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John Trumbull Sr.
In 1736, John Trumbull Sr was elected to Connecticut’s House of Representatives. By 1740, he became Speaker of the House. Trumbull was an important member of the General Assembly. He helped resolve issues ranging from religious disputes to international disagreements. By 1775, Governor Trumbull was speaking out for the patriot cause and pushing the General Assembly to pass legislation that would prevent loyalists from serving as officers in the Connecticut militia. -
john witherspoon
Was known as a Founding Father of the United States. John Witherspoon was the President of Princeton. He was a vocal advocate for colonial independence and served in the Continental Congress. Witherspoon was the only member of the clergy to sign the Declaration of Independence, Witherspoon always fought to ensure religious freedoms in the new United States. Witherspoon spearheaded the rebuilding of the campus, dedicating himself to the cause while also serving in the New Jersey legislature -
John Hancock
John Hancock was an American merchant, statesman, and prominent Patriot of the American Revolution. He served as president of the Second Continental Congress and was the 1st and 3rd Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. As president of the Continental Congress, Hancock is credited as the first signer of the Declaration of Independence. He is remembered for his large and stylish signature on the United States Declaration of Independence. -
Charles Carroll
Charles Carrol was the senator of Maryland. Charles Carrol was the last living signatory of the Declaration of Independence. Charles Carroll was a leading role in burning of Annapolis harbor of the peggy stewart. Charles Carroll was also a member of the second continental congress. He also signed his name as "Charles Carroll of Carrolton" so people will not confuse him with his father. -
John Jay
John Jay served as the first chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court among a variety of top government posts. The New York native drafted the state’s first constitution in 1777 and the following year was chosen president of the Continental Congress. He then became U.S. minister to Spain, helping to broker the 1783 Treaty of Paris that ended the Revolutionary War. Jay was appointed the Supreme Court’s chief justice in 1789 and helped shape procedures in its formative years. -
Benjamin Rush
known as one of the founding fathers of the United States. Benjamin Rush was a civic leader in Philadelphia, where he was a physician, politician, social reformer, educator and humanitarian. He went down in history as a founding father when he became one of the first signers of the Declaration of Independence. Using his medical knowledge during the war effort he was known as the surgeon general for the Middle Department of the army. In 1783 he chartered the first collagen the United States. -
John Peter Muhlenberg
known for being an American clergyman and continental army solider during the Revolutionary War, as well as, a political figure in the newly independent United States. Toward the end of 1775 George Washington personally asked John Peter Muhlenberg to raise a German Regiment for the continental army. Soon after he was promoted to Major General. He was known for his courage in battle and administrative merits. After the war he served three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. -
The Declaration of Independence
Drafted by Thomas Jefferson. The document was adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4th, 1776. The Declaration of Independence announced that the Thirteen American Colonies who were at war with the Kingdom of Great Britain, who regarded themselves as Thirteen Newly Independent Sovereign States who were no longer under British rule. The Declaration was ultimately a formal explanation of why congress had voted on July 2nd to declare independence from Great Britain. -
E Pluribus Unum
A motto of the United States Latin term that stands for “Out of many, one.” It refers to the Union formed by the separate states. E Pluribus Unum was adopted as a national motto in 1776 and is now found on the Great Seal of the United States and on United States currency. it was suggested in 1776 by Pierre Eugene du Simitiere to the committee responsible for developing the seal. The traditionally understood meaning of the phrase was that out of many states (or colonies) emerges a single nation. -
U.S. Constitution
The U.S. Constitution is the supreme law of the United States of America. The document contains seven articles that frame the government. The first three article’s describe the separation of power. The federal government is divided into three branches: legislative (congress), the executive (President), and the judicial (Supreme Court). The Constitution assigned to Congress is responsible for organizing the executive and judicial branches, raising revenue, declaring war, and making laws. -
Eminent Domain
Eminent Domain is the right of a government to take private property for public use by virtue of the superior dominion of the sovereign power over all lands within its jurisdiction.The Fifth amendment states "nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation." Prior to the Fourteenth Amendment the power of eminent domain of state governments was unrestrained by any federal authority. The reason for this was because the 5th amendment did not apply to the states. -
Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights is the collective name for the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The Bill of Rights was written by James Madison in response to several states requesting greater constitutional protection for individual liberties. Federalists argued that the Constitution did not need a bill of rights, because the states kept any powers not given to the federal government. Anti-Federalists held that a bill of rights was necessary to safeguard individual liberty. -
Fifth Amendment
The Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights and protects a person from being compelled to be a witness against themselves. "Pleading the Fifth" is a term for invoking the “Fifth amendment” that allows a witness to decline to answer questions where the answers might incriminate them. The Fifth Amendment outlines basic constitutional limits on police procedure. The Framers derived the Grand Juries Clause and the Due Process Clause from the Magna Carta. -
Alex de Tocqueville and his five principles
Came to the U.S. to answer the question of democracy since France was going back and forth on absolutism and radical democracy. Wrote the book Democracy in America. Liberty: being free in a society without restrictions imposed by govt. Egalitarianism: all people deserve equal rights and opportunities. Individualism: being independent and self-reliant. Populism: the right for individuals to have control over the government. Laissez-faire: govt. can't interfere in the workings of the free market. -
In God We Trust
“In God We Trust”, is the official motto of the United States. It was adopted as the nation's motto in 1956 as an alternative or replacement to the unofficial motto of E pluribus Unum, which was adopted when the Great Seal of the United States was created and adopted in 1782. The motto “In God We Trust” was placed on United States coins largely because of the increased religious sentiment existing during the Civil War. Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P.
