Final answer:
John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison were leading figures in early U.S. history, embodying Enlightenment values while facing the contradictions and challenges of forming a new government. They dealt with ideological differences and the practical needs of a nation, sometimes feeling disconnected from the stark realities of their compromises, particularly regarding slavery.
Step-by-step explanation:
The educated elite of the early United States, such as John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison, were deeply engaged in the political and philosophical debates of their time. They held roles as ambassadors to European countries, and later as leading figures in the emerging U.S. government. Adams supported the Federalist agenda, promoting a strong central government, while Jefferson and Madison were more aligned with the Democratic-Republican opposition, advocating for more power to be retained by the states and expressing fear over too much centralized authority.
Jefferson, in particular, grappled with the contradiction of writing that “all men are created equal” in the Declaration of Independence while also owning slaves. The founding fathers faced challenges in forging a nation based on Enlightenment values of liberty and equality, yet they often felt the tension between these ideals and the pragmatic need for political unity—even if it meant compromising on the issue of slavery. During their presidencies, Jefferson and Madison dealt with foreign policy challenges related to the Napoleonic Wars, and domestically, they recognized the need for a stronger federal government to maintain peace and order, as evidenced by Washington and Hamilton's similar convictions.
Their collective experiences and debates underscored the complexities of creating a lasting government that equitably balanced power and reflected Enlightenment principles. In hindsight, they could also be viewed as feeling a sense of disconnection from certain realities, as they navigated the tensions between their ideals and the compromises necessary to establish a functioning nation.