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Nathan Hale
Nathan Hale was an American soldier and spy for the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. At the mere age of 21, he was revealed as a spy and hung by the British, with his last words being, "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country". His bravery and strength even in a time of weakness represented his love for his country and the importance of the American Revolution. He is considered an American hero and the state hero of Connecticut. -
Thomas Paine
Paine was considered a key figure in the American Revolution due to his pamphlet Common Sense, a piece that increased sentiment for Independence, which moved many fence-sitters to the Patriots side. After selling 150,000 copies of Common Sense, Paine became involved the struggle for independence, writing the Crisis papers that highlighted the inferiority of a monarchical system in favor of a Republican one, equal rights for all citizens, and international significance of the American Revolution. -
Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin was a major figure in early American history. He was incredibly vital to the American Enlightenment movement because of his insights on the nature of lightning and electricity and inventions like the bifocal and the Franklin stove. He was also responsible for negotiating the 1783 Treaty of Paris that ended the Revolutionary War. -
Oliver Evans
Oliver Evans was an American inventor, engineer, and businessman born in rural Delaware who moved to Philadelphia, a major metropolitan area because of his job. He was one of the first Americans to build steam engines and inventor of the flour mill. He was a major part of Industrialization because he was always first, or among the first to mechanize certain processes such as pioneering the high-pressure steam engine, and having the first continous production line. -
George Washington
The "Father Of His Country" was arguably the most important individual in this time period. He commanded the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783) and served as the United States' first President, serving from 1789 to 1797. Washington played a leading military and political role in the American Revolution. -
Pierre L'Enfant
Pierre Charles L'Enfant was a French-American military engineer who designed the basic plan for Washington, D.C. known as the L'Enfant Plan. He served as Washingtons' trusted city planner and made our Nations' capital was it is today. -
Eli Whitney
A negative contributor to this time period was Eli Whitney who was the inventor of the cotton gin. This invention mechanized the process of separating cottonseed from cotton and was a major factor in industrialization. This invention worsened the conditions of the poor and working class because industrialization brought no job security, low wages, and poor housing accomodations. -
John Adams
John Adams was the second president of the United States and a leader of the American Revolution. Adams was a very significant figure in this time period because of all the controversy he caused when he signed the Alien and Sedition Acts into law, upsetting Thomas Jefferson and other Democratic-Republicans. -
Patrick Henry
Virginian lawyer Patrick Henry was one of the leading figures of the American Revolutionary period. He is famous for his speech at the Virginia assembly where he boldly stated, "Give me liberty or give me death!" in response to Britains Stamp and Townshend Acts. -
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, at President Jefferson's request, led an expedition to survey the land West of the Mississippi, known as the Louisiana Territory, that had been purchased from France in 1803. This journey was very important because they were able to produce maps that were valuable to later explorers, and adding to the zoological and botanical knowledge of the continent.
