Apush Historical Characters

Nathaniel Bacon

begins an expedition against the natives, rebellion using indentured labor

George Custer

United States general who was killed along with all his command by the Sioux at the battle of Little Bighorn (1839-1876)

George McClellan

A general for northern command of the Army of the Potomac in 1861; nicknamed "Tardy George" because of his failure to move troops to Richmond; lost battle vs. General Lee near the Chesapeake Bay; Lincoln fired him twice.

Theodore Dwight Weld

American abolitionist whose pamphlet Slavery As It Is (1839) inspired Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's Cabin; also helped develop the "petition strategy"

William Seward

Secretary of State who was responsible for purchasing Alaskan Territory from Russia. By purchasing Alaska, he expanded the territory of the country at a reasonable price.

William T Sherman

general whose march to sea caused destruction to the south, union general, led march to destroy all supplies and resources, beginning of total warfare

Mary Surratt

was convicted of taking part in the conspiracy to assassinate Lincoln. 1st woman executed by US government (hanging)

Andrew Johnson

17th President of the United States, A Southerner form Tennessee, as V.P. when Lincoln was killed, he became president. He opposed radical Republicans who passed Reconstruction Acts over his veto. The first U.S. president to be impeached, he survived the Senate removal by only one vote. He was a very weak president.

Thaddeus Stevens

A Radical Republican who believed in harsh punishments for the South. Leader of the Radical Republicans in Congress.

Charles Sumner

A leader of the Radical republicans along with Thaddeus Stevens. He was from Massachusetts and was in the senate. His two main goals were breaking the power of wealthy planters and ensuring that freedmen could vote

Louisa May Alcott

American writer and reformer best known for her largely autobiographical novel Little Women (1868-1869). Her novel established her income and allowed her to be independent; served as a nurse during the Civil War

John Wilkes Booth

was an American stage actor who, as part of a conspiracy plot, assassinated Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. on April 14, 1865.

Clara Barton

Launched the American Red Cross in 1881. "Angel of the Battlefield" in the Civil War, she treated the wounded in the field.

Elizabeth Blackwell

an abolitionist, women's rights activist, and the first female doctor in the United States

Dorothea Dix

Rights activist on behalf of mentally ill patients - created first wave of US mental asylums; she helped in recruiting nurses in the army during the civil war

Jefferson Davis

An American statesman and politician who served as President of the Confederate States of America for its entire history from 1861 to 1865

Ulysses S Grant

an American general and the eighteenth President of the United States (1869-1877). He achieved international fame as the leading Union general in the American Civil War; He won the Battle of Shiloh and later Vicksburg; known for corruption during his presidency; youngest president

Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson

Confederate general whose men stopped Union assault during the Battle of Bull Run; rose through the ranks of the military; his own men killed him in battle

Robert E Lee

Confederate general who had opposed secession but did not believe the Union should be held together by force; led the Army of Northern Virginia which became the most famous Confederate army

Roger Williams

A dissenter who clashed with the Massachusetts Puritans over separation of church and state and was banished in 1636, after which he founded the colony of Rhode Island to the south

Benjamin Franklin

American intellectual, inventor, and politician He helped to negotiate French support for the American Revolution.

John Marshall

American jurist and politician who served as the chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (1801-1835) and helped establish the practice of judicial review.

John J Audubon

1785 to 1851; He was an artist who specialized in painting wild fowl. He had such works as Birds of America. Ironically, he shot a lot of birds for sport when he was young. The Audubon Society for the protection of birds was named after him. His depictions of western wildlife contributed to the western population movements.

James F Cooper

Considered part of the "New England Renaissance," he wrote many books about the frontier. The heroes in his books were always a frontiersman and a faithful Indian companion. He wrote "The Deerslayer" in 1841 and "The Last of the Mohicans" in 1826.

Ralph W Emerson

He was a 19th century writer who wrote many poems and philosophical essays. He was well known for his statements: "To be great is to be misunderstood" and "Shallow men believe in luck."

