These two were states’ Founding Fathers: Roger Williams of Rhode Island and Isaac Shelby of Kentucky.
Williams, one of the New World’s earliest advocates of religious freedom, founded Rhode Island as a safe haven for all religious denominations and worshippers, then he penned letters and books defending Separatism. Shelby, a victorious Revolutionary militia commander, help found Kentucky as a delegate to the state’s constitutional convention and the state’s first governor, then he defended the new American Republic as a militia commander during the War of 1812. Both men were heroes and leaders in their own time, book-ending the birth of American principles of liberty and defending it from tyranny and invasion.
Roger Williams
• Pastor of Plymouth Bay Colony
• Author of "The Bloudy Tenent of Persecution"
• Author of "The Bloudy Tenent yet more Bloudy"
• Founder of Rhode Island colony
• Founder of Providence, Rhode Island
• Roger Williams University is named in his honor, a statue of Williams stands in the U.S. Capitol and the Roger Williams Memorial is in downtown Providence
Isaac Shelby
• Captain of Virginia Minutemen
• Victor of Battle of Kings Mountain (Revolutionary War)
• Militia brigadier general
• State politician
• Delegate to Kentucky constitutional convention
• First governor of Kentucky
• Victor of Battle of the Thames (War of 1812)
• Congressional Gold Medal recipient
• Nine states’ Shelby Counties, Camp Shelby in Mississippi and Shelby, North Carolina, are named in his honor
FORGOTTEN FOUNDING FATHERS TOURNAMENT BRACKET
Round 2
Washington Bracket
1. George Mason 88%
- John Witherspoon 12%
*
- Frederick Muhlenberg 38%
2. William Penn 62%
Jefferson Bracket
1. Nathanael Greene 75%
- Edmund Randolph 25%
*
- John Carroll 20%
2. Richard Henry Lee 80%
Madison Bracket
- Roger Williams
- Isaac Shelby
*
- Henry Knox
- Roger Sherman
Franklin Bracket
- John Jay
- John Dickinson
*
- John Paul Jones
- Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben
FFFs and match-ups are determined by my interpretation of who I believe were the 32 greatest FFFs. Personal politics, favoritism and reader response was NOT a factor in selection or seeding. As for the tournament itself: each match-up will be conducted every 24 hours with a synopsis written by yours truly and readers can determine using the poll function who the winner should be for that match-up; there is no #1 overall seed; FFFs retain their seeds throughout; the winner of the Washington bracket will face the winner of the Jefferson bracket, and the winner of the Madison bracket will face the winner of the Franklin bracket; after having the first tie, I've decided the higher seed will win ties. I am not voting nor will I pick sides in discussion. I wish I could somehow do a more rigid time duration period for each round but there’s no guarantee I’ll be on a computer or awake at that time so I’m gonna say polling lasts until I post the next match-up, or roughly 24 hours later. Readers may choose whichever FFF contestant they wish, but the point of the tournament is to select the greatest Forgotten Founding Father — the most influential, most important, most impactful, who contributed the most to the Revolution and/or seeds of American liberty. Please read the original diaries in addition to the information provided above so you have all the information before voting. Have fun!