Historical Sketches
James odious
In Feb 1761, he argued against the writs of assistance which allowed british authorities to enter and search any home without probable cause or reasoning at the old state house in boston massachusetts he did not win the case but he did bring awareness and support to the revolutionary movement.
Believed enslaved black people deserve better rights in areas such as freedom ability to own property and basic human rights in life which he wrote about in his political pamphlet rights of the british colonies(1764)
IN 1764 he voiced his opinions regarding the colonist lack of parliamentary representation in a pamphlet and stated that taxation without representation was tyranny
Samual Adams
“Mankind are governed more by their feelings than by reason”
One of the founding fathers of the US also was one of the men to sign the Declaration of Independence
Led a movement known today as the American revolution. As well as fought against the sugar act and the Stamp Act
Advocated for the separation of the US from great britain and was a second cousin to the 2nd president of the united states
Patrick Henry
American politician of the federalist party as well as a planter and orator. He was a founding father of the United states although he did not support the ratification of the United states
He became a lawyer after a failed attempt to run a store and was shortly after elected to the House of Burgesses, where he most notably went against the stamp Act of 1765
He was the first and sixth governor of post colonial Virginia and was a very popular figure.
John hancock
Was the first to sign the Declaration of independence and served as president of the second Continental Congress from 1775 to 1777
Helped raise money for the Revolution helped secure troops and played a role in getting an organized naval force
Served as the first governor of the commonwealth of Massachusetts from 1780 to 1785 and was ree;ected in 1787 and would serve till his death in 1793.
Lord Dunmore
He was the governor of the New york colony in 1770, then was also named governor of the Virginia colony in 1771
Best known for publishing his proclamation which established martial law and offered freedom to slaves who would leave their patriotic owners and join the British Army.
Thomas Paine
He published Common Sense in Jan 1776 which challenged the authority of the British government and the royal monarchy. He did this in support of the Patriot cause. Using clear plain language he rallied the colonist to support the break from britain
He was brought on board in April 1777 to serve as the organization's secretary to the committee of foreign affairs. Write essays in support of the revolution on the side which got him into serious trouble when he publicly mentioned top secret negotiations with the french. Was an intellectual whose political philosophy
Marquis de lafayette
Joined the continental army and led patriot forces in numerous battles and trapped british forces at the siege of yorktown
Served in the national assembly and wrote the declaration of the rights of man and citizen
IN the American Revolution he served as a major general in the continental army under George Washington.
Phillis wheatly
Started writing poetry at the age of 12 and published her first poem at 14 years old
She wrote poems for george washington and he read them to his soldiers
Was the first black person to be published in the colonies
Joseph Brant
He became one of the most active partisan leaders in the frontier war and fought for indigenous land rights as a mohawk and six nations leader
He led the mohawk and iroquois warriors in the battle of american forces
He advocated for education he authorize schools and their translation into the mohawk language
He was a highly proficient soldier who served in the oriskany battle in 1777 and 1778
Justin jefferson
Was born on an island in the west indies and in 1772 came to the mainland colonies and attended kings;s university, and while he was here started writing letters and pamphlets. Protesting against the loyalists( supporters of the crown) and England’s rule over the colonies
Was a founding father and helped to drifter the constitution of the new united states of america in 1788
Was appointed the new us’s first secretary of the treasury by george washington and established public credit and the us first national bank
Elizabeth freeman
Less than one year after the adoption of the Massachusetts state constitution, a brave enslaved woman challenged the document's proposed principles. She was the first African American woman to successfully file a lawsuit for freedom in the state of Massachusetts; this cas marked the beginning of a group of freedom suits that would ultimately lead the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court to outlaw slavery in their state.
