Unit 2 Pre-AP Revolutionary People

George Washington

Virginia planter who became the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army; he later presided over the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia; became the first president of the United States in 1789.

Crispus Attucks

African American seaman who was the first person to die in the Boston Massacre in 1770.

Samuel Adams

Boston patriot who was a political activist; helped create the Committee of Correspondance and was a leader in the Sons of Liberty; played an active role in spreading propaganda after the Boston Massacre and helped organize the Boston Tea Party

Benjamin Franklin

Became known as the "First American" for his efforts to unify the colonies; proposed the Albany Plan of Union; scientest, philosopher, printer, postmaster, statesman, and elder member of the Founding Fathers. Based in Philadelphia, credited with establishing the first public library, first hospital and first fire department in America.

Patrick Henry

Virginian patriot who was a planter and politician; known for his passionate speeches for liberty, is credited with the famous phrase "give me liberty, or give me death." Member of the Virginia House of Burgesses and one of the first to call for independence from Britain.

Thomas Paine

American patriot with an exceptional gift for writing; wrote "Common Sense" and "American Crisis" - pamplets that supported American independence; was able to convince and motive many to support the patriot cause.

Abigail Adams

Bostonian patriot wife of a Founding Father; know for her support of women's rights

Wentworth Cheswell

African-American community leader from New Hampshire; rode with Paul Revere in 1774 to warn the town of Portsmith of approaching British warships; participated in the Battle of Saratoga in October 1777.

Mercy Otis Warren

Patriot from Massachusetts; poet , playwrite, and historian. She had close access to many influential Patriot leaders; able to persuade many to support the Patriot cause through her poems and plays.

James Armistead

African-American patriot spy who served under Continental Army General Lafayette; as a spy, he was able to gain the trust of British General Cornwallis; provided intelligence to General Lafayette at the Battle of Yorktown in October 1781.

Bernando de Galvez

Spanish governor of Louisiana; aided patriot cause; shipped supplies and ammunition up the Mississippi River and Ohio River to American troops in the Northwest Territory; defeated British in Louisiana and secured the Mississippi River and port at New Orleans from Brittish threat.

Haym Salomon

Polish-born American who immigrated to New York City during the revolution; arrested as an American spy, he later helped finance the war by making personal loans to the Continental Congress and arranging other loans to help fund the war effort

Marquis de Lafayette

French nobleman who supported the patriot war effort; joined General Washington's staff and became a close confidant and personal friend of Washington's; became a general in the Continental Army serving in several major battles including the Battle in Yorktown; he was a key laison between the Continental Congress and the French government.

John Paul Jones

Continental naval officer known as the "Father of the U.S. Navy"; credited with the quote, "I have not yet begun to fight!"; famous for defeating the British ship Serapis off the coast of England

King George III

King of England during the Revolutionary War

James Madison

Virginian statesman and Founding Father; known as the "Father of the Constitution", co-writer of the Federalist Papers, and sponsor of the Bill of Rights; later became the 4th President of the United States

Francis Marion

Patriot militia leader from South Carolina; known as the "Swamp Fox" for his guerilla style warfare in the southern theater of the Revolutionary War; credited with agitating and weakening Loyalist militias and British forts.

Henry Knox

Boston bookseller who became an artillery officer, and later a general in the Continental Army; transferred cannons from Fort Ticonderoga to Boston for the siege that forced the British to leave Boston; became close confident of General Washington and later became Washington's Secretary of War

Baron von Steuben

Prussian military officer who volunteered his services to the Continental Army; served under General Washington at Valley Forge during the winter of 1777-78; credited with improving discipline and turning the Continental Army into a well-trained fighting unit. Became a general, and participated in the Battle at Yorktown.

Benedict Arnold

A Connecticut patriot turned traitor; early hero of the American Revolution with successful campaigns in capturing Fort Tichonderogo and thwarting a British invasion at Lake Champlaign. Played a critical role in the American victory at Saratoga (October 1777); later flipped sides and joined the British; most famous traitor in American history; name is synonymous with "traitor."

Charles Cornwallis

British general who participated in successful campaigns in the battles of Long Island and Brandywine, but was ultimately defeated by the combined American and French armies at the Battle of Yorktown in October 1781.

Comte de Rochambeau

French army general who joined forces with the Continental Army in 1781; played a critical role in the American victory at Yorktown.

Count de Grasse

French naval commander who led the French fleet to a successful blockade off Yorktown; was critical to the victory at Yorktown (October 1781)

William Howe

British army general who served as the commander in chief of British forces in America from 1776-1778; led forces during the Siege at Boston and the Battle of Bunker Hill; but was unable to destroy Washington's forces; was popular in the colonies prior to the Revolution for his role in the French and Indian war.

John Hancock

Wealthy Massachusettes merchant who was a Revolutionary leader; used his wealth and influence to aid the American war effort; president of the 2nd Continental Congress; first signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Paul Revere

Boston silversmith; patriot; member of the Sons of Liberty; famous for his midnight ride to Lexington and Concord to warn of the approaching "Redcoats", or regular British troops.

Thomas Jefferson

Virginia planter; patriot; principal author of the Declaration of Independence; Founding Father; served in Virginia's House of Burgesses, Continental Congress, and governor of Virginia during the Revolution

John Adams

A Massachusetts attorney and statesman who was a strong believer in colonial independence. He argued against the Stamp Act and was involved in various Patriot groups. Successfully defended the British soldiers accused of murder in the Boston Massacre in March 1770. As a delegate from Massachusetts, he urged the Second Continental Congress to declare independence. He helped draft and pass the Declaration of Independence. He later served as the second President of the United States.

Alexander Hamilton

Born on Nevis, an island in the Caribbean, this person immigrated to NY to further his education. He became Washington's private secretary during the Revolutionary War and was also an artillery officer at the Siege/Battle of Yorktown in 1781. Served in the Continental Congress and NY legislature and represented NY at the Constitutional Convention. Primary author of the Federalist Papers, this man later became Washington's first Treasury Secretary and is credited with creating the U.S. financial system.