UIL Social Studies 2024-2025: Individuals

Abigail Adams (1744-1818)

Wife and closest advisor to John Adams and mother to John Quincy Adams. She was a founder of the United States, and besides Barbara Bush are the only two women in American history who were both married to and a mother of a U.S. president.

Her letters to her husband John during the Continental Congress display her political knowledge and major role she played in encouraging and debating her husband in the politics of the day, including a burgeoning movement for women's rights.

She is often cited as one of the most highly regareded First Ladies in American history.

Charles Francis Adams (1807-1886)

An American historical editor, writer, politician, and diplomat who served as U.S. Minister to the United Kingdom during the Civil War.

He was the patriarch of one of America's prominent political families: both his father and grandfather were presidents.

He would found the abolitionist Free Soil Party in 1848 and ran as the party's VP alongside former president Martin Van Buren.

John Adams (1735-1826)

An American statesman, attorney, diplmat, writer, and Founding Father who served as the 2nd president of the United States from 1796 to 1800.

Before the Revolutionary War, he famously defended British soldiers charged with murder during the Boston Massacre in 1770. He would serve as a delagate to the Contintental Congress representing Massachusetts. He assisted drafting the Declaration of Independence with Thomas Jefferson.

He was the primary author of the Massachusetts Constitution in 1780, which influenced the U.S. Constitution, as did his essays "Thoughts on Government."

He was the only president elected as an official member of the Federalist Party. His one term as president was dominated by the "quasi-war" with France after the XYZ Affair and the fallout from his Alien and Sedition Acts. He would also build up the Army and Navy.

He and his son are the only presidents of the first 12 who never owned slaves.

John Quincy Adams (1767-1848)

An American statesman, politician, diplomat, lawyer and diarist who served as the 6th president of the United States from 1824 to 1828. He served as Secretary of State for President James Monro from 1816 to 1824.

Initially a Federalist like his father, he won election to the presidency as a Democratic-Republican and later became affiliated with the Whig Party.

As Secretary of State, he neogitated the Adams-Onis Treaty, which would see America annex Florida from Spain. He also formulated the massively influential Monroe Doctrine, which became a key tenet of U.S. foreign policy.

He won the contested election of 1824 with the alleged "Corrupt Bargain" with Henry Clay to beat Andrew Jackson. As president, he called for infrastructure projects, the establishment of a national university, and diplomacy with Latin America, but a divided Congress stopped many of his initiatives.

After losing re-election in 1828 to Andrew Jackson, he would serve in the House of Representatives from 1830 until his death in 1848, remaining the only former president to return to Congress.

While in Congress, he became increasingly critical of slavery and opposed the annexation of Texas and the Mexican-American War. He also lead the repeal of the gag rule prohibiting debate over slavery in Congress. He also successfully argued for the release of a boatload of slaves in the Supreme Court Case "United States v. Amistad."

Fisher Ames (1758-1808)

A U.S. congressman representing Massachusetts, He was an important leader of the Federalist Party and was noted for his oratorical skills.

His speeches at the Massachusetts convention to ratify the Constitution led ot its passage. Known as a gifted speaker, he gave one of the first great speeches in American Congressional history when he spoke in favor of Jay's Treaty.

He was burned in effigy in Charleston, South Caroline, alongside William Pitt, Benedict Arnold, and the Devil for his pro-British positions.

He advocated for a strong central government under the Federalist party and distrusted the Democratic-Republicans emphasis on widening democracy, which could lead to the rise of tyrants that could manipulate the populous.

Benjamin Austin (1752-1820)

A merchant and political writer out of Boston, Massachusetts, he wrote fiery newspaper articles in favor of the Democratic-Republican Party in the tightly held Federalist New England states.

After the election of Thomas Jefferson in 1800, he would be appointed commissioner of loans for Massachusetts.

He wrote a series of articles for the "Independent Chronicle" under the name Honestus.

Benjamin Franklin Bache (1769-1798)

An American journalist, printer, and publisher who founded the "Philadelphia Aurora," a newspaper that supported Democratic-Republicans and Jeffersonian philosophy.

He frequently attacked Federalists like Presidents George Washington and John Adams. No other editor did more to politicize the press in the 1790s, and it is his articles which are thought to have led to the passage of the restrictive Alien and Sedition Acts in 1798.

The grandson of the most famous Founding Father, he was often referred to as "Lightning Rod Junior." He died during a yellow fever epidemic at age 29.

Gamaliel Bailey (1807-1859)

An American physician who left that career to become an abolistionist journalist, editor, and publisher, working primarily in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Washington, D.C.

His Ohio newpaper "The Philanthropist" and his D.C. paper "The National Era" would be attacked multiple times by irate, pro-slavery mobs.

He would be the first editor to publish Harriet Beecher Stowe's hit book "Uncle Tom's Cabin" in serial form. He also paid for Motgomery Blair to represent Dred Scott in the Supreme Court pro bono.

Phillip Barbour (1783-1841)

The 10th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and later served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He is the only person to have served in both positions.

He was a lifelong supporter of states rights and a weak central federal government in support of the Democratic-Republicans.

His tenure on the Supreme Court demonstrated his loyalty to President Andrew Jackson and the Democratic Party's emphasis on state's rights. His dissenting opinions began to unravel the federalist legacy of the John Marshall Court including providing the legal justification for Chief Justice Taney's ruling in "Dred Scott v. Sanford"

William T. Barry (1784-1835)

An American statesman, jurist, and slave onwer. He served as Postmaster General for most of the administration of Andrew Jackson and was the only cabinet member not to resign in 1831 as a result of the Petticoat Affair.

While in the position, he outlawed the mailing of William Lloyd Garrison's abolistonist newspaper, "The Liberator."

James Bayard (1767-1815)

An American lawyer and politician from Wilmington, Delaware, he was a member of the Federalist Party who served in the House of Representatives and the Senate.

He distinguished himself as one of the impeachment managers of U.S. Senator William Blount, and he played a major role in the election of 1800.

With the vote tied in the Electoral College between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr, it was a group of Federalists led by this man who broke the deadlock and voted for Jefferson in exchange for protection of Federalists in the government.

Lyman Beecher (1775-1863)

A Presbyterian minister, and the father of 13 children, many of whom became writers and ministers including Harriet, Henry Ward, Charles, Edward, Isabella, Catherine, and Thomas.

A supporter of temperance and colonization of slaves and a member of the American Colonization Society, his leadership of the Lane Seminary in Cincinnati, Ohio, whose 1834 slavery student debates incited a larger religious abolitonist movmeent agianst slavery.

