Key Figures in Colonial and Revolutionary America

Vasco Núñez de Balboa

A Spanish explorer and conquistador, Balboa was the first European to cross the Isthmus of Panama and see the Pacific Ocean from the Americas in 1513.

John Cabot

An Italian navigator sailing for England, Cabot explored the coast of North America in 1497, likely landing in Newfoundland or Nova Scotia.

Christopher Columbus

An Italian explorer funded by Spain, Columbus's voyages (starting in 1492) led to the widespread European exploration and colonization of the Americas.

Hernando Cortés

A Spanish conquistador who led the expedition that resulted in the fall of the Aztec Empire (1519-1521).

Bartolomeu Dias

A Portuguese explorer who, in 1488, became the first European to sail around the southern tip of Africa, the Cape of Good Hope.

Leif Erikson

A Norse explorer believed to have reached North America (Vinland) around the year 1000.

Ferdinand and Isabella

The Catholic Monarchs of Spain who united their country and funded Columbus's voyages.

Vasco da Gama

A Portuguese explorer who, in 1498, was the first European to reach India by sea.

Ponce de León

A Spanish explorer who led the first European expedition to Florida in 1513.

Ferdinand Magellan

A Portuguese explorer whose expedition (1519-1522) became the first to circumnavigate the globe.

Marquette and Joliet

French explorers who mapped the Mississippi River in 1673.

Sir Walter Raleigh

An English explorer who attempted to establish the Roanoke Colony (1585) in present-day North Carolina.

Lord Baltimore (Cecil Calvert)

The founder of Maryland, a colony created in 1632 as a refuge for English Catholics facing persecution.

William Bradford

A leader of the Pilgrims and governor of Plymouth Colony, he played a key role in the survival of the colony.

William Penn

A Quaker who founded Pennsylvania in 1681 as a haven for religious freedom and tolerance. His 'Holy Experiment' promoted democracy, fair treatment of Native Americans, and freedom of worship, influencing American ideals.

John Smith

A key leader of the Jamestown colony, Smith helped establish trade with Native Americans and enforced strict discipline, which saved the struggling colony from collapse. His famous motto, 'He who does not work, shall not eat,' reinforced the importance of labor in survival.

Roger Williams

A Puritan dissenter who was expelled from Massachusetts Bay Colony for advocating religious freedom and separation of church and state. He founded Rhode Island in 1636, which became a haven for religious minorities.

Samuel Adams

A leader of the Sons of Liberty and a vocal advocate for American independence. He organized protests such as the Boston Tea Party (1773) and helped stir revolutionary sentiment through writings and speeches.

Benedict Arnold

A highly skilled American general who later defected to the British. He attempted to betray West Point to the British in 1780 but was caught. His name has since become synonymous with treason in American history.

Benjamin Franklin

A Founding Father, diplomat, and inventor. He helped draft the Declaration of Independence and played a crucial role in securing French support for the American Revolution, which was vital for victory.

King George III

The King of Britain during the American Revolution. His refusal to grant the American colonies greater autonomy led to rebellion, and he was widely criticized in the Declaration of Independence.

Nathan Hale

A young American spy captured and executed by the British in 1776. Before his death, he reportedly said, 'I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country,' becoming a symbol of patriotism.

Patrick Henry

A fiery orator best known for his 1775 speech, 'Give me liberty, or give me death!' He was a strong advocate for colonial resistance against British rule.

Thomas Jefferson (pre-presidency)

The principal author of the Declaration of Independence (1776), articulating the Enlightenment ideals of liberty and self-government that shaped the new nation.

John Paul Jones

A naval commander in the American Revolution, he famously declared, 'I have not yet begun to fight!' and led daring naval raids against the British.

Marquis de Lafayette

A French nobleman who fought for the American cause, serving as a general under George Washington. He played a key role in securing French support for the Revolution.

Thomas Paine

A radical writer and political philosopher. His pamphlet Common Sense (1776) inspired American independence, and The American Crisis encouraged soldiers to continue fighting.

Pontiac

An Ottawa leader who led Pontiac's Rebellion (1763-1766), a Native American uprising against British rule in the Great Lakes region after the French and Indian War. His resistance led to the Proclamation of 1763, which restricted colonial expansion.

George Washington

The commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. His leadership secured key victories, and he later became the first President of the United States.

Betsy Ross

Allegedly sewed the first American flag, though evidence is scarce. Regardless, she became a symbol of patriotism and the Revolution.

Paul Revere

A silversmith and patriot best known for his midnight ride on April 18, 1775, warning colonists of the approaching British troops before the Battles of Lexington and Concord.

John Peter Zenger

A newspaper printer whose trial in 1735 established an early precedent for freedom of the press in America. His acquittal helped shape the First Amendment.

Metacom(King Philip)

Wampanoag chief who led a brutal campaign against Puritan settlements in New England between 1675 and 1676. Though he himself was eventually captured and killed, his wife and son sold into slavery, his assault halted New England's westward expansion for several decades.

Phyllis Wheatley

(1753-1784); a slave girl brought to Boston at age eight and never formally educated; she was taken to England when, at twenty years of age, she published a book of verse and later wrote other polished poems that revealed the influence of Alexander Pope. Pro independence.