Vindicating the founders
Subtitle: race, sex, class, and justice in the origins of America
By: Thomas G. West.
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Published: 1997
Place of publication: Lanham, Md
Language: eng
Number of pages: 219
Subjects: Constitutional history -- United States.; Citizenship -- United States -- History.; Slavery -- Law and legislation -- United States -- History.; Right of property -- United States -- History.; Women's rights -- United States -- History.; United States -- Politics and government -- 1783-1865.; United States -- Politics and government -- 1775-1783.
Description: It is commonly, but incorrectly, asserted that because Washington and Jefferson owned slaves, because women, even after the American Revolution, enjoyed virtually no rights, and because the poor and those without property were denied the basic tenets of democratic participation, the Founders were frauds who never really believed that "all men were created equal.".

West demonstrates why such politically correct interpretations are not only dead wrong, but dangerous. Because our understanding of the Founders so profoundly influences our opinion of contemporary America, this book explains why their views, and particularly the constitutional order they created, are still worthy of our highest respect. West proves that the Founders were indeed sincere in their belief of universal human rights and in their commitment to democracy.

By contrasting the Founders' ideas of liberty and equality with today's, West persuasively concludes that contemporary notions bear almost no resemblance to the concepts originally articulated by the Founders.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 181-210) and index.