Longevity, Thoughts to Consider

Cosmo Boyd |
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While it's true that some of the Founding Fathers lived relatively long lives for their time, it's important to note that life expectancy in the 18th and early 19th centuries was much lower than it is today. According to historical records, the average life expectancy at birth in the United States during the late 1700s and early 1800 was around 35-40 years.

However, some of the Founding Fathers did live into their 70s and 80s, which was relatively uncommon for their time. There are several possible explanations for this, including:
1. Access to medical care: While medical care was still rudimentary by modern standards, the Founding Fathers may have had better access to medical care than the average person of their time. They also may have been more likely to take advantage of medical treatments, such as inoculation against smallpox, which was still a relatively new practice at the time.
2. Lifestyle factors: Many of the Founding Fathers were relatively wealthy and had access to healthy food, clean water, and other amenities that were not available to the general population. They also tended to lead relatively active lifestyles, which may have contributed to their longevity.
3. Genetics: It's also possible that some of the Founding Fathers simply had a genetic predisposition to longer life. However, it's difficult to know for sure, as medical science was not advanced enough at the time to allow for detailed analysis of the human genome.
4. They had a cause and a purpose they were dedicated to.