Abigail adams
First woman to serve as second lady of the united states and as first lady
Mother of 6
Advocator for women rights and against slavery
John jay
Was an american statesman, patriot, diplomat, abolitionist, signatory of the treaty of paris and a founding father of the united states, serving as the second governor of New york and the first chief of justice of the united states
Successfully passed gradual emancipation legislation as governor of the state but also owned five slaves as late as 1800
Authored three of the articles now called the federalist in which he james madison and alexander hamilton argued effectively in support of ratification of the new federal constitution
Aaron Burr
Served in the American Revolution as a member of George Washington's staff until 1779. He served as state attorney general from 1789 to 1791
Was the thor vice president of the united states in 1800 after losing to thomas jefferson in the electoral race due to alexander hamilton's endorsement of jefferson
Famously killed alexander hamiltion in a duel in 1804 over political rivalries and comments about burr's character
Tecumseh
HE encouraged native peoples to resist white invasion on their territory and to give ip all aspects of white culture such as liquor and other trade goods
In 1808 he and his brother, tenskwatawa established prophet town along the tippecanoe river in indiana territory which were eventually burned to the ground they were sold out on a treaty that sold three million acres of land for a mere 7,600
John marshall
He asserted the judiciary’s authority to expound the constitution as paramount law and to hold the other branches accountable to that law
He served as chief justice for 34 years, which is the longest serving time in history for the supreme court
He assisted with court trials and administered military justice before becoming a lawyer.
Little turtle
He led a coalition force of an estimated number of 1000 warriors
He would lead his warrior on to victory, until in1793 he was subdued by general Anthony wayne st fort recovery( built on the site of saint clair's defeat. And at the battle of fallen timbers
In august 1795 he would sign the treaty of greenville
Eli whitney
He was an American inventor and mechanical engineer and manufacturer widely known for creating the cotton gin in 1793. The cotton gin was one of the key inventions of industrial revolution that shaped the economy
After high school he attended Yale college. There he studied a variety of subjects including math, greek , latin and philosophy. After graduating in 1792 he hoped to study law but he was too short on money so instead he accepted a job as a tutor in georgia
Although he didn't become rich over his parents, many plantation owners did. They were now able to make a lot of money off cotton crops using the cotton gin. This had the unintended consequence that more enslaved people were needed to pick the cotton.
Daniel Webster
He was elected to the united states senate in 1827 by the massachusetts house of representatives
Delivered his seventh of march speech march 7 1850 urging sectional compromise on the issue of slavery. Advising abolition minded northerns to forgo slavery
Henry clay
Was the great compromiser as a statesman for the union his skills of negotiation and compromise proved invaluable in helping to hold the country together for the first half of the 19th century
Advocated the gradual abolition of slavery his compromises quelled regionalism and balanced stats rights and national interests
He proved this when he created the mississippi compromise and squashed the nullification crisis during the war of 1812 he was a leader of the war hawks fraction of congress
Sam huston
He served as a U.S senator from texas and later became the governor of texas
He was a strong advocate for fro native american rights and worked towards peaceful relations with native american tribes. His political career was marked by his commitment to preserving the union and promoting native american rights
Robert Fulton
He designed and operated the world's first commercially successful steamboat his clermont made its historic first run in august 1807 on the hudson river
In the early 1800 steamboats were often considered dangerous and nothing more than a novelty but he believed it could prove to be a successful business venture and built a 150 foot long ship that would make him famous critics dubbed the oat furlongs folly believing it wouldn't make the trip
This was major advancement because it enhanced expansion in the sense that it made travel into common day central united states cheaper and faster using major rivers such as the mississippi and it was used to transport goods as well
Samuel morse
Most renown for his invention of the telegraph which allowed for transmission of messages over long distances by endorsing text into electrical signals which revolutionized long distance communication
Created a system of encoding text characters into a series of dots and dashes knowns as morse code and became a universal means of communication and was widely used in telegraphy and radio comms for many decades
Played a pivotal role in the comics and expansion of the telegraph system through the US
Joseph smith
Grew up on a farmhouse in palmyra new york where at the age of 15 received an ruinart revelation from god to establish a new church on the earth and also under direction from god founded gold plates burn in the ground and translated them into the book of mormon
In 1830 he established the church of jesus christ of latter day saints and gained an amass of followers called pioneers that soon began to travel and migrate west and was eventually killed by an armed mob while he and his brother were in carthage hain in illinois
A couple years before he died he received a revelation ot practice plygamy the marriage to more than one spouse at the same time even though he only shared the practice with a minority of his followers and there was still some controversy
Brigham Young
Young is known for his leadership in expanding and consolidation the LDS church in the american west
Brought the telegraph and the railroad to utah and encouraged cooperative industry
Among latter day saints.