John C. Bell (1796-1869)

An American politician, attorney, and planter who was a candidate for President of the United States in 1860.

One of Tennessee's most prominent antebellum politicians, he served in the House from 1827 to 1841, and the Senate from 1847 to 1859. He was briefly Speaker of the House and Secretary of War.

Initially an ally of Andrew Jackson, he turned against Jackson in the mid-1830s and aligned himself from a Democrat to the Whig Party, earning him the nickname "The Great Apostate."

He battled Democrats like President James K. Polk over issues like the national bank and the spoils system. He was one of the few Southern politicians to oppose the expansion of slavery post Mexican-American War and campaigned against secession.

During the election of 1860, his Constitutional Union Party took a neutral stance and stated that secession was unecessary because the Constituton already protected slavery.

After the Battle of Ft. Sumter, he would abandon the Union with his state and join the Confederacy.

Thomas Hart Benton (1782-1858)

Nicknamed "Old Bullion," he was an American politician, attorney, soldier, and longtime U.S. Senator from Missour.

A member of the Democratic Party, he was an advocate and architect for westward expansion and Manifest Destiny. He supported Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren during the Bank War and proposed the all-gold land payment system that would inspire Jackson's Specie Circular exectuive order.

He called for the annexation of Texas in 1845, pushed for the Oregon Treaty to decide the modern Canadian border, and authored the first Homestead Act.

Though he owned slaves himself, he would come to oppose slavery after the Mexican-American War and he opposed the Compromise of 1850 as being too favorable to pro-slavery interests.

And even though his son-in-law (John C. Fremont) would win the Republican Party nomination for president in 1856 would still vote for James Buchanan as a loyal Democrat.

John M. Berrien (1781-1856)

A U.S. Senator from Georgia and Attorney General during the Andrew Jackson presidency.

As an attorney in "The Antelope" case of 1824, argued against freedom of slaves captured at sea noting slavery "lay at the foundation of the Constitution," and that slaves "constitute the very foundation of your union."

As attorney general he prosecuted former Treasury Fourth Auditor Tobias Watkins fro embezzlement and supported states' rights during the Nullifacation Crisis.

After leaving the Jackson cabinet, he would serve as a Whig representing Georgia in the U.S. Senate.

Nicholas Biddle (1786-1844)

An American finacier who served as the third and last president of the Second Bank of the United States. He is best known as the chief opponent of Andrew Jackson in the Bank War.

As president of the bank, he exercised power over the nation's money supply and interest rates, seeking to prevent economic crises.

With support from Henry Clay, he would present a bill to renew the bank's charter early 1832, as a presidential election year gambit. Jackson, as expected, vetoed the charter renewal and moved federal deposits to several state banks while Congress was out of town.

James G. Birney (1792-1857)

An American abolitionist, politician, and attorney from Danville, Kentucky. He changed from being a planter and slave owner to abolitionist, publishing the abolitionist "The Philantropist" every week.

He twice served as the presidential nominee for the anti-slavery Liberty Party.

He would be an active member of the American Colonization Society in the 1820s. Once he moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1835, he became a member of the American Anti-Slavery Society. He would resign from the AASS due to the group's support of female equality, though he supported female suffrage.

Francis Preston Blair (1791-1876)

An American journalist, newspaper editor, and influential early figure in national politics, advising several U.S. presidents across party lines.

He was an early supporter of the Democratic Party and President Andrew Jackson. From 1831 to 1845, he worked as editor-in-chief of the "Washington Globe," which served as the primary paper of the Democratic Party. He would be a member of Jackson's unofficial group of advisors known as the "Kitchen Cabinet"

Despite being a slaveholder from Kentucky, he would come to oppose the expansion of slavery. He supported the 1848 Free Soil Party ticket of Van Buren and Charles Francis Adams.

In oppostion to the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, he helped found the Republican Party. He served as an advisor to President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War.

His home on Lafayette Square across from the White House is now used to host visiting heads of state and other guests of the president. It has been called "the world's most exclusive hotel."

Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821)

A French emperor and military commander who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led successful campaigns during the Revolutionary Wars.

He was leader of the French Republic as First Consul from 1799 to 1804 and then Emperor of the French from 1804 until 1815.

He is considered one of the greatest military commanders in history who brought modernizing reforms to France and Western Europe and stimulated the development of the modern nation-state.

He also sold the Louisiana Territory to the U.S. in 1803, doubling the latter's size.

Aaron Burr (1756-1836)

An American politician, businessman, lawyer, and Founding Father who served as the 3rd vice-president from 1800 to 1804 during Thomas Jefferson's first term.

He is remembered most for his famous personal and political conflict with Alexander Hamilton, which culminated in their duel in Weehawken, NJ, on July 11, 1804.

During the Election of 1800, he tied in Electoral College votes with Thomas Jefferson. After the ratification of the 12th Amendment in 1804, he was not selected as Jefferson's running mate for re-election.

After politics, he traveled west to the American frontier seeking new economic and political opportunities. His secretive activities led to his 1807 arrest in Alabama on charges of treason. He was brought to trial more than once for allegedly trying to create an independent country with himself at the helm. He would be acquitted of these charges multiple timeds.

John C. Calhoun (1782-1850)

An American statesman and political theorist who served as the 7th vice-president from 1824 to 1832 under John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson.

Born in South Carolina, he was the most well-known defender of slavery before the Civil War. At first a supporter of a strong federal government and protective tariffs, he would shift in the 1820s to support states' rights, limited government, nullification, and opposition to high tariffs.

His beliefs heavily influenced the South's secession from the Union. His involvement with the Nullfication Crisis and the Petticoat Affair alienated him from Andrew Jackson.

He posited that slavery was a "positive good" rather than the old Southern perspective of its being a "necessary evil."

He is one of the "Great Triumvirate" along with Henry Clay and Daniel Webster.

William Carroll (1788-1844)

An American politician who served as the 5th governor of Tennessee twice from 1821-1827 and 1829 to 1835. He held the office longer than any other person.

He led General Jackson's center column during the Battle of New Orleans in the War of 1812.

As governor of Tennessee he createa more progressive Penal Code, which replaced corporal punishment with a state prison syhstem and the establishment of an insane asylum.

He also advocated for government-funded internal improvements and infrastructure and a reformed land tax to beneift smaller landowners.

Lewis Cass (1782-1866)

An American military officer, politician, and statesman. He represented Michigan in the U.S. Senate and served in the cabinets of Presidents Andrew Jackson and James Buchanan.

A slave owner, he was a leading advocate for popular sovereignty, which stated that inhabitants of each territory could decide for themselves to admit slavery or not as a new state.

As President Jackson's Secretary of War, he helped implement the Indian removal process/Trail of Tears.

