THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION –
IDENTIFICATION MATCHING ACTIVITY
The Founding Fathers and the
Revolution
A. GEORGE WASHINGTON
On Christmas Day, 1776, he led
his men on a daring raid of
Trenton, New Jersey, crossing the
icy Delaware River to surprise his
Hessian opponents. Although he
was the leading military figure of
his day in the American colonies,
Washington’s military track
record left something to be
desired. His blunders had helped
to start the French and Indian
War, and he was on the losing
side of several major battles.
B. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
He helped write the Declaration
of Independence, and helped to
negotiate The Treaty of Alliance
with the French after the Battle
of Saratoga. He also helped to
shape the Treaty of Paris of
1783, ending the war with
England... From which the
United States won all of the
territory east of the Mississippi
River. He was the eldest
member of the Constitutional
Convention. Often, he is called
the “Original American” man.
C. KING GEORGE III
He issued the Proclamation of
1763 after the French and
Indian War came to a close;
Americans were outraged that
they would be denied access to
the Ohio River Valley.
Throughout the Revolutionary
War Era, Americans were
frustrated with the lack of
involvement of the Crown in
protecting their rights. After the
war, mental illness would
destroy the King’s good health.
D. JOHN HANCOCK
He was a well-known smuggler
of sugar, molasses, and rum, and
served as the mayor of Boston.
He was arrested by the British
for his smuggling. He affixed
his signature to the Declaration
of Independence in grand form,
so that the King might see it
better.
E. JOHN ADAMS
He defended the soldiers
accused during the Boston
Massacre; yet he was a strong
advocate for independence. He
authored the Declaration of
Rights and Grievances as a
member of the First Continental
Congress, and served as a
diplomat during the
Revolutionary War. He was one
of the committee of men
selected to write the Declaration
of Independence in 1776, but
deferred to most of what
Thomas Jefferson penned.
F. JAMES OTIS
He coined the phrase, “No
Taxation Without
Representation!” By the end of
the Revolutionary War period,
he suffered from dementia, and
he has been neglected by
history. But during the
Revolutionary War Era, he was
remembered fondly by most of
the Founding Fathers, who
uniformly endorsed his battle
cry!
G. PATRICK HENRY
This member of the Virginia
House of Burgesses was enraged
by the occupation of Boston by
British soldiers in 1774. He
stormed, “I know not what path
others may take, but as for me,
give me liberty or give me
death!” In many ways, Henry
was committing an act of
treason when he spoke out so
rashly. Yet, based on his mixed
record for bravery and
defensive explanation, Henry
probably would have avoided
death at all cost if he were ever
put on trial to defend himself…
H. SAMUEL ADAMS
He was the leader of the Sons of
Liberty and one of the principle
organizers of the Boston Tea Party.
Today, his is sometimes remembered
as “Brewer, Patriot…” During his
time, though, he was considered the
champion of the common man. He
did not always publically approve of
the methods used by committees of
justice or the Sons of Liberty
themselves; however, he understood
that men who had been much
frustrated in exercising their rights
might need to resort to direct action.
I. CRISPUS ATTUCKS
This man, who was part AfricanAmerican and part Native America,
was murdered on March 5, 1770,
during the Boston Massacre. He was
a free man, and a dockworker in
Boston.
Also killed at the Boston Massacre:
Mr. Samuel Gray, rope-maker.
Mr. James Caldwell, ship mate.
Mr. Samuel Maverick, teenager.
Mr. Patrick Carr, leatherworker.
Mr. Christopher Monk, who died ten
years later of wounds from the
Boston Massacre…
J. THOMAS JEFFERSON
He was the author of The
Declaration of Independence.
He also contributed the Virginia
Statute of Religious Freedom, an
important contribution which
served as a precursor to the First
Amendment. During the
fighting of the American
Revolution itself, Jefferson was
not distinguished for his role.
As governor of Virginia, he
surrendered and fled. Later, he
was assigned to diplomatic
duties during the Revolutionary
War.
K. THOMAS PAINE
He was the author of both
Common Sense, which
encouraged Americans to claim
Independence, and The
American Crisis, which
encouraged the Continental
Army to fight on! Thomas Paine,
however, was not an American
by birth. Indeed, he was an
English corset-maker by trade,
and applied himself to the cause
of liberty across the glove
during his lifetime.
L. PAUL REVERE
His etching of the Boston
Massacre was a piece of wildly
inaccurate propaganda. And his
role in the midnight ride to
warn the men of Lexington and
Concord to prepare for battle
was much exaggerated, too.
First of all, he was not alone.
There were at least two others
warning the minutemen of
Massachusetts that the British
were on their way. Secondly,
some accounts suggest that
Revere may have been quite
polluted by the end of the
“Midnight Ride…”
“THE BOSTON
MASSACRE”
PAUL REVERE
Paul Revere is best
remembered as the
messenger who
warned minutemen
in Lexington and
Concord that “The
Redcoats are
Coming!” His more
important role,
though, was as the
artist of this piece of
propaganda
material… The real
Boston Massacre
DID NOT look like
this!