Charles G Finney

This Presbyterian minister appealed to his audience's sense of emotion rather than their reason. His "fire and brimstone" sermons became commonplace in upstate New York, where listeners were instilled with the fear of Satan and an eternity in Hell. He insisted that parishioners could save themselves through good works and a steadfast faith in God. This region of New York became known as the "burned-over district," because this minister preached of the dangers of eternal damnation across the countryside

Samuel Slater

He was a British mechanic that moved to America and in 1791 invented the first American machine for spinning cotton. He is known as "the Father of the Factory System" and he started the idea of child labor in America's factories.

John Brown

Abolitionist who was hanged after leading an unsuccessful raid at Harper's Ferry, Virginia (1800-1858)

James Buchanan

The 15th President of the United States (1857-1861). He tried to maintain a balance between proslavery and antislavery factions, but his moderate views angered radicals in both North and South, and he was unable to forestall the secession of South Carolina on December 20, 1860.

John C Calhoun

South Carolina Senator - advocate for state's rights, limited government, and nullification

Stephen Douglas

A moderate, who introduced the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854 and popularized the idea of popular sovereignty.

Frederick Douglass

Escaped slave and great black abolitionist who fought to end slavery through political action

John Fremont

explorer, soldier, politician, and first presidential nominee of the Republican Party (1856); his erratic personal behavior and his radical views on slavery made him controversial and unelectable.

William L Garrison

a prominent American abolitionist, journalist, and social reformer. he is best known as the editor of the radical abolitionist newspaper, the Liberator and as one of the founders of the American Anti-Slavery Society. He promoted "immediate emancipation of the slaves in the United States"

Horace Greeley

An American newspaper editor and founder of the Republican party. His New York Tribune was America's most influential newspaper 1840-1870. he used it to promote the Whig and Republican parties, as well as antislavery and a host of reforms.

Grimke Sisters

were 19th-century American Quakers, educators and writers who were early advocates of abolitionism and women's rights.

Hinton Helper

Wrote The Impending Crisis, a book about slavery. He said the non-slave holding whites were the ones who suffered the most from slavery. He was captured and killed by Southerners

Sam Houston

Commander of the Texas army at the battle of San Jacinto; later elected president of the Republic of Texas

Julia Ward Howe

Wrote Battle Hymn of the Republic and infused abolitionist sentiment into the War rhetoric. She founded the American Women's Suffrage Association with Lucy Stone and advocated for the passage of the 15th Amendment.

Abraham Lincoln

16th President of the United States saved the Union during the Civil War and emancipated the slaves; was assassinated by Booth (1809-1865)

Elijah Lovejoy

Illinois editor whose death at the hands of a mob made him an abolitionist martyr

Elizabeth Cady Stanton

• one of the first early women's rights movement leaders

• co-founded the National woman's suffrage association

Lucy Stone

• helped organize the first truly national women rights convention in 1850

• elected president of the Women Suffrage association

• elected chairman of the executive board of the merged National American Women Suffrage Association

Martin Van Buren

• first president to be born citizen of the US and not of British origin

• 8th official pres of US

• served in the New York State Senate

Daniel Webster

Famous American politician and orator. he advocated renewal and opposed the financial policy of Jackson. Many of the principles of finance he spoke about were later incorporated in the Federal Reserve System. Would later push for a strong union.

Alexander Graham Bell

Inventor of the telephone

Samuel F. B. Morse

Invented the telegraph and Morse code

Emma Willard

Early supporter of women's education, in 1818. She published Plan for Improving Education, which became the basis for public education of women in New York. 1821, she opened her own girls' school, the Troy Female Seminary, designed to prepare women for college.