His clash with former President Martin Van Buren for the 1844 Democratic presidential nomination led to the rise of "dark horse" candidate James K. Polk.

As Secretary of State for President Buchanan, he unsuccessfully attempted to buy land from Mexico and sympathized with American filibusters in Latin America. He resigned from the cabinet when President Buchanan refused to act in response to southern states seceeding from the Union.

Samuel Chase (1741-1811)

A Founding Father, signer of the Continental Association and the Declaration of Independence and an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court.

In 1804, he was impeached by the House of Representatives for letting his political bias affect his judicial decisions, but was acquitted by the Senate the following year.

He is the only Supreme Court justice to have ever been impeached. His acquittal set an important precedent regarding the independence of the federal judiciary from political partisanship.

DeWitt Clinton (1769-1828)

An American politician and naturalist who served as a U.S. Senator, mayor of New York City, and as 6th governor of New York.

He is known as the father of the Erie Canal and challenged incumbent President James Madison for re-election in 1812.

He believed that infrastructure improvements could transform American life, drive economic growth, and encourage political participation.

He and the Erie Canal's massive success would influence the development of infrastructure in the U.S.

George Clinton (1739-1812)

An American soldier, statesman, and Founding Father.

A prominent Democratic-Republican, he served as the 4th vice-president from 1804 until his death in 1812.

He also served as the first governor of New York from 1777 to 1795 and again from 1801 to 1804. Along with John C. Calhoun, he is one of two VPs to ever serve under two consecutive presidents.

After the Revolutionary War, he became a prominent Anti-Federalist and campaigned against ratifying the Constitution and advocated for adding the Bill of Rights. He replaced Aaron Burr on the Democratic-Republican ticket with Thomas Jefferson in 1804.

His nephew, DeWitt Clinton, would continue the family political dynasty after his death.

Held the record for longest-serving governor in U.S. history until 2015 (Terry Branstad of Iowa).

William Crawford (1772-1834)

An American politician and judge who served as Secretary of War and Secretary of the Treasury before he ran for president in the tight Election of 1824.

His candidacy and aim to follow President James Monroe as the proposed 4th consecutive Virginian president, was thwarted as he ran after suffering a dibilatating stroke.

His split of the Electoral College (along with Andrew Jackson, John Quincy Adams, and Henry Clay) forced the election to be decided by the House of Representatives and triggering the "Corrupt Bargain" controversy.

Frederick Douglass (1817-1895)

An American social reformer, abolitonist, orator, writer, and statesman. He became the most important leader of the movement for African-American civil rights in the 19th century.

After escaping from slavery in Maryland in 1838, he became a national leader of the abolionist movement due to his personal experiences and gifted speaking and writing skills.

At first he joined William Lloyd Garrison's radical group who wanted to get rid of the entire Constitution as a pact with the devil. This man would split from Garrison and sought to abolish slavery within the constitutional system.

He wrote three autobiographies describing his slave experiences. He also actively supported women's suffrage.

William Duane (1760-1835)

An American journalist, publisher, author, and activist of Irish descent who was active on four continents.

As editor of the "Philadelphia Aurora," he became a leading publicist for Thomas Jefferson and the Democratic-Republican Party as well as for the Irish community against the recently passed Alien and Sedition Acts against foreigners.

The Federalist Party and their allies in the press accused him of supporting interracial democracy in a conspiracy with France to divide the American people.

In late years, he joined Andrew Jackson's Democratic Party in their opposition to the 2nd National Bank.

Thomas Earle (1796-1849)

An American journalist, lawyer, and politician.

He played an active role in calling the 1837 constitutional convention of Pennsylvania to redraft the state constitution.

He lost his popularity with Democrats after advocating extending suffrage to African-Americans. He unsuccessfully ran on the 1840 presidency as James G. Birney's running mate under the Liberty Party.

John Eaton (1790-1856)

An American politician and ambassador from Tennessee who served as U.S. Senator and as U.S. Secretary of War during the Andrew Jackson presidency. He was 28-years-old when he entered the Senate, making him still the youngest U.S. Senator in history.

He and his wife Peggy became the focus of controversy during Andrew Jackson's first term during the Petticoat Affair. The wives of the vice-president, cabinet members, and members of Congress refused to socialize with Peggy because of her marriage so soon after her first husband's death, which lead to rumors that she had been unfaithful to her first husband before his death.

He resigned from the cabinet to quell the controversy and received appointments as governor of Florida Territory and U.S. Minister to Spain.

Margaret O'Neale Timberlake Eaton (1799-1879)

The wife of John Eaton, U.S. Senator and Secretary of War, and a confidant to President Andrew Jackson.

Her marriage to Eaton cause the national controversy known as the Petticoat Affair, which saw her be publicly ostracized by most of the society women of Washington, D.C.

While better known in history as Peggy, she stated in her autobiography, "I never was called Peggy in all my life...I was ordinarily called by my proper name of Margaret."

George Henry Evans (1805-1856)

A radical reformer who was in the Working Men's movement of 1829 and the trade union movements of the 1830s.

His slogan "Vote Yourself a Farm" was used while gathering petitions signed by 55,000 Americans calling for free public lands for homesteaders to encourage westward expansion. The logic went that if the Eastern seaboard's excess population moved west, wages would rise for those who stayed and standards of living would rise for everyone.

His efforts along with notable allies like Horace Greeley earned him the title "Father of the Homestead Act."

John Fenno (1751-1798)

A Federalist Party newspaper editor among early American publishers and a major figure in the history of American newspapers, his "Gazette of the United States" played a major role in the shaping of America's political party system.

Under his leadership, the Gazette became the semi-official government newspaper. Alexander Hamilton was heavily active in the Gazette, often writing under aliases.

Thomas Jefferson and other Democratic-Republicans would establish the "Aurora" and "National Gazette" as rival publications to espouse Democratic-Republican values.

He would get into a fist fight with Benjamin Franklin Bache, editor of the Aurora.

John Floyd (1783-1837)

An American politician and military officer who represented Virginia in the U.S. House of Representatives and later served as the 25th governor of Virginia.

During his career in Congress, he advocated for settling of the Oregon Country.

During the Election of 1832, he was selected by John C. Calhoun to serve as the Nullifier Party's candidate. South Carolina voted to give the state's 11 electoral votes to him.

He was governor of Virginia during Nat Turner's Rebellion. And although he was an advocate for state's rights, he supported the gradual abolition of slavery on account of its inefficiency.

Phillip Freneau (1752-1832)

An American poet, nationalist, polemicist, sea captain, and early American newspaper editor sometimes called the "Poet of the American Revolution."

