Our Founding Bro's

This illustrates just how young a few of the major figures involved in the Declaration of Independence were at the time.

http://generationopportunity.org/happy-4th-july/?utm_source=twitter_re&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=july4foundingfathers

Thomas Jefferson was 33.
John Jay was 30.
James Madison was 25.
Alexander Hamilton was 21.
Marquis de Lafayette was 18.

 

Jefferson would have had the gazettes in an uproar when he tweeted out pics of him out in public with one of is employees.

 

The average life expectancy was a lot shorter in those days, too.

 

Not exactly sure how he was involved with the DOI.

 

Actually, the life expectancy of those who made it to 21 was about 70 or so. The infant mortality rate really skewered things.

 

That's not exactly true.
If you survived infancy, you had a good chance of a relatively long life ...

Still, pretty strong achievements for a young age. And a credit to the of "young people" at the time ...The fact these youngsters did what they did ... it's pretty much been downhill since then.

 

Lack of modern medicine probably offset by lack of fast food and absence of modern carcinogens.

 

I dunno ... the lack of health department, sanitation board and smoking filterless cigarettes ...

 

It does seem strange that people so young would have such a HUGE impact in the formation of a country, muchless a system of government.
Can you think of a set of political leaders that young who have done as much for this country since then?
It seems like since then the country has been controlled primarily by older white males.
Was that case with then, but there guys stood out as whiz kids?

George Mason and Robert Morris - who both instrumental as well - were older 50s and 60s when this was happening.

 

Funny thing is - I doubt the ages of those involved, or even the names, was that well known then. People knew Ben Franklin and Washington, but it wasn't like there was a CNN back in the day. The most current news was what you heard probably from a passing traveler, maybe a weekly sojourn into a nearby town. The publications were weeks behind what was going on in the colonies, months behind what was going on in Europe. People were focused on the ideas being discussed rather than the personalities involved. (what a concept).

 

I think you're drastically underestimating the 70-year-old Ben Franklin's tutelage and guiding hand.

 

I'm sure the whole Continental Congress was a cross-section of all ages. But it being a revolution and all that, the young ones were the most gung-ho over it. And since it succeeded, they would run the country for the next 30-40 years. They were into middle age by the time the Constitution was ratified.