WAR WITH FRANCE DAMAGED HIS PRESIDENCY. – ABRASIVE PERSONALITY ALIENATED ALLIES
✨ TAKEAWAY:
TOGETHER, THESE MEN ADVANCED LIBERTY, INDEPENDENCE, AND THE FRAMEWORK OF A NEW NATION — BUT THEIR PERSONAL CONTRADICTIONS REVEAL THAT “WE THE PEOPLE” WAS A MUCH NARROWER IDEA IN THE 18TH CENTURY. ENSLAVEMENT, EXCLUSION OF WOMEN, SUPPRESSION OF DISSENT, AND PERSONAL SCANDALS COMPLICATE THEIR LEGACIES.
My Near Death Experience Arts and Thoughts 