The term "Founding Fathers" is an inexact term that usually references the 56 signers of the 1776 Declaration of Independence and the 55 delegates to the 1787 US Constitutional Convention. The term has also been applied to Supreme Court justices who served from 1789 to 1795, commanding soldiers in the American Revolution, early government office holders, authors of key Revolutionary-era literature, and delegates to the early Continental Congresses and the 1789 Philadelphia Convention. Some 115 American Revolution-era figures are considered "Founding Fathers."

The US National Archives and Records Administration describes the "Founding Fathers" in a document titled "The Founding Fathers: A Brief Overview":

"In terms of religious affiliation, the men mirrored the overwhelmingly Protestant character of American religiouslife at the time and were members of various denominations. Only two...were Roman Catholics."

"35 were lawyers or had benefited from legal training...13 individuals were businessmen, merchants, or shippers...six were major land speculators...11 speculated in securities on a large scale...12 owned or managed slave-operated plantations or large farms...two were small farmers...9 received a substantial part of their income from public office...[and] three had retired from active economic endeavors."

"Some men held advanced and honorary degrees...[two] were scientists...[Two] were physicians...[one] a university president...[one] a minister, [three or more] had studied theology but had never been ordained."

"A Considerable number of the men were born into leading families...Others were self-made men who had risen from humble beginnings...Most of the delegates were natives of the 13 colonies. Only eight were born elsewhere...many of them had moved from one state to another...Most of the delegates married and raised children...[but] four were...lifelong bachelors."