Jonathan Edwards

Preacher during the First Great Awakening; "Sinners in the hands of angry god"

Pocahontas

• was the peacemaker between Powhatan Indians and Jamestown colonist

• converted to Christinaity

• married John Rolfe

• visited Britain to boost morality and support for struggling colonies

• saved the life of John Smith during an execution

William Bradford

founder and longtime governor of the Plymouth colony
helped draft Plymouth's legal code
community focused on religious tolerance and private subsistence agriculture
fled England at 18 bc he was a Separatist and feared persecution

George Whitefield

• important Religious Figure in the Great Awakening in America

• popular Preacher in the Evangelical Revival in Great Britain

• had the popular vote of Britain through publicity

• convinced and reminded the English colonies the importance of Christianity

• founded the Methodist movement

Metacom (nicknamed King Philip)

• Leader of the Pokanoket Tribe/Wampanoag nation (group of Indians in RI and MA)

• upon father's death, relationships between natives/Europeans grew tenser

• united the natives against the English when Europeans started to encroach on land

• led the natives against the Europeans in a war named after him

• results of war= natives were destroyed and sold into slavery+English dominance ensued

Anne Hutchinson

• considered one of the earliest American feminists

• challenged male authority by preaching to men and women alike

• questioned the original teachings of salvation by the Puritans

• brought to trial in 1637 and found guilty against Puritan orthodoxy, banishing her from Massachusetts Bay, causing her and her followers to move to Rhode Island

• helped introduce the beginning of separation of church and state in America

Joseph Smith

• founder of Mormonism

• 1820: claimed God and Jesus Christ visited him and told him not to join any churches

• 1823: an angel, Moroni, told him of an ancient record; found and translated into The Book of Mormon

• 1830: founded the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day saints; first president

• Beloved by followers, but hated by many others; was a candidate for the presidency of the US

John Smith

• as apart of governing council for Jamestown Started expeditions on native americans because the colony was struggling with food shortages

• claimed pocahontas saved him

• january 1608 - only 38/104 original settlers were alive Expeditions for food → helped him map the area

Abigail Adams

• first lady in 1797 role of close advisor for John Adams

• advocate for women's rights and opposed slavery

John Adams

• America's first Vice-President and second President

• helped negotiate Treaty of Paris to end Revolutionary War

• delegate to the first and second Continental Congress

Samuel Adams

• founded Boston's Committee of Correspondence

• main leader of the Sons of Liberty

Ethan Allen

• led the Green Mountain Boys to capture Fort Ticonderoga

• served in the French and Indian War and purchased what is current day Vermont

Benedict Arnold

• credited with building one of the first American Naval Fleets

• known for being a traitor to the US during the American Revolution

• was a member of the Sons of Liberty

• played a key role for the Americans in the Battle of Lake Champlain

• threw British into disarray at the Battle of Bemis Heights

John Dickinson

• pennman of the Revolution

• became famous for writings such as "The Liberty Song"

• knew independence was inevitable → didn't like the timing

• signed the Constitution - might've been the only reason why Delaware was the first state to ratify it Dickinson

• authorized the majority of the petition and state papers before the Revolution

Chief Pontiac

• his rebellion was in retaliation against the British

• chief of the Ottawa Tribe

• gathered many native tribes to unite and fight alongside one another

George Greenville

• the prime minister of Great Britain from April 1763-July 1765

• Sugar Act/ Plantation Act of 1763 and the Stamp Act of 1765

Alexander Hamilton

• was born in the British West Indies and was funded by local to go to America to study

• he joined the army during the Revolutionary War and then joined Washington's staff as his aide-de-camp

• one of the main authors for the Federalist Papers alongside Jay and Madison

• member of the US first Cabinet, where he was appointed Secretary of Treasury

• created the First National Bank

John Hancock

• resisted British tax regulations and restrictions with public acts of protest

• became leader of the Massachusetts delegate to the second Continental Congress, later giving financial support to the American war effort

• first person to sign the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776

• became the first governor of Massachusetts

• contributed to the Massachusetts to ratify the federal constitution of 1787

Patrick Henry

• one of the Founding Fathers of the US

• first governor of Virginia

• one of the people to lead protests against the Stamp Act

• Anti- Federalist and a recognizable Patriot leader

• "Give me liberty or give me death!"

