Not sure which founding fathers you are referring to. If you are referring to the founding fathers of the United States. Then YES, they were actually committing the greatest sin against the governing body. "Treason" Had the colonies lost the battle for their independence the surely would have been executed. The declaration of independence does however call for those individuals to stand up and take charge.
Of course this is an opinion formed on information which I have not researched. Just information put together through discussions, articles, etc...