Early Americans you need to know
U.S. History STAAR Test information
George Washington (1732 -1799)
• First President of the United States, the
commander-in-chief of the Continental Army
during the American Revolutionary War, and
one of the Founding Fathers of the United
States. He presided over the Constitution
Convention, established the position of
President, and was hailed as the "father of his
country" even during his lifetime. He used the
national government to preserve liberty,
improve infrastructure, open the western lands
for settlement, promote commerce, found a
permanent capital, reduce regional tensions
and promote a spirit of American nationalism.
John Adams (1735 – July 4, 1826)
• Second president of the United States,
having earlier served as the first vice
president. Adams was a statesman,
diplomat, and a leading advocate of
American independence . Well educated,
he was an Enlightenment thinker who
promoted republicanism, a strong central
government, and wrote prolifically. He was
a delegate in the Continental Congress,
played a leading role in declaring
independence, and then assisted Thomas
Jefferson in drafting the Declaration of
Independence.
Thomas Jefferson (1743 -1826)
• A leader in the Enlightenment, Jefferson
spoke five languages fluently and was
deeply interested in science, invention,
architecture, religion and philosophy.
Founder of the University of Virginia.
Served in the Continental Congress, was the
principal author of the Declaration of
Independence, served as a diplomat during
the Revolution. The third President of the
United States, he oversaw the purchase of
the Louisiana Territory . He was a
spokesman for democracy and the rights of
man with worldwide influence.
James Madison (1751–1836)
• American statesman, political theorist, and
fourth President of the United States.
Hailed as the “Father of the Constitution”
for being instrumental in the drafting of the
Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Also
one of the primary authors of the Federalist
Papers. Helped Jefferson organized the
Republican Party (the DemocraticRepublican Party), and served as
Jefferson’s Secretary of State. President
during the War of 1812. Ended up
supporting a strong national government
and military, and a national bank.
Alexander Hamilton (1755/7 – 1804)
• One of the most influential interpreters
and promoters of the Constitution, the
founder of the nation's financial system,
and the founder of the Federalist Party.
Served as a soldier in the Revolutionary
War and became Washington’s personal
aide. As Secretary of the Treasury, for
George Washington, he established a
national bank, a system of tariffs, and
friendly trade relations with Britain. He
was killed in a duel, by Aaron Burr, over
political differences.
Charles Carroll (1737-1832)
Charles Carroll was educated in Europe and
quickly became involved with the
revolutionary spirit when he returned to
America. He was sent by Maryland to the
Continental Congress. He was a signer of
the Declaration of Independence, and
served on the Board of War during the
Revolution. After the war, he helped set up
the state government of Maryland and
served in the U.S. Senate . He was the last
surviving signer of the Declaration when he
died in 1832 at the age of 95.
John Hancock ( 1736-1793)
John Hancock (Massachusetts) publicly
spoke out against the Stamp Act and the
Boston Massacre. Hancock attended the First
Continental Congress and in 1775 was
elected President of the Second Continental
Congress. He was the first man to sign the
Declaration of Independence, signing largely
at the center of the document. Hancock
served nine terms as the first Governor of
Massachusetts. He was known for his
patriotism and dedication to the American
cause of independence.
John Jay (1745-1829)
John Jay (New York) is considered one of the
Founding Fathers. He served as a member of the
Second Continental Congress, and was one of the
men along with John Adams and Ben Franklin sent
to Paris to negotiate the peace treaty with England.
He worked with Alexander Hamilton and James
Madison and authored five of the Federalist essays.
He was appointed him the first Chief Justice of the
new U.S. Supreme Court. Appointed by John
Adams, he probably averted another war with
England by negotiated a treaty to resolve conflicts.
He resigned from the Supreme Court and became
the Governor of New York for two terms.
John Peter Muhlenberg (1746-1807)
John Peter Muhlenberg (Pennsylvania) was the son of
a Lutheran minister, becoming a minister himself.
While in Virginia, he became a follower of Patrick
Henry. He is said to have supported the American
cause in a sermon in which he cited the verse from
Ecclesiastes which begins with the words, ―To
everything there is a season…a time of peace and a
time of war. And this is a time of war.‖ He later
served in the Continental Army fighting at
Charleston, Brandywine, Stony Point, and Yorktown.
He was also present during the winter at Valley
Forge. After the war, he served in the Pennsylvania
state government before being elected to the U.S.
Congress.
Dr. Benjamin Rush (1745-1813)
Benjamin Rush (Pennsylvania) became a
prominent physician, writer, and one of the
founders of the United States of America. In 1773,
he became active in the Sons of Liberty in
Philadelphia, attended the Continental Congress,
signed the Declaration of Independence, and
served as a surgeon general to the Continental
Army. He later served as a delegate to the
Constitutional Convention . In 1797, he served as
the Treasurer of the U.S. Mint. His deep religious
faith led him to be an avid social reformer
believing in such causes as abolition and prison
and judicial reform.
Jonathan Trumbull, Sr. (1710-1785)
Jonathan Trumbull Sr. (Connecticut) studied
theology at Harvard and later served as a colonial
governor of Connecticut. During the American
Revolution, he became the only colonial governor to
support the American cause. He was a strong
supporter of General Washington and spent the war
doing what he could to recruit troops and raise
supplies for the cause. General Washington is said to
have depended on him for these things during the
trying times of the Revolution. Since he supported
the cause, he was the only colonial governor to
remain in power after independence was declared.
Governor Trumbull died in 1785 and is buried in
Lebanon, Connecticut.
John Witherspoon ( 1723-1794)
John Witherspoon was born in Scotland, and in
1768 came America as the president of Princeton
University . He was also a prominent Presbyterian
minister and believed that morality was crucial to
all those holding public positions of leadership. He
instituted a required course called Moral
Philosophy for his students, his most famous being
James Madison. Witherspoon was elected to the
Continental Congress and was a signer of the
Declaration of Independence. He served in the
Congress all through the war and helped in the
drafting of the Articles of Confederation. He later
served as a delegate in the Constitutional
Convention.
Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859)
Tocqueville was a French political thinker
and historian who traveled throughout
the United States from 1831-1833 where
he examined the political and social
nature of the United States. He authored
Democracy in America, and described
the “exceptionalism”‖ that he saw in
America. His book dealt with many topics
including religion, the press, class
structure, and the role of government.
Today it is still a text that is used in
political science and history courses .