Date
7-21-2026
Department
College of Arts and Sciences
Degree
Master of Arts in History - Thesis (MA)
Chair
Robert Glenn Slater
Keywords
History, American History, American Revolution, Virginia, Founding Fathers, Continental Congress, Benjamin Harrison V, John Adams, Historiography, Virginia House of Burgesses, Virginia House of Delegates, Virginia Governor, Berkeley Plantation
Disciplines
History
Recommended Citation
Worman, Jennifer, "Benjamin Harrison V: The Hidden Founding Father" (2026). Masters Theses. 1515.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/masters/1515
Abstract
Benjamin Harrison V was an avid patriot, central and influential to revolutionary conflict and resolution, yet his contributions to America’s independence have been historically underrecognized due to overshadowing or misrepresentation. His lack of historical subsistence, his paucity of sustainable presence in America’s chronicle, is a result of deliberate strategy from political opponents, obscurity due to his proximity to modernly more famous Founders, or both. Primary sources of private and public correspondence place Harrison right where he was in actuality, but history was written with him as a triviality, his name hardly referenced and often omitted from events proven to be misrepresented once original sources are observed. The dissociation was too sudden and stark to be accidental. Research reveals a common opponent in this tactical undercurrent that once understood, can be overturned to acknowledge Harrison for who he truly was, a faithful man of the people, a credit to his gentility, and a Founder of these United States. The significance of this discovery demands an immediate shift in scholarship, validating Harrison as a pseudohistorical casualty of historical negationism. Despite his paramount service and sacrifice, he is not considered a principal Founding Father, yet his place in history will be rectified when his story is reconsidered. This thesis examines Harrison in a first light stripped of oppressive cloaking, reveals the unspoken ploy against him, and aims to reinstate his rightful presence in history as discovery shows Harrison was, indeed, hidden.
