The Founding Fathers are essential to the American narrative. Unfortunately, popular histories have a tendency to gloss over unpleasant truths and harmonize the discordant voices of the past. This book looks beyond powdered wigs and polished portraits to find the human founders of the United States. Multiple and minority perspectives are taken into account, and well-worn stories of the founding era are revisited, from the complex issues of slavery and religion to the myth of George Washington's wooden teeth. Thoughtful text and fun sidebars illuminate primary sources and invite readers to think critically about these familiar figures in American history.