Leahy Sets Hearing To Examine
Founding Fathers Project
WASHINGTON (Thursday, Jan. 24, 2008) – The Senate Judiciary
Committee will hold a hearing Feb. 7 to examine the progress of the
Founding Fathers Project, which was established more than a half
century ago to publish the complete, annotated writings of country’s
six founding fathers and make these historical treasures available
to the public. The program has received criticism in recent years
for its high costs, slow progress and lack of accountability.
Scholars and researchers at universities and institutions across the
country have spent years analyzing the collected writings, including
letters and other correspondence, of the founding fathers, including
George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and
Benjamin Franklin. To date, only the complete writings of Alexander
Hamilton have been published. An estimated $60 million has been
spent on the Founding Fathers Project since its inception, with
funds coming from the federal government, as well as private
organizations including the Pew Charitable Trust and the Andrew W.
Mellon Foundation. A majority of the remaining papers are not
expected to be ready for publication until at least the mid-2020s,
and the Adams’ papers are not expected to be completed until 2050.
“The works of our founding fathers are part of the identity and
heritage of every American,” said Leahy. “We should be moving to
make these papers available, accessibly and affordable to every
American. Having an open government means providing Americans with
access to their history. This hearing will help us explore how we
can do just that.”
Also of concern to scholars and Congress alike is the staggering
cost to purchase the anthologies. The price tag of the complete,
26-volume set of Hamilton’s papers is $2600, well outside the budget
of many local libraries, institutions and American families.
Efforts to make the documents available more widely online have been
supported by the Library of Congress, the National Archives, and the
Pew Charitable Trust.
The hearing will be held Feb. 7 at 10:00 a.m. in room 226 of the
Dirksen Senate Office Building.
Among those testifying at the hearing will be presidential historian
David McCullough, who has been a leading advocate for increased
federal funding as well as wider, electronic access to the papers of
the founding fathers. During McCullough’s research for his Pulitzer
Prize winning manuscript John
Adams, he was able to make extensive use of Adams’ papers
at the Massachusetts Historical Society with access not available to
the general public. McCullough is a Presidential Medal of Freedom
recipient.
Also testifying at the Feb. 7 hearing will be Stanley N. Katz,
Ph.D., chairman, Papers of the Founding Fathers and Professor, the
Woodrow Wilson School of Princeton University; Deanna B. Marcum,
Deanna B. Marcum, Assistant Librarian of Congress; Rebecca W. Rimel,
President, The Pew Charitable Trust; and Dr. Allen Weinstein,
Archivist of the United States.
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January 24,
2008
NOTICE OF FULL COMMITTEE HEARING
The Senate Committee on the
Judiciary has scheduled a hearing on
“The
Founding Fathers’ Papers: Ensuring Public Access to our National
Treasures” for Thursday, February 7, 2008, at
10:00 a.m., in Room 226 of the Senate Dirksen Office Building.
By order of the Chairman