Through his Philadelphia newspaper, the "National Gazette," he was a strong critic of President George Washington and the Federalist Party and supported Thomas Jefferson and the Democratic-Republican Party.

Jefferson hired him as a translator for the State Department even though he only spoke English and French. Under his leadership "National Gazette" would target Alexander Hamilton's policies and personal attacks against President Washington.

Albert Gallatin (1761-1849)

A Gevevan-American politician, diplomat, ethnologist, and linguist. Often Described as "America's Swiss Founding Father," he was a leading figure in shaping the early U.S.'s financial system and foreign policy.

A member of the Democratic-Republican Party, he held influential roles across four presidencies, most notably as the longest-serving U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. He also founded New York University.

As Treasury Secretary he reduced government spending, checks and balances for government expenses, and financed the Louisiana Purchase. In the aftermath of the War of 1812, he had kept most of Hamilton's financial system in place and helped found the Second Bank of the United States.

William Lloyd Garrison (1805-1879)

An American abolitionist, journalist, and social reformer. Best known today for his widely-read anti-slavery newspaper "The Liberator," which he founded in 1831 and published in Boston until slavery was abolished in 1865.

His brand of abolitionism promoted "no-governmentism" and rejected the validity of the U.S. government because of its engagement in war, imperialism, and slavery made it corrupt and tyrannical.

Co-founder of the American Anti-Slavery Society and promoted immediate and uncompensated emancipation. After the abolition of slavery, he would promote women's suffrage.

Edmond-Charles Genêt (1763-1834)

The French envoy to the United States appointed by the Girondins during the French Revolution.

His actions upon arrive in America led to a major political and international incident. Instead of heading to the capital in Philadelphia, he stayed in South Carolina raising money and privateer boats to attack British forces, risking America's sought-after neutrality.

President George Washington asked the French government to recall him.

Fearing for his life due to a new political party gaining power (the Montagnards) he was allowed to live in America in exile for the rest of his life.

Elbridge Gerry (1744-1814)

An American Founding Father, merchant, politician, and diplomat who served as the 5th vice-president under President James Madison from 1813 until his death in 1814.

The political practice of gerrymandering is named after him.

He would sign the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation, but would be one of three men to refuse to sign the Constitution because it originally lacked a Bill of Rights.

He opposed political parties and made friends on both sides of the aisle between Federalists and Democratic-Republicans. He was a member of the diplomatic delegation during the XYZ Affair.

As governor of Massachusetts, the legislature approved a new state senate district map that led to the term "gerrymander."

He is the only signer of the Declaration of Independence to be buried in Washington, D.C.

Stephen Girard (1750-1831)

A French-born American banker, philanthropist, and slave owner. Born in Bordeaux, France, he would establish a name for himself in the banking industry and would buy or obtain ownership of most of the stock of the First Bank of the United States after its charter wasn't renewed by Congress.

During the War of 1812, he single-handedly saved the federal government from bankruptcy by personally financing the American war effort.

Fortune magazine estimated him to be the 5th-richest American ever behind John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and John Jacob Astor.

Having no children himself, he devoted much of his fortune to charity, in particular the education and welfare of orphans.

Duff Green (1791-1875)

An American teacher, military leader, Democratic Party politician, journalist, author, diplomat and industrialist.

He was a school teacher in Kentucky before serving in the War of 1812 and the later Indian Campaign.

In 1826, he bought and later edited the Washington, D.C., newspaper "The United States Telegraph," which became the principal paper for Jackson supporters, helping defeat President John Quincy Adams in the Election of 1828.

He would join Jackson's unofficial Kitchen Cabinet of advisors. He would split from Jackson after supporting John C. Calhoun during the Petticoat Affair and Nullification Crisis.

In his later life, he would support the Confederacy and would be pardoned by President Andrew Johnson and made to pay a fine of $20,000.

Angelina Grimké (1805-1879)

An American abolitionist, political activist, women's rights advocate, and supporter of women's suffrage.

At one point, she was the "most notorious" woman in the country with her and her sister Sarah consideredf the only notable examples of white Southern women abolitonists.

The peak of her fame was between 1835 and 1838 when she published her letters in "The Liberator" and gave anti-slavery speeches in front of Pennsylvania Hall. Challenged for speaking in public to mixed audiences of men and women, she and her sister fiercely defended women's right to make speeches and participate in political discourse.

Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804)

An American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first Secretary of Treasury from 1789 to 1795 during George Washington's first term as president.

During the Revolutonary War, he was George Washington's long-serving aide-de-camp.

After the war, he spearheaded the Annapolis Concention after the failings exposed by Shays' Rebellion and served as a delegate at the Constitutional Convention, helping ratify the document nationwide by writing 51 of the 85 essays that comprimse "The Federalist Papers."

Under his leadership, he would create America's financial system from scratch with a strong central government, an energetic president, and an industrial (not agrarian) economy).

He successfully argued that there were implied powers in the Constitution and created the national debt, assume states' debt, create the First Bank of the United States, which was funded by tariffs and a excise tax on whiskey.

His political philosophy became the basis for the Federalist Party. He would be killed in a duel by Aaron Burr after he opposed Burr's run for president in 1800 and then governor of New York in 1804.

Jared Ingersoll (1749-1822)

An American Founding Father, lawyer, and statesman from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

A delegate to the Continental Congress and a signer of the U.S. Constitution, he served as DeWitt Clinton's running mate in the Election of 1812, but were defeated by Democratic-Republicans James Madison and Elbrdige Gerry.

While serving as the U.S. attorney for Pennsylvania and city solicitor for Philadelphia he wold argue the cases Chisholm v. Georgia and Hylton v. United States, two of the first cases to appear before the Supreme Court.

Andrew Jackson (1767-1845)

An American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as 7th President of the United States.

Before his presidency, he gained national fame as the hero of the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812 and leader of the Seminole Wars in Florida.

Often praised as an advocate for ordinary Americans ("Jacksonian Democracy") and for preserving the power and strength of the union, he is also infamous for his racial policies, in particular his lifelong antagonism toward Native Americans.

Even though he won the most votes in the popular vote in 1824, he did not win a majority of the Electoral College, resulting in John Quincy Adams winning with the "Corrupt Bargain."

This man's rise in national politics precipitated the 2nd Party System with his Democratic Party going up against the National Republican/Whig Party.

Major incidents from his time in office from 1828 to 1836 were:

- The Nullification Crisis

- Indian Removal Act

- War over the 2nd Bank of the United States

- Petticoat Affair

- Specie Circular

John Jay (1745-1829)

An American statesman, diplomat, abolitonist, signatory of the Treaty of Paris (1783), and a Founding Father of the United States.