lucretia mott
She joined the hicksite liberal branch of the society of friends , she began to travel about the country lecturing on religion and questions of social reform including temperance the abolition of slavery and peace
She was president and founder of the philadelphia female anti slavery society and in 1837 she helped organize the anti slavery convention of american women she also held a convention for women's rights in 1849 with elizabeth cady stanton which was able to issue a declaration of sentiments based on the declaration of independence it stated that all men and women are created equal
After the civil war she worked to secure the franchise and educational opportunities for freed men since passage of fugitive slave law in 1850 she and her husband had also opened their home to runaway slaves escaping via the underground railroad she continued to be active in the causes women's rights peace and liberal religion until her death
Elizabeth cady stanton
Author, lecturer and chief philosopher of the women's rights and suffrage movements formulated the agenda for women's rights that guided the struggle well into the 20th century .
She became the president of the women's political union in 1915
Succeeding her mother and edited the organization's women's political world
In the 1880 she susan b anthony and matilda hoslyn gage produced three volumes of the history of women suffrage
Susan B Anthony.
Founded the new york women's state temperance society after she was prevented from speaking at a temprencance conference because she was a female and became an american social reformer and women's rights activist who played a pivotal role in the women's suffrage movement
After the civil war she initiated the american equal rights association which campaigned for equal rights for both women and african americans she and elizabeth cady stanton began pulsing a women's rights newspaper in 1868 called the revolution. A year later they founded the nautical woman suffrage association as part of a split in the women's movement
She was arrested in her home in 1872 for voting violations of laws that allowed only men to vote.
Abby kelly foster
She was born in massachusetts her quaker upbringing influenced her outlook and after attending boarding school she held teaching positions in worcester, millbury and lynn and massachusetts
She was an abolitionist and devoted her whole life creating a more equitable society she used her skill as a lecturer and educator to advocate the rights of african americans and women
She helped develop plans for the first nationals women's rights convention held in Worcester MA was an organizer of the founding convention of the new england women suffering association and under the auspices of the american anti slavery society.
Sojourner Truth
She was an outspoken advocate for civil and womens rights in the 19th century. Her civil war work earned her an invitation to meet president abraham lincoln in 1864
At the 1851 women's rights convention she delivered what is now recognized as one of the most famous abolitionist and women's rights speeches in American history, ain't i a woman.
Just like Harriet Tubman she was an escaped enslaved woman who helped recruit black soldiers during the civil war. She also helped donate supplies like food and clothes to black refugees
Henry david theroan
American essayist, poet and practical philosopher renowned for having iced the doctrines of transcendentalism as recorded in his masterwork, Walden( 1854), and for having been a vigorous advocate of civil liberties
He practiced civil disobedience in his own life and spent a night in hail for his refusal to pay taxes in protest of the Mexican American war. It is thought that this night's inhale prompted him to write civil disobedience. He delivered the first drafted of the treaties as an oration to concord lyceum in 1848, and the text was published in 1849 under the title resistance to civil government
He and other opponents of the mexican american war argued that the campaign constitute an unnecessary act of aggression and that it was pursue on the basis of arrogance rather than any philosophy
Ralph waldo emerson
The most widely known man of letters in america establishing himself as a prolific poet, essayist, popular lecturer and an advocate of social reforms who was nevertheless suspicious of reform and reformers
In 1829 he accepted a call to serve as junior pastor at boston's second church serving only until 1832 when he resigned at least in part over his objections to the validity of the lord's supper
In 1836 he and his colleagues founded the transcendental club which served as the center of the transcendentalist movement. It was the belief that each individual must.
Fredrick douglass
He rose to fame with the 1845 publication of his first book the narrative of the life of frederick douglass, an american slave written by himself
He fought through most of his career for the abolition of slavery and worked with notable abolitionists like william Llyod garrison and gerrit smith
He served under five presidents as US marshall for DC, recorder of deeds from DC and minister resident and consul general haiti.