John Jay

• Continental Congress delegate from 1775-1776 and later became its president

• first Chief Justice of the US

• served as the second Secretary of Foreign Affairs, is now known as the Secretary of State

• elected as president of the Assembly

• has a law school in New York named after him

Anne Lee

• founded and created the religious sect, the Shakers -brought the Shakers from the England to the American Colonies

• very religious and studied Christianity and felt united with God

• stood for economic justice, religious toleration and true democracy

• with the war of England, many believed that the Shakers were British spies, and were imprisoned

John Locke

• built the foundation for modern liberalism and modern philosophical empiricism

• known as the first philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment

• advocated for religious tolerance with his Letters Concerning Tolerance

• wrote and published Thoughts Concerning Education

• ideas of life, liberty and property in his Social Contract

Judith Sargent Murray

• was one of the earliest feminists, publishing her essay 'On the Equality of the Sexes' before Mary Wollstonecraft's 'Vindication of the Rights of Women'; some of her ideas included the right of women to control their finances, and their equal intelligence to men.

• she had an interest in getting an education, but because of the social climate in which she was raised, struggled.

• she wrote thousands of letters, and believed in Universalism.

• also wrote columns in the Massachusetts Magazine, albeit, under a pseudonym

James Otis

• one of the first well - known americans to defend the natural rights of africans

• known for creating the slogan "taxation without representation is tyranny"

• led the intellectual attack against British tyranny

• an american lawyer, political activist, pamphleteer and legislator in Boston

• one of the first well-known americans to condemn slavery.

Thomas Paine

• English-born political philosopher and writer who supported revolutionary causes in America and Europe

• wrote Common Sense

• criticized Quakers for their pacifism and endorsing a system similar to social security

William Penn

• an English Quaker, who was persecuted several times for being a Quaker.

• Founded the colony of Pennsylvania as a place for religious freedom

• Published 42 books many about the Quaker religion.

• The government in Pennsylvania protected the rights of citizens, his constitution was considered a historical step towards democracy in America.

• The Quakers maintained peace with the Native Americans, and were one of the first groups to fight against slavery.

Edmund Randolph

• known for introducing the Virginia plan to the Constitutional Convention

• the Virginia plan essentially proposed a legislative branch of two chambers

• succeeded Thomas Jefferson as Secretary of State.

• he was a member of the Federalist Party

• resigned when his reputation was ruined due to the British leaking a document that "proved" he was corrupt.

Paul Revere

• At twenty-one, he was the second lieutenant in the colonial artillery during the French and Indian War.

• joined the Sons of Liberty, which was a political group of political militants that organized protest against British forces.

• is famous for is ride to Lexington, with the mission of warning local militia that British forces were approaching

• after the Revolutionary War, he became a lieutenant colonel in the Massachusetts State Train of Artillery

• had a silversmith shop during the economic depression; he worked as an engraver, a courier, and a dentist.

Daniel Shays

• served in the battle of Bunker Hill and as Captain of the Fifth Massachusetts Regiment of the Continental Army.

• was wounded in battle but never got his pension so became a poor farmer

• after serving in the Revolutionary War and fighting at Bunker Hill, he resigned and lived in Massachusetts, a struggling region of farmers.

• this lead to Shays Rebellion- violent attacks against the Massachusetts government in 1786 by poor farmers who opposed the states economic polices

Phillis Wheatley

• was the first African-American poetry author.

• Born in Africa, She was captured and moved to America by slave traders in 1761.

• She died of childbirth at age 31.

• She was brought to the U.S. on a ship ironically called "The Phillis."

• she is trilingual, able to speak English, Latin, and Greek.

George Washington

• the first president of the US

• payed an active role in the Virginia House of Burgesses

• commander in Chief of the Colonial Armies during the American Revolutionary war

• spoke out against slavery, especially in his will, where he ordered the freedom of all enslaved people

• led an attack on French forces, which helped spark the French and Indian War

Mercy Otis Warren

• A leading female commentator and intellectual during the Revolution

• History of the Rise, Progress and Termination of the American Revolution

• Third woman to publish a poetry book

• A political playwright; satirist

• Strongly advocated for women's rights

Eli Whitney

• invented the cotton gin, that revolutionized cotton production.

• his cotton gin machine was less labor intensive, but sadly contributed to the rise of slavery in the south.

• built muskets for the United States government.

