APUSH Unit 1 Important People

John Locke

argued that people are born with natural rights to life, liberty, and property, and governments exist to protect those rights. If a government violates them, the people have the right to rebel, directly influencing the American Revolution.

Thomas Hobbes

believed life without government would be chaotic and dangerous, known as the state of nature. He supported a strong government formed through a social contract to maintain order.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

believed political power comes from the general will of the people, not from kings. His ideas challenged monarchy and influenced democratic and revolutionary movements.

King George III

was the British monarch during the American Revolution. He ignored colonial petitions and supported taxes and laws that angered colonists.

Sam Adams

was a radical Patriot leader and organizer of resistance. He helped lead the Sons of Liberty and used propaganda to oppose British rule.

Crispus Atticus

was killed during the Boston Massacre in 1770. He is remembered as the first martyr of the American Revolution.

George Washington

was the commander of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. His leadership kept the army together and led to victory at Yorktown.

Francis Marion

known as the “Swamp Fox,” led Patriot forces in the South. He used guerrilla warfare to weaken British troops.

General Charles Cornwall

was a leading British general during the war. His surrender at Yorktown in 1781 effectively ended the conflict.

Alexander Hamilton

believed the Articles of Confederation were too weak. He pushed for a stronger national government and helped organize the Constitutional Convention.

James Madison

is known as the Father of the Constitution. He proposed the Virginia Plan and supported a strong federal government.

William Patterson

proposed the New Jersey Plan, which called for equal representation for states. This protected the power of smaller states.

Roger Sherman

proposed the Great (Connecticut) Compromise. It created a bicameral legislature with both equal and proportional representation.

Alexander Hamilton (Federalist role)

strongly supported ratification of the Constitution. He helped write the Federalist Papers and led the effort in New York.

James Madison (Federalist role)

co-wrote the Federalist Papers to defend the Constitution. He later helped draft the Bill of Rights.

John Jay

was a Federalist leader and co-author of the Federalist Papers. He argued the Constitution was necessary for national stability.

George Washignton

supported the Constitution and gave it legitimacy. His support helped convince many Americans to ratify it.

Patrick Henry

was a leading Anti-Federalist who opposed the Constitution. He argued it created a government too similar to a monarchy.

George Mason

refused to sign the Constitution. He demanded a Bill of Rights to protect individual freedoms.

Richard Henry Lee

was an Anti-Federalist who criticized the Constitution. He feared it gave too much power to the federal government.

Samuel Adams (Anti-Federalist role)

opposed ratification at first. He only supported the Constitution after promises of a Bill of Rights.