He served from 1789 to 1795 as the first Chief Justice of the United States and from 1795 to 1801 as the 2nd governor of New York.

A co-author of the Federalist Papers, he would direct U.S. foreign policy for much of the 1780s and was an important leader of the Federalist Party.

He's most known for his self-titled treaty with Great Britain in 1794 that created 10 years of peaceful trade with Britain but inflamed partisan divide by being seen as too nice and generous by the Francophile Democratic-Republicans.

Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)

An American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the 3rd President of the United States from 1800 to 1808.

He was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence, and after the Revolutionary War served as the nation's first Secretary of State and the nation's 2nd vice-president.

After serving as the minister to France during the post-war years, he returned to be the first Secretary of State and formed the Democratic-Republican Party along with James Madison that supported strict construction of the Constitution, states' rights, agrarian economy, and a small federal government.

As president from 1800 to 1808 he faced several issues including:

- Barbary Pirates conflict

- Purchasing the Louisiana Purchase

- Corps of Discovery

- Aaron Burr treason trial

- Embargo Act of 1807 stopping all international trade.

Amos Kendall (1789-1869)

An American lawyer, journalist, and politician. He rose to prominence as the editor-in-chief of the "Argus of Western America" an influential newspaper in Frankfort, Kentucky.

He used his paper to build the Democratic Party into a national powerhouse. An ardent supporter of Andrew Jackson, he served as the Postmaster General during the Jackson and Van Buren administrations and was one of the most influential members of the Kitchen Cabinet.

Besides writing one of the first biographies of Andrew Jackson, he also was an early investor in Samuel Morse's telegraph.

James Kent (1763-1847)

An American jurist, legislator, legal scholar, and professor at Columbia University. His "Commentaries on American Law" became the formative American law textbook of the antebellum era, and he also established the tradition of law reporting in the United States.

Sometimes referred to as the "American Blackstone."

Rufus King (1755-1827)

An American Founding Father, lawyer, politician, and diplomat. He was a Massachusetts delegate at the Continental Congress and was a signer of the U.S. Constitution.

After ratification, he represented New York in the Senate and was a leading member of the Federalist Party and was that party's last nominee for president during the Election of 1816.

William Berkeley Lewis (1784-1866)

He was an influetnial friend and advisor to Andrew Jackson and helped manage his presidential campaigns in 1824 and 1828.

Once elected, he resided with Jackson in the White House and served in his Kitchen Cabinet. He held mild support for the 2nd Bank of the United States and warned director Nicholas Biddle that Jackson would veto the banks recharter.

He famously selected Jackson's famous toast to John C. Calhoun during the Jefferson Day Dinner of 1830: "Our Federal Union. It must be preserved."

Nathaniel Macon (1757-1837)

An American politician who represented North Carolina in both houses of Congress and was the 5th Speaker of the House from 1801 to 1807.

In his early political career, he was an ardent anti-Federalist and opposed ratifying the Constitution and disliked Alexander Hamilton's economic policies. Thomas Jefferson referred to him as "Ultimus Romanorum" - "the last of the Romans."

He supported traditional Democratic-Republican small government policies and generally opposed the internal improvements promoted at the time by Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun.

He was a lifelong defender of slavery and voted against the Missouri Compromise of 1820 and protested President Andrew Jackson threatening military force during the Nullification Crisis with South Carolina.

Dolley Madison (1768-1849)

The wife of James Madison and First Lady of the United States.

She was noted for holding Washington, D.C., social functions in which both political parties (Federalists and Democratic-Republicans) and was the first to encourage bipartisan cooperation.

During the War of 1812, she would save Gilbert Stuart's 1796 portrait of George Washington. She is often regarded by historians to among the top First Ladies of all time along with Eleanor Roosevelt, Abigail Adams, Jacqueline Kennedy, and others.

James Madison (1751-1836)

An American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father who served as the 4th President of the United States from 1808 to 1816.

Popularly known as the "Father of the Constitution" for his pivotal role drafting and promoting the Constitution and the Bill of Rights as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention and then as a co-writer of the "Federalist Papers."

Alongside Thomas Jefferson, he would create the Democratic-Republican Party to combat the strong federal government under the Federalist Party.

During the Jefferson Administration, he served as Secretary of State and supported the administration during the "Marbury v. Madison" case in 1803.

As president, his main focus would be on combatting British and Native American aggression during the War of 1812. After the war in his second term, he would create the 2nd Bank of the United States and enacted the Tariff of 1816 and gained 26 million acres of Native American land.

John Marshall (1755-1835)

An American statesman, lawyer, and Founding Father who served as the 4th Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court and was the 4th-longest serving justice in American history.

His tenure on the court is widely regarded as one of the most influential ever. Before he was on the Supreme Court, it really wasn't taken that seriously. After his 34 years on the bench, the Supreme Court would transform into an equal branch of government alongside the presidency and Congress.

Before serving on the court, he was one of the diplomats alongside Elbridge Gerry and Charles Cotesworth Pinckney who were told to bribe the French government during the XYZ Affair.

Starting with the monumental 1803 case of "Marbury v. Madison," he would strengthen the Supreme Court's power (judicial review) and through his time on the court in general, advocate and rule in favor of the supremacy of the federal government over states and individuals.

Other famous cases include:

- Fletcher v. Peck (1810

- Dartmouth College v. Woodward (1819)

- McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

- Martin v. Hunter's Lessee (1816)

- Cohens v. Virginia (1821)

- Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)

- Worcester v. Georgia (1832)

George McDuffie (1790-1851)

The 55th governor of South Carolina who led the state during the Nullification Crisis over the Tariff of Abominations against President Andrew Jackson.

He was a prominent member of the South Carolina Nullification Convention in 1832 and drafted the address to the people of the United States.

Louis McLane (1786-1857)

An American lawyer and politician who was a veteran of the War of 1812, a member of the Federalist Party who converted to a Democrat. He seved in the House of Representatives, U.S. Senate (representing Delaware), Secretary of the Treasury, and Secretary of State, minister to Great Britain, and president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.

As a member of President Andrew Jackson's cabinet, he was a prominent figure during the Bank War. In addition, he also drafted the Force Bill in 1833 in response to the Nullification Crisis.

Richard Mentor Johnson (1780-1850)

An American lawyer, military officer, and politician who served as the 9th vice-presdient serving under President Martin Van Buren.

Beginning his career in Kentucky and allied with Henry Clay, he was a member of the war hawks faction that encouraged the War of 1812. He led troops during the Battle of the Thames and was reportedly the man who killed famed Shawnee chief Tecumseh in battle, a claim that he would use in political campaigns.

