Were the founding fathers idealists or pragmatists?

Answer 1

Quite obviously they were a bit of both. Their words and many of their deeds were highly idealistic, on the other hand they had to make some very pragmatic decisions and compromises to achive their goals. I will let you find the supporting evidence. Michael Montagne An interesting comparison would be Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. The two men had virtually identical philosophies of government, and were both brilliant scholars. Jefferson was more of the dreamer though, and Madison more the practical one figuring out how to successfully implement the ideas they shared. They were also best friends for half a century - probably the closest friendship of any of the Founders. The servants at Jefferson's house even started calling one room the "Madison Room" because James and Dolley Madison spent so much time visiting. Jefferson and Madison were intellectual soul mates, political allies, brothers in scholarship, and co-creators of the most important political experiment in human history. Yet they did have personality differences. An interesting contrast you might find useful in your paper. You can find much information on these two men on line, or in your library. A good start would be www.montpelier.org and www.monticello.org.

Answer 2

Pragmatists