George Mason is often considered another of America’s forgotten founders – a man whose ideas deeply shaped the nation, even though his name is less famous than peers like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, or James Madison. In his own time, Mason’s contemporaries admired his intellect and statesmanship: Virginia Governor Edmund Randolph ranked him “behind none of the sons of Virginia in knowledge of her history and interest,” noting Mason’s ability to see straight to the core of any issue. Historian Ralph Ketcham observes that Mason was “widely acknowledged as having the most profound understanding of republican government of any man in Virginia,” to the point that even Jefferson and Madison “always deferred to him as their mentor on matters of political theory”. Yet today, Mason does not share the cultural renown of those men. This paradox is partly because Mason shunned the spotlight and refused high office, preferring the role of a principled architect of liberty over that of a power-seeking politician.

When you hear the name Samuel Adams, you might think of a certain Boston beer. But Samuel Adams was far more than a brewer – he was an American statesman and a Founding Father of the United States. Often overshadowed by compatriots like George Washington or Thomas Jefferson, Adams was nonetheless a pivotal figure in the American Revolution. He helped organize colonial resistance against British rule in the 1760s and 1770s, stirred public opinion with passionate writings, and signed the Declaration of Independence. He later served as Governor of Massachusetts, capping a career devoted to the cause of liberty.

Roger Sherman was a pivotal yet often underappreciated Founding Father of the United States. He is unique in American history as the only person to have signed all four of the major documents of the Revolutionary era: the Continental Association, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the U.S. Constitution. He rose from humble beginnings as a shoemaker to become a leading voice in the creation of a new nation. Known for his steady wisdom, Sherman devoted the last three decades of his life to public service. This episode explores the life and legacy of this forgotten founder.