Part 13

Learn about Founding Fathers in Civilization IV, how to generate points, and the requirements for Trade Founding Fathers like Adam Smith.

Founding Fathers are significant historical figures who contributed during the golden age of the game, roughly between 1400-1800. You can generate Founding Father points through the production of Liberty Bells. There are five types of Founding Father points, and each is generated from Liberty Bell production. Additionally, your cities can dedicate production towards creating these points instead of buildings or units.

Specific actions grant bonus points: military actions yield bonus military points, trading generates trade points, generating crosses aids in religious points, and exploration creates exploration points. There is no bonus for political points.

Once you accumulate the required number of points for a Founding Father, you will have the option to accept or decline their offer to join your colonies. If you reject a Founding Father, you can never rehire them. The first colony to achieve the necessary points gets the first chance to recruit them; if they decline, the next colony to reach the points will have the opportunity.

Founding Fathers are extremely useful as they offer permanent boosts to your colonies, can enhance unit effectiveness, or increase production. It is highly recommended to recruit as many as possible.

Trade Founding Fathers are particularly beneficial for increasing income and production in your colonies, and can even reduce building construction times.

Adam Smith

• Requires: 5610 Trade Points, 3366 Political Points
• Bonus: "50% Faster Production of Textile Mill, Coat Factory, Rum Factory, Cigar Factory."

Adam Smith, author of "The Wealth of Nations," halves the production time for these four specific factories, effectively requiring only half the usual production for their completion.

Alexander Hamilton

• Requires: 7573 Trade Points, 4488 Political Points
• Bonus: "+3 Hammers per Town Hall"

Starting a colony with Alexander Hamilton ensures that every Town Hall generates an additional three hammers from the outset, which can be used to generate more Founding Father points.

Cyrus McCormick

• Requires: 17671 Trade Points, 10659 Political Points
• Bonus: "+1 Food on Plots with 2 Food +50% Sugar Production in all Settlements"

This agricultural inventor increases food yields from harvest tiles and significantly boosts sugar production in all settlements by 50%, aiding rum production and colonial expansion.

Eli Whitney

• Requires: 13464 Trade Points, 7854 Political Points
• Bonus: "+50% Cotton Production in all Settlements"

Similar to Cyrus McCormick, Eli Whitney increases the production of cotton by 50% in all settlements, which is valuable for weaving cloth and generating revenue.

Jan De Witt

• Requires: 4207 Trade Points, 2524 Political Points
• Bonus: "-50% Tools required for buildings"

This Founding Father reduces the tool requirement for buildings by 50%. While the tool cost for buildings is generally minor, saving tools can be beneficial for other purposes, such as musket production.

John Jacob Astor

• Requires: 10098 Trade Points, 5890 Political Points
• Bonus: "+50% Fur Production in all Settlements"

This bonus is particularly useful if you have settled in polar regions with abundant tundra. It maximizes fur production, which is valuable for coats, a resource that is more expensive due to its limited availability in colder climates.

John Rolfe

• Requires: 2244 Trade Points, 1542 Political Points
• Bonus: "+25% Tobacco Production"

This Founding Father increases tobacco production by 25%.