With his rise in politics, he was criticized for his interracial relationship with Julia Chinn, a mixed-race slave who was classified as an octoroon who he treated as his wife and acknowledge and raised their two daughters together.

Shadrach Minkins (1814-1875)

An African-American fugitive slave from Virginia who escaped in 1850 and reached Boston, Massachusetts.

He is known for being freed from a courtroom after being captured by U.S. marshals under the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. Members of the Boston Vigilance Committee freed and hid him, helping him get to Canada via the Undergroudn Railroad.

James Monroe (1758-1831)

An American statesman, lawyer, diplomat, and Founding Father who served as the 5th President of the United States from 1816 to 1824.

A member of the Democratic-Republican Party, he was the last Founding Father to serve as president as well as the last president of the Virginia Dynasty.

His presidency coincided with the "Era of Good Feelings" and the end of the 1st Party System (Federalists vs. D-Rs).

He would issue his self-named doctrine, a policy limiting European colonialism in the Americas.

He opposed the ratification of the Constitution during the ratification debates. He would help negotiate the Louisiana Purchase with France.

As president, he would sign the Missouri Compromise of 1820 to hopefully settle the spread of slavery debate. He would sign the Adams-Onis Treaty, acquiring Florida and established a new western border with New Spain.

He was a member of the American Colonization Society, and Liberia's capital is named in his honor.

Ely Moore (1798-1860)

An American newspaperman and labor leader who served two terms as a Democratic congressman from New York from 1834 to 1838.

He would form the General Trades Union of New York in 1833, the first union in the United States that contained multiple trades.

In 1834, he became the first president of the National Trade Union and was the first labor leader of a national scope in America.

The NTU helped establish the 10-hour work day in many states. He would give rousing speeches against the moneyed interests and the 2nd Bank of the United States against the average worker.

He would die in the Kansas Territory as the register of the U.S. Land Office during "Bleeding Kansas."

Lucretia Mott (1793-1880)

An American Quaker, abolitionist, women's rights activist, and social reformer.

She formed the idea of reforming the position of women in society when she was amongst the women excluded (including Elizabeth Cady Stanton) from the World Anti-Slavery Convention in London in 1840.

In 1848, she was invited to a meeting that led to the first public gathering about women's rights: the Seneca Falls Convention.

She would sign the Declaration of Rights and Sentiments there as well.

She advocated giving Black men and women the right to vote and her home with her husband James was a stop on the Underground Railroad in Pennsylvania.

Timothy Pickering (1745-1829)

The 3rd U.S. Secretary of State under Preisdents George Washington and John Adams.

He also represented Masschusetts in Congress under the Federalist Party banner.

As Secretary of State, he favored close relations with Great Britain and was ultimately dismissed by Adams in 1800 because he opposed peace with France during the Quasi-War.

During the War of 1812, he became a leader of the New England secession movement and helped organize the Hartford Convention, which ended his political career.

Charles Pinckney (1757-1824)

An American Founding Father, planter, and politician who was a signer of the U.S. Constitution. He was elected and served as the 37th governor of South Carolina and was a Senator and member of the House of Representatives.

At the Constitutional Convention, he along with Pierce Butler, introduced the Fugitive Slave Clause.

At first a Federalist, he would become a Democratic-Republican and attacked the Jay Treaty during the Washington administration and supported universal white male suffrage.

He was appointed minister to Spain under Thomas Jefferson and while in Congress opposed the Missouri Compromise.

Charles Cotesworth Pinckney (1746-1825)

An American statesman, military officer, and Founding Father who served as U.S. minister to France from 1796 to 1797 during the XYZ Affair.

A delegate to the Constitutional Convention, he was twice nominated by the Federalist Party as its presidential candidate in 1804 and 1808, losing both times.

Thomas Pinckney (1750-1828)

An American statesman, diplomat, and military officer who fought in both the American Revolution and the War of 1812. He also served as governor of South Carolina and minister to Great Britain.

While serving in the Washington administration, he was unable to negotiate terms and stop impressment of sailors with the British, but he would be successful as an envoy to Spain and negotiating the Treaty of San Lorenzo (which bears his name), which defined the Spanish/American border in North America and gave navigation rights to the Mississippi River.

He was selected to be John Adams's running mate in 1796, but lost 2nd place to Thomas Jefferson.

James K. Polk (1795-1849)

The 11th President of the United States, serving from 1844 to 1848. He also served as the 13th Speaker of the House from 1835 to 1839 and 9th governor of Tennessee from 1839 to 1841.

A protégé of Andrew Jackson, he was a member of the Democratic Party. He is most known as the Manifest Destiny president and extending U.S. territory to the Pacific Ocean after the Mexican American War and treaties over the Oregon Territory with Great Britain.

He was the first "dark horse" candidate to win the nomination for president in 1844 and defeated the Whig candidate Henry Clay.

His other goals in office were to reduce the tariff rates and re-established an independent treasury system. He promised to only serve one term and would retire to Tennessee, but shortly die from cholera after leaving office.

Sarah Polk (1803-1891)

The First Lady of the United States from 1844 to 1848. She was the wife of President James K. Polk.

She was one of the first First Ladies to take an active role in her husband's campaign itself and offered advice and criticism and wrote an active newspaper column about her husband's political goals, including westward expansion.

A devoutly religious woman, she banned dancing, card games, and hard liquor from White House receptions, earning the nickname "Sahara Sarah."

Her widowhood at 42 years is the longest of any First Lady.

John Randolph (1773-1833)

An American planter and politician from Virginia who served at various times in the House of Representatives between 1799 and 1833 and the Senate from 1825 to 1827. He was also Minister to Russia under President Andrew Jackson.

He famously split from Thomas Jefferson and other Democratic-Republicans in 1805 during what he saw as the over-reaching impeachment trial of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase.

He proclaimed himself the leader of the "Old Republicans," the ultra-conservative wing of the Democratic-Republicans. Specifically, he promoted the Principles of '98, which said that individual states could judge the constitionality of federal laws themselves and could refuse to enforce those laws.

A constant hater of Alexander Hamilton's economic vision and the Federalist Party, he supported small government and an agrarian economy his whole career.

He opposed the War of 1812 and the Missouri Compromise of 1820, and over time would begin to have doubts about slavery and was one fo the co-founders of the American Colonization Society in 1816. He would free all of his slaves from his several tobacoo plantations when he died, providing them money for land and supplies. His former slaves would form their own free community in Rossville (now Piqua), Ohio.