William garrison
Was a printer newspaper publisher, radical abolitionist, suffragist, civil rights activist who spent his life distributing the peace of the nation in the cause of justice
He published the liberator every week for thirty five years. He gave speeches and helped found antislavery societies. He worked with and inspired activist such as charles lenox remond, frederick Douglass, Lucy stone, Abby kelley foster, Wendell phillips and others
After slavery and the liberator ended in 1865, he continued to demand equality for blacks and women.
Harriet beacher stowe
Publisher of Uncle Tom's cabin which made slavery people mad but fueled the push for abolition
Daughter of a very powerful congregations
John C Fremont
He was an explorer, map maker and apolitical in the United states. He was a two time presidential candidate, and was the first republican nominee in 1856. He was a founder of the California Republican Party
During the Mexican American War he led the Californian Battalion to capture the cities of Santa Barabara part of los Angeles, and presidio. He also signed the treaty of Cahuenga, which ended the war in most of California
During the CIvil War he served as a major General he was a commander of the army's department of the west but he was a very inefficient leader.
Charles Summner
He was known for his passionate speeches against slavery and his advocacy for civil rights. He was a key figure in the passage of the thirteenth Amendment which abolished slavery in the United states. He also played a crucial role in the Reconstruction Era after the civil war, advocating for equal rights for freed slaves
His political career was marked by
Roger B Taney
He served in the Maryland house of delegates for a year before losing his seat during an anti-Federalist surge brought in by Thomas Jefferson
He led Cooties which was a section of the federalist party that supported the war of 1812
In 1836 he became chief justice of the supreme court and in march of 1857 he delivered the decision on Dred Scott V sandford which declared that slaves were not citizens of the US and could not be sure in federal courts.
John brown
John was a christian abolitionist who believed slavery went against his christian beliefs as well as the declaration of Independence that states all men are created equal
He led fellow abolitionist as well as his own sons in the civil war of bleeding Kansas that debated whether the state of kansas should be a slave state or free state in the 1850s
John was tried for treason by the commonwealth of virginia for him and his sons involvement in the murder of 5 men.
Clara brow
Was a nurse during the civil war for the union though credited to help nurse confederate soldiers as well
Established the bureau of records of missing men of the armies of the US throughout her work she and her workers her able to identify 22000 missing soldiers
Founded the american red cross in 1880 and served as its president from 1881 to 1904
Cornulies
At the age of 23 he was amidst a growing steamboat business war with the livingston/Ogden steamboat monopoly. He worked as Hinnsons business manager as well as running his own side business growing a monopoly of steamboats an routes on various waterways
He extended his monopolies by cutting prices and driving opponents stock shares down then buying them out an continuing the princess vanderbilt first expanded his steamboats from New Jersey to New York
After 1830 railroads connected boston to long slang sound
J.P Morgan
He reorganized several major trailers and became a powerful railroad magnate; he played a crucial role in turning around struggling railroads, making them more efficient and profitable. His changes helped the trains run better and made the railroad business successful.
He played a part in forming monopolies by bringing together big companies like US steel. His influence and financial support helped these companies dominate their industries creating powerful monopolies during this time
He was important in finance through his company, J.P morgan and co. He played a key role in making major companies better.
Andrew Carnegie
American industrialist and philanthropist, led expansion of american steel industry
One of the richest americans in history, have wat around 350 million to charity, almost 90 percent of his wealth
His 1889 article “the gospel of wealth” called on the rich to share their wealth for the betterment of society.
John D Rockefeller
Known for creating one of the biggest oil companies in the world he was even considered on of the richest men in the world
Started in the business of trade dealing hay grain and meats and later switched to oil due to a rising interest in oil in pennsylvania
Grew a monopoly with associate henry flagler and out purchased many other oil companies and became an empire.
Alexander Galhen
He grew up in scotland and was initially homeschooled by his father who was a professor he later would attend high school as well as the university of edinburgh
Most famous for his invention of the telephone
Also invented other devices such as the metal detector and audiometer
Mary lease
She was an advocate of the suffrage movement as well as temperance but she was best known for her work with the people's party
She believed the big business had made the people of america into wage slaves declaring wall street own the country it is no longer a government of the people by the people and fro the people but a government of wall street