M. DANIEL MORGAN
His riflemen were
extraordinarily
influential during
the Revolutionary
War, playing
decisive roles in the
battles at Saratoga –
a turning point in
the Revolutionary
War – and at the
Battle of Cowpens
during the Southern
campaign. The men
used guerrilla
tactics, including
“Turkey Calls” to
organize ambushes
against the British
during the war.
N. JOHN DICKENSON
He was the author of the Olive
Branch Petition in 1775, one of
the last ditch efforts made by the
First Continental Congress to
avoid war with England. As
close to a Tory as any American
Revolutionary could be,
Dickenson went out of his way
to make certain that the British
would be granted every
opportunity to make amends
and reconcile with their
Americans colonists before
supporting the War for
Independence. John Adams
could not endure him!
O. NATHAN HALE
He was a schoolteacher in
New York who also worked
as a spy for the American
cause against the British.
He was discovered and
hanged in 1776. Nathan
Hale is perhaps most
famous for his defiant
statement to the British as
he was being led to his
execution: “I regret that I
have but one life to give for
my country!”
P. MARQUIS DE LA FAYETTE
This Frenchman volunteered to
aide George Washington at
Valley Forge, before the French
government had committed to
supporting the Americans in the
Revolutionary War. Without the
support of the French, the United
States would have had no
military expertise, no navy, and
in all probability, no victory
during the Revolutionary War.
Q. BARON FRIEDRICH VON
STEUBEN
This Prussian military man had
padded his resume a bit before
joining George Washington and
the Continental Army at Valley
Forge. It turns out, all of the
military experience he claimed
to have gained as a member of
the Prussian Army was fictitious.
Nevertheless, he was very skilled
at training soldiers. Long after
the war, their rumor persist that
Von Steuben may have been
homosexual. The attitudes of
the period towards gay rights
means that little evidence
supports the claim today.
R. BENEDICT ARNOLD
He was the hero of the Battle of
Saratoga in 1777; however, in
1780, he would become the
nation’s most despised traitor.
He attempted to hand over the
keys to West Point to the British.
Today, “Benedict Arnold” is an
insult in many societies –
indicating that one is a traitor to
one’s friends and signifying the
worst form of betrayal.
S. JOHN PAUL JONES
This naval hero commanded the
Bonhomme Richard in an
historic battle which result in
his capture of the HMS Serapis.
He was one of America’s only
naval heroes; the nation had no
navy! Not to be confused with
(a) the rich donor who sent
U.Va a lot of money for the
naming rights to their new
basketball arena, or (b) the
bassist for Led Zepplin!
JOHN PAUL JONES
T. CHARLES CORNWALLIS
On October 17, 1781, at
Yorktown, Virginia, he
surrendered his Army to George
Washington in what would
become the final major
engagement of the
Revolutionary War. Cornwallis
had left the Southern campaign
and moved his army to the
North in hopes of drawing the
enemy rebels to ground he
could better defend. Ironically,
the peninsula at Yorktown
afforded Americans and their
French allies the perfect place to
coordinate their plans.
U. FRANCIS MARION
Known as the “Swamp Fox,” this
man led Patriot forces in South
Carolina against loyalists. The
lead character in the film “The
Patriot” is based – very loosely –
on this man. Today, Marion is
considered one of the great
Revolutionary War heroes in
South Carolina. The guerrilla
style warfare which his men
employed was not considered
“civilized” at the time; however,
it was the Americans only
chance at victory!
V. NATHANEAL GREENE
After taking over the
Continental Army’s southern
brigade – replacing Horatio
Gates – he kept Charles
Cornwallis on a merry chase
from King’s Mountain to
Cowpens to Guilford
Courthouse. Nathaneal Greene
is better remembered today for
his role in the Southern
Campaign – fighting against
Cornwallis and the British Army
– in the American South.
W. GEORGE MASON
He was the author of the
Virginia Declaration of Rights,
which was added to Virginia’s
Constitution, and served as a
precursor to the Bill of Rights.
Although a devoted and
patriotic American, he refused
to support the ratification of the
Constitution due to his concern
for the rights of men. He
insisted that a Bill of Rights be
added to the document before
he would approve it.
X. JAMES MADISON
This man was an advocate of the
Virginia Statute of Religious
Freedom, the “Father of the
Constitution,” and the sponsor of
the Bill of Rights. James Madison
would go on to become the
fourth President of the United
States, but his influence on
American History was already
profound before he won
election. Madison was closely
associated with Thomas
Jefferson and was frequently
conferred with when questions
about the “Founding Fathers”
true intentions were asked.