James Shields (1806-1879)

An Irish-American politician and U.S. Army officer who is the only person in U.S. history to serve as a Democratic Senator for three different states (Illinois, Minnesota, and Missouri)

While serving as state auditor of Illinois, he was criticized by a young Abraham Lincoln published a series of inflammatory letters attacking him. He challenged Lincoln to a duel but later made peace and became friends.

He was appointed to be the first governor of the Oregon Territory after serving in the Mexican-American War, but declined.

He would fight again during the Civil War and his troops inflicted the only tactical defeat of Confederate General Stonewall Jackson at the Battle of Kernstown.

Stephen Simpson (1789-1854)

An American banker and journalist, he would work as a cashier at the First Bank of the United States after serving in the War of 1812 at the Battle of New Orleans.

Soon after leaving the cashier job, he would writer for a local Philadelphia newspaper and publicly attacked the First Bank of the United States. The success of these editorials led him to launch his own paper, the "Columbian Observer."

He would attack well-known banker Stephen Girard as well. And when Jackson refused to give him a job in his administration, he started the "Pennsylvania Whig" to attack the abuses of the Jackson administration.

Thomas Skidmore (1790-1832)

An American politician and radical political philosopher.

He is best remembered as the co-founder and leader of the Working Men's Party in New York when it was started in 1829. He was forced out of the party due to his radicalism and strong personality.

He is the author of three books, including a 1829 political treatise against the ideas of Thomas Jefferson and the Democratic-Republicans titeld "The Rigthts of Man to Property!"

He advocated for a constitutional convention to abolish debt, end the rigth of inheritance, and bring about equal distribution of productive and personal property among all adult citizens.

He was one of the first people to support the idea that producers and businessmen were not entitled to the whole value of their product and should be split equitably with their workers.

Margaret Bayard Smith (1778-1844)

An American author and political commentator in the early years of American history, at a time when women generally didn't get involved with politics and was seen as taboo.

Her writings and relationships shaped both politics and society in early Washington, D.C. Her legacy lives on in her collected letters from 1800 to 1841 and published posthumously in 1906 as "The First Forty Years of Washington Society."

Her husband Samuel would start the first newspaper in the nation's capital: the Daily Intelligencer. Thomas Jefferson as president would allow her husband to print the official record of the House of Representatives, which gave her access to the inner workings of Congress and would write in her husband's paper under a pseudonym.

"I am a woman. And society says, 'Thus far and no further shall thou come' - Why then has nature given me a mind so active and enquiring?"

William Smith (1762-1840)

An American politician from South Carolina who served two terms as a Senator. During his life, he was one of the most prominent political leaders in South Carolina and formed an intense rivalry with John C. Calhoun, arguing against Calhoun's nationalist views while advocating for states' rights.

He was one of the first to argue that slavery was a "positive good" after the passage of the Missouri Compromise of 1820.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815-1902)

An American writer and activist who was a leader of the women's rights movement in the U.S. during the mid to late-19th century.

She was the main force behind the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention and was the primary author of the Declaration of Rights and Sentiments. Her demand for women's suffrage at the convention generated controversy but became the central goal of the First Wave of Feminism.

In 1851, she would meet Susan B. Anthony and formed a decades-long partnership. She would serve as the first president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA).

Joseph Story (1779-1845)

An American lawyer, jurist, and politician who served as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1812 until his death in 1845.

He is most remembered for his opinions in Martin v. Hunter's Lessee and United States v. The Amistad and his book "Commentaries on the Constitution of the United States" (1833).

He opposed Jacksonian Democracy who aligned politically with other men of the period such as Alexander Hamilton, John Marshall, and Daniel Webster.

His largest influence according to legal scholars was his steadfast protection of property rights. Only Marshall himself wrote more opinions than him.

James Tallmadge (1778-1853)

An American lawyer and politician who served as a Democratic-Republican congressman out of New York.

His most famous moment was his addition of a rider amendment to the bill that would have admitted Missouri as a new state that would have restricted slavery in the territory and provided for its future termination. This would spark the debate that would end in the Missouri Compromise of 1820.

Roger B. Taney (1777-1864)

An American lawyer and politician who served as the 5th Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1836 until his death in 1864.

He would infamously deliver the majority opinion in Dred Scott v. Sandford in 1857, ruling that Black people (enslaved or free) could not be considered citizens, Congress could not prohibit slavery anywhere in the United States, and that Black people had no rights which white people should respect.

Prior to joining the Supreme Court, he served as Attorney General and Secretary of the Treasury during the Jackson administration and played a major part in the Bank War.

He is also the first Catholic on the Supreme Court.

Lewis Tappan (1788-1873)

A New York abolitionist who dedicated his efforts to secure freedom for the enslaved Africans onboard the Amistad.

He ensured the hiring of high-quality lawyers for the slaves' defense and was instrumental in their winning their Supreme Court case for freedom.

Finally, he fundraised for their return trip home to Africa.

John Taylor of Caroline (1753-1824)

A politician and writer and one of the earliest political philosophers in American history. He served in the Virginia House of Delegates for most of his career and in the U.S. Senate representing Virginia.

A diehard supporter of the Democratic-Republicans and Thomas Jefferson in general, he would support an agrarian economy and small federal government.

He would usher James Madison's "Virginia Resolution" through the Virginia legislature.

John W. Taylor (1784-1854)

An American politician from New York and member of the Democratic-Republican Party who served twice as the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

He supported the proposed Tallmadge Amendment to outlaw slavery in the recently admitted state of Missouri and the subsequent Missouri Compromise of 1820.

He boldly criticized Southern lawmakers who frequently voiced their dismay that slavery was necessary for their way of life.

Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859)

A French aristocrat, diplomat, sociologist, political scientist, and historian.

He is best known for his works "Democracy in America" and "The Old Regime and the Revolution."

Nat Turner (1800-1831)

An enslaved African-American carpenter and preacher who led a four-day rebellion of both enslaved and free Black people in Southampton County, Virginia in August 1831.

His rebellion resulted in the death of approximately 60 white men, women, and children before Virginia state militias suppressed it.

He told his story before his execution to attorney Thomas Ruffin Grey, who published "The Confessions" in November 1831.

John Tyler (1790-1862)

An American politician who served as the 10th President of the United States from 1841 to 1844 after the death of President William Henry Harrison one month into his presidency.

He was an avid supporter and advocate of states' rights, including regarding slavery, and he adopted nationalistic policies only when it didn't infringe on the states' power.

He was originally a Democrat turned Whig who was abandoned by his party and dubbed him "His Accidency."

He would usher the Webster-Ashburton Treaty with Great Britain and the Treaty of Wanghia with China. He also believed in manifest destiny and saw the annexation of Texas as a necessity.

