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Some will argue that Dad’s are the original hipsters. Those that are hip on history will declare that hipsters really came from the 1940s, post – war America and the cool – cats of the jazz world or the 1950s beatnik society that disregarded societal norms. When you really take the time (‘cause that’s all us parents have right?) to dissect hipsterisms, it becomes very clear that the dudes who founded our country were America’s original hipsters – trendsetters that broke away from the norm to pave the way for our great nation.
Let’s Start with Appearances
Yes, there is definitely more to the men and women that birthed our nation than what they looked like and what they wore. I am not just talking about the tight pants that hit just below the knee, the pimpin’ overcoats or their perfectly coiffed hair. They really used their clothing to make a truly American statement and pose a fashionable rebellion against all things British.
Colonists had been boycotting English goods for years leading up to the founding of our great nation. We have all read about the Boston Tea Party and the uproar that came from the Stamp Act but our Founding Fathers and their patriotic brethren boycotted textile imports as well. Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin (just to name a few) all disregarded their sense of English fashion and opted for goods made from home.
They would proudly rock their homespun, American attire as a symbol of patriotism. Compared to the European fashions, these outfits were plain but they showed the world that America was different than the rest of them and that they were damn proud of it. Even the ladies, like Abigail Adams, declared their solidarity through these simple American made fashions of locally sourced materials. Now, what’s more hipster than only wearing locally sourced, hand - spun, organic clothing that couldn’t be purchased in a major store?
They Didn’t Want to Pay
I get this one seems a little far off and I won’t spend much time on it. But we all know that guy, the true hipster that can enjoy the heck out of life while only working some super cool part-time gig. He pays for what he uses and what he needs, and nothing more. Our Founding Fathers pretty much invented that way of thinking. No taxation without representation is what started the whole enchilada that ended with the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Without our forefathers getting mad about paying some taxes they didn’t agree with, we wouldn’t be enjoying freedoms and fireworks each year.
It’s About Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness
Jefferson wrote the ultimate hipster mantra during a draft of the Declaration. “We hold these truths to be sacred and undeniable; that all men are created equal and independent, that from that equal creation they derive rights inherent and inalienable, among which are the preservation of life, and liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
Isn’t this what we are all striving for in life, hipster or not? The Founding Fathers definitely had it right when this was written into the Declaration of Independence. These men banded together to eloquently fight with their quills, politics and fists for something they believed each man truly deserved. Their actions set in motion a deep rooted ideology that has stayed with every generation. Sure today these ideologies are discussed over craft beer, dining on artisanal burgers or over a mimosa brunch, but so what? The Founding Fathers set trends so great we cannot shake them and shouldn’t ever want to.
by Kaley Daeger
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