Final answer:
The delegates who founded the U.S. government are known as the Founding Fathers, a group that led the revolution and established America's foundational principles and government structure.
Step-by-step explanation:
The delegates who founded the U.S. government are also known as the Founding Fathers. These individuals played a crucial role in leading the American Revolution against British rule and establishing the United States of America. Notably, this group includes those who signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776 as well as those who were delegates to the 1787 Constitutional Convention, contributing to the drafting of the U.S. Constitution.
These delegates were a well-educated group that came from various backgrounds, such as merchants, farmers, bankers, and lawyers, and were elected by their respective colonial assemblies. Among them were significant figures such as George Washington, Patrick Henry, and John Adams.
The Founding Fathers were inspired by Enlightenment thinkers and their principles, such as John Locke's natural rights theory and Montesquieu's ideas on the separation of powers. They instituted important philosophical principles, known as "Constitutional Ideals," while crafting a new form of government, which would be described as a Federal Republic. As part of this grand experiment, the Framers emphasized the balance of power within the government and were cautious about the potential dangers of a true democracy, preferring a system where only landholders had the right to vote initially.