Martin Van Buren (1782-1862)

An American lawyer, diplomat, and statesman who served as the 8th President of the United States from 1836 to 1840.

A primary founder of the Democratic Party, he served as New York's attorney general and U.S. Senator and then briefly as governor of New York before joining Andrew Jackson's administration as his secretary of state, minister to Great Britain, and then, ultimately his vice-president.

He would win the Election of 1836 against a divided Whig Party, but lost re-election in 1840. The Panic of 1837 ruined his popularity as soon as he took office, the costly 2nd Seminole War, and his refusal to admit Texas to the union as a slave state.

As an elder statesman and an important anti-slavery leader who led the Free Soil Party ticket in the 1848 Election.

Stephen Van Rensselaer (1764-1839)

An American landowner, businessman, militia officer, and politician.

Active in politics as a member of the Federalist Party, he served in the New York State Assembly, New York State Senate, and the lieutenant governor of New York.

After the demise of the Federalist Party, he was a John Quincy Adams supporter and served in the House of Representatives. He was an active supporter of education and was the founder of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY.

It was his deciding vote that gave John Quincy Adams the win in the run-off election in the House of Representatives in the combative election of 1824.

As the heir and owner of one of the largest estates in New York, his holdings made him the 10th richest American of all time.

Denmark Vesey (1767-1822)

A free Black man and community leader in Charleston, South Carolina, who was accused and convicted of planning a major slave revolt in 1822.

Although the alleged plot was discovered before it could be realized, its potential scale stoked the fears of antebellum planter class that led to increased restrictions on the actions and non-existent freedom of all Black people, slave or free.

In 1818, he heloped found an independent African Methodist Episcopal (AME) congregation today known as Mother Emanuel.

David Walker (1796-1830)

An American abolitonist, writer, and anti-slavery activist.

Though his father was enslaved, his mother was free; therefore he was free as well.

In 1829, he published "An Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World," a call for black unity and a fight against slavery.

The book brought attention to the abuses and inequality of slavery and it was banned throughout the South.

George Washington (1732-1799)

An American Founding Father, military officer, and politician who served as the 1st President of the United States from 1788 to 1796.

Appointed by the 2nd Continental Congress as the commander of the Continental Army in 1775. He would then serve as the president of the Constitutional Convention in 1787. He is commonly referred to as the "Father of his Country."

As the first president he set several major precedents and though he was personally apolitical and detested political parties, he mostly sided with Federalists like Alexander Hamilton over Democratic-Republicans like Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.

Some of his precedents include a peaceful transfer of power, the title "Mr. President," adn the two-term tradition.

His 1796 farewell address discussed the importance of national unity and the dangers of regionalism, partisanship, and foreign influence.

Daniel Webster (1782-1852)

An American lawyer and statesman who represented New Hampshire and Massachusetts in Congress, first as a Federalist and then as a Whig. He also served as secretary of state under Presidents William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, and Millard Fillmore.

A proflic attorney, he would argue over 200 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and would be considered part of the Great Triumverate alongside Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun.

He would oppose entry into the War of 1812, and did not support John C. Calhoun's theory of nullification nor Andrew Jackson's killing of the 2nd Bank of the United States.

During the Nullification Crisis, his 1830 debate with South Carolina congressman Robert Y. Hayne is widely regarded as the one of the greatest speeches ever delivered in Congressional history.

His key support for the Compromise of 1850 led to its eventual passage and led him to become unpopular in his home region of New England thanks to the expanded Fugitive Slave Act.

Thurlow Weed (1797-1882)

A printer, New York newspaper publishers, and Whig and then Republican politician.

He was the principal political advisor to prominent New York politician William H. Seward and was instrumental in the presidential nominations of William Henry Harrison and Zachary Taylor for the Whig Party and John C. Fremont for the Republican Party.

He supported the American System of Henry Clay and helped establish the Whig Party in the 1830s. He would leave the Whig Party after passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854.

Hugh Lawson White (1773-1840)

A prominent American politician during the first third of the 19th century.

He served in various positions in Tennessee government including filling Andrew Jackson's seat in the U.S. Senate in 1825.

A strict constructionist, he was one of President Jackson's most trusted allies in Congress in the late 1820s and early 1830s.

He would fight against the 2nd Bank of the United States, tariffs, internal improvements, led efforts to pass the Indian Removal Act of 1830, and helped negotiate the Tariff of 1833.

He would turn against Jackson and the Democratic Party and realigned himself with Henry Clay and the Whig Party and would run against Martin Van Buren and William Henry Harrison as a Whig candidate for president in the Election of 1836.

William Wirt (1772-1834)

An American author and statesman who is credited with turning the position of Attorney General into a seat of major influence and power.

He was the longest-serving attorney general in U.S. history, serving under presidents James Monroe and John Quincy Adams for 12 years. He was also the Anti-Masonic nominee for president in the Election of 1832 where he became the first third-party presidential candidate to win a state's Electoral College votes (Vermont).

His first major case was as prosecutor in Aaron Burr's treason trial. After leaving the Cabinet, he would represent the Cherokee in the Supreme Court in Cherokee Nation v. Georgia.

Levi Woodbury (1789-1851)

An American attorney, jurist, and Democratic politician from New Hampshire.

In a 40-year career in public office, he would serve as an associate justice on the Supreme Court, a U.S. Senator, governor of New Hampshire, and Secretary of the Navy and the Treasury in the Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren administrations.

He was appointed to the Supreme Court by President James K. Polk. He was the first justice to have attended law school.

He is only one of three people in history to have served in all three branches of the federal government and also serve as a state governor.

Frances Wright (1795-1852)

A Scottish-born lecturer, writer, freethinker, feminist, utopian socialist, abolitionist, and social reformer who became a U.S. citizen in 1825.

That same year she founded the Nashoba Commune outside of Memphis, Tennessee, as a utopian community to demonstrate how to prepare slaves for eventual emanciaption. It would last only five years.

In the late 1820s, she was among the first women in America to speak publicly about politics and social reforms before gatherings of both men and women.

She advocated for universal education, aboliton of slavery, birth control, equal rights, sexual freedom, legal rights for married women, and liberal divorce laws. She was also vocal in her opposition to organized religion and capital punishment.

In addition, she co-edited "The New Harmony and Nashoba Gazette' with Robert Dale Owen in New Harmony, Indiana.

Silas Wright (1795-1847)

An American attorney and Democratic politician who was a member of the Martin Van Buren-led Albany Regency.

He served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, New York State Comptroller, U.S. Senator, and governor of New York.

He would help lead with Van Buren New York's Democratic Party in the 1820s.