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John Witherspoon
John Witherspoon was born in February of 1723. Witherspoon was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He was a Scottish immigrant. Witherspoon became a leading member of the Continental Congress and took part in more than a hundred of its committees. He was a Presbyterian clergyman, and he became President of the College of New Jersey, later known as Princeton University. -
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John Hancock
John Hancock was a signer of the Declaration of independence. He had the most recognizable signature. Hancock was a prosperous merchant from Boston and the President of the Continental Congress. John Hancock's signature was so large that King George III could read it without his glasses. Hancock's name quickly became second only to that George Washington as a symbol of freedom in the colonies. -
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Charles Carroll
Signer of the Declaration of Independence. One of the wealthiest men in the colonies. Carroll helped finance the Revolution with his own money. He was one of the first to recognize the necessity for independence from Britain. Carroll helped in the struggle for the acceptance of the Roman Catholic religion in America. -
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Benjamin Rush
Benjamin Rush was born on January 4, 1745 in Byberry, PA. Rush was a physician, educator, and humanitarian. Rush was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He is sometimes known as the "Father of American Medicine," and he was also a pioneer in the fields of physiology and psychiatry. Rush is known for his proposal to establish a national public university to train public servants. -
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John Jay
John Jay was a member of the Continental Congress. He helped negotiate the peace treaty with England ending the Revolutionary War. Jay was the author of three essays in the Federalist Papers, which argued strongly in support of ratification. Jay was appointed as the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court by Washington in 1789. Five years later, he was appointed as envoy to gReat Britain to resolve conflicts over certain territories. -
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John Peter Muhlenberg
Muhlenberg was born on October 1, 1746 in Trappe, Pennsylvania. He studied in Germany and America. Muhlenberg enlisted more than 100 men into the Continental army. Muhlenberg was part of a gorup called the "Black Regimemt." The Black Regiment was a group of ministers who wore black clerical robes while preaching. Muhlenberg rose to the rank of general under Washington, and later served as a U.S. senator and congressman. -
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John Trumbull
Colonial governor who sided with the colonist against the British. -
Declaration of Independence
The D.O.I. stated the colonists' decision to separate from Britain and listed colonial grievances against Britain. The D.O.I. provided a theory of government; government's purpose is to protect individuals' unalienable rights to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." The Final D.O.I., issued on July 4, 1776, explained the reasons why colonists sought independence. The D.O.I. argued that ordinary citizens had the right to overthrow an oppressive government that failed to protect U.R. -
U.S. Constitution
The U.S. Constitution replaced the Articles of Confederation in 1787. Established a new national government. Provided for three branches of government: Executive, legislature, and judiciary. Provided a set of principles to ensure the federal government would not be too powerful: Federalism, limited government, checks and balances, popular sovereignty. The new constitution created an elected President, a Congress with two houses, and a Supreme Court. -
Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights was added to the constitution in the form of the first ten amendments.The Bill of Rights was written to further protect individual rights from government abuse. A list of possible rights was reduced to ten that were approved by the members of congress. After approved by congress, they were sent to the states for approval. They were approved and came into affect by 1791. -
Eminent Domain
Eminent Domain refers to the power of a government over property in its territory. The government can build a highway or construct a school where private homes are located under the over of eminent domain. Before the government can exercise its power of eminent domain, it must provide the owner with "just compensation." -
Fifth Amendment
Congress cannot establish a states religion. Individuals cannot be stopped from practicing their own religions. Laws cannot be made limiting freedom of the press or freedom of speech. People cannot be prohibited from peacefully assembling. People have the right to petition the government to correct wrongs. -
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Alexis de Tocqueville
Alexis de Tocqueville was a frenchman who came to the U.S. to study its prison system. Tocqueville wrote Democracy in America.
He believed that these five principles set Americans apart from Europeans; Liberty, egalitarianism (equality), individualism, populism, and laissez-faire. -
"E Pluribus Unum"
"Out of many [comes] one." The notion that Americans stand together. Its intent is to show that several states have joined together as one nation. Adopted first by the continental Congress in 1782. Became official in 1956. -
"In God We Trust"
Congress adopted "In God We Trust" as our national motto. The motto is found in the words of the Star Spangled Banner." The motto has been used on coins since 1864. "In God We Trust" is now printed on all American money. The courts have ruled that its meaning is ceremonial, not religious.