• brought the idea of interchangeable parts to musket manufacturing.

• big role in the development of the mass production system in the United States

James K. Polk

president in March 1845. wanted to settle Oregon boundary dispute with Britain. wanted to aquire California. wanted to incorperate Texas into union.

John Quincy Adams

• anti-slavery movements

• started as a secretary of state in 1817 to 1825 then 6th president 1825-1829

• negotiated the Treaty of Ghent with Britain ending War of 1812

• took Florida from Spain and split Oregon with England

• 1823: served chief of architect which became Monroe Doctrine

Catharine Beecher

opposed women's suffrage; argued that women should limit themselves to home and schools
wrote A Treatise on Domestic Economy, a handbook on women's appropriate gender roles
founded the American Woman's Educational Association, which sent teachers west to develop schools on the frontier

Napoleon Bonaparte

the wars he initiated in Europe allowed America to flourish on its own economically
sold Louisiana territory to the Americans to fund his own army
fought against England which assisted the US to weaken them
became Emperor of France in 1804

Aaron Burr

• fought in the American Revolution

• 1791; successfully ran against Philip Schuyler for a seat in senate

• third vice prez of the US

• ran against Thomas Jefferson in 1800

• shot Alexander Hamilton in a duel

Samuel Chase

• studied law in Baltimore

• represented Maryland at the Continental Congress in 1774

• he was reelected in 1775 and was there until 1778

• 1788 elected chief justice of the Criminal Court

• was almost impeached

• in 1796 was appointed Judge of the Supreme Court

Lewis and Clark

• ordered by President Jefferson in 1804 to explore lands West of Mississippi River that were gained in the Louisiana

• contributed geographic and scientific knowledge of the westward expansive area with accurate maps of the now land and added to the zoological and botanical knowledge

Robert Fulton

• an American inventor and engineer who initiated steamboat success.

• he invented and ran the world's first commercially successful steamboat which revolutionized steam power and river transportation in the United States

• also designed both submarines and steam warships

• aided the British by utilizing his steam powered ships to carry explosives to two attacks on the French

Albert Gallatin

• "America's Swiss Founding Father"

• worked as Jefferson's Secretary of Treasury

• opposed the Constitution bc he did not want to lose individual liberties

• strict economy

Thomas Jefferson

• Virginia statute for Religious Freedom

• wrote the Declaration of Independence

• third president of the US

Pope

• Spanish invaders

• believed he was commanded by tribal spirits to restore traditional native customs

• took Santa Fe back, and set to get rid of Spanish traditions

• although despotic, was re elected as Pueblo leader before his death

• although Spaniards gained control again, Popé ended the period of strong Spanish domination when he took Santa Fe

Anne Bradstreet

• first woman to be recognized as an accomplished poet

• poetry consisted of the clashing dedication she felt toward material things vs her devotion to God

Nathan Hale

• known as a hero and martyr in the American Revolution

• became a school teacher before becoming a soldier

• was hanged without trial after being captured as a spy

• "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country"

Toussaint L'Ouverture

• Leader of Haitian Revolution; only successful slave revolt

• Although he was free, he still joined the slave insurgency

• Drafted a constitution reinstating the 1794 abolition of slavery, and appointed himself governor of Saint Dominique

• Was captured by Napoleon Bonaparte, who reinstated slavery under French control

• Saint Dominique (now Haiti) gained independence a year later, under one of L'Ouverture's generals

James Madison

"Father of the Constitution," Federalist leader, and fourth President of the United States.

William Marbury

"Midnight Judge" appointed in the Judiciary Act of 1801. Sued government because he was never appointed, which resulted in Marbury v. Madison and Judicial Review.

Sacajawea

native American woman who served as a guide an interpreter for the lewis and clark expedition

Tecumseh

-Chief of the Shawnee Tribe
- established Prophetstown with brother for the Shawnee to avoid influence of the white man

Nat Turner

Leader of a slave rebellion in 1831 in Virginia. Revolt led to the deaths of 20 whites and 40 blacks and led to the "gag rule' outlawing any discussion of slavery in the House of Representatives