Alas my dear reader, it is time to bring back the time-travelling revolutionary.

It has come to my attention that time and time again, well meaning Americans have all too often said "the founding fathers would have" or "the founding fathers would have supported my protest." Ahhh indeed it would be quite remarkable had Washington, Jefferson and Hamilton all came out to believe the same thing.

This is one of the greatest struggles of the independence movement was very few of the founding fathers agreed on every political issue. For example, the Boston Tea Party- an event today we almost universally praise was praised by Adams, however George Washington did not believe it was the proper way to protest!

Jefferson and Hamilton's \debates about the role of government can be a study in and of itself. Both men were fantastic debaters and writers, but Jefferson favored a more decentralized government and rule to the locals. Meanwhile Hamilton believed we needed a strong centralized government to restore order.

Everybody applauds "Common Sense" of Thomas Paine, but my dear reader- when you look at Paine's political philosophy it caused great differences amongst the American colonies.

To be amongst the glorious debates in the halls of the Continental Congress would be a dream come true for many. The Declaration of Independence went through many revisions as the men all came from different viewpoints while discussing and debating the document. Social standings such as economic class and regionalism were just as strong in the American Revolution as they are in the United States today. A rich Virginia planter would have a vastly different worldview than working class Bostonians. Religion, as plenty as the colonies themselves also played a role- Puritans in Massachusetts, Quakers in the Mid-Atlantic and even Catholics were found in Maryland! This was strongly taken into account during the debates because even culturally your religious background shapes the way you view the world around you.

If you traveled throughout the colonies and had a coffee with the great General Washington, you would soon discover the founders themselves also were very uncertain as to the survival of this new nation. Were we to become divided and turned into factions against our brothers? This came to play later in Latin America as they tried to form Gran Colombia- hatreds and petty rivalries tore them apart.

The same scenario could have played out in the United States, with our diversity of religions and customs it was very tricky to hold this nation together. The Federalist Papers and the Anti-Federalist Papers detail arguments from great founders such as Hamilton, Jay and Madison for the federalists and Jefferson and Patrick Henry for the anti-Federalists.

Many schoolchildren throughout the USA have memorized Henry's "give me liberty or give me death!" These iconic words stirred the colonists' passions and helped propel the revolution. Henry also contributed his own unique political stance to the debates.

Ahhh my dear reader, when I look to today's political scene my heart is sadden to see people using founding father slogans and saying "the founders would have" Citizens, the founders disagreed on a great many things. Perhaps Thomas Paine might have supported this, but chances are Madison would not.

Embrace the words and teachings of the founding fathers, and learn to appreciate the diversity of thought that existed in their writings.