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John Witherspoon
He was a Scottish-American minister who emigrated to America to become the president of the College of New Jersey. He was elected to represent New Jersey at the Second Continental Congress and became the only clergy to sign the Declaration of Independence. -
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Benjamin Rush
He was a famous American doctor from Pennsylvania. He argued for the removal of General George Washington with an anonymous letter, but was caught and dropped out of military activities. He represented Pennsylvania at the Continental Congress and was in favor of the Declaration of Independence. He was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. He was appointed as the treasurer of the US Mint from 1791 to 1813. -
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John Peter Muhlenberg
He was a clergy who served in the army and turn to politics once he returned. He was elected member of Supreme Executive Counsel of Pennsylvania and served as the Vice President. He also served in the 1st, 3rd, and 6th Congress. He was appointed supervisor of revenue for Pennsylvania by President Jefferson in 1801. -
John Trumbull Sr.
He was elected governor of Connecticut following the death of William Pitkin in 1769. Trumbull was the only governor to support the position of the colonies during hostilities with Great Britain in 1775. -
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John Hancock
In 1774, Hancock was made leader of Massachusetts delegate to the Second Continental Congress. May, 1775, Hancock was appointed congress president and on July 4, 1776, he was the first signer of the Declaration of Independence. He resigned from congress president in 1777 and became the first governor of Massachusetts. -
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John Jay
John Jay was first elected tot he first Continental Congress to represent New York. In 1782, Jay was commissioned with five others to create a peace treaty with Britain, which on September 3, 1783, the Treaty of Paris was signed. He also was one of the writers that were included in the Federalist Papers. George Washington appointed John Jay the first Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court in 1789. He was elected for Governor of New York in 1795, but retired 1801. -
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Charles Carroll
Carroll was elected to represent Maryland on the 4th of July at the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Although he didn't vote on the Declaration, he did sign it. He served in the Continental Congress. He was elected to the Maryland Senate in 1781, and to the first Federal Congress in 1788. He returned again to the State Senate in 1790. He was the last surviving signer of the Declaration, living until 1832. -
Declaration of Independence
A statement made by the Committee of five (Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, Robert R. Livingston) that declares the United States' independence from Great Britain. It states the reasons for separation, being due to the King's unjust regime. Majority of the document was written by Thomas Jefferson with a few ideas and edits from the other members of the committee. -
"E Pluribus Unum"
The former motto of the United States. It is Latin for "out of many, one" It was first proposed by the US Continental Congress in 1782 to be used in the Great Seal of America. -
US Constitution
The US Constitution laid the basis for the nationals laws and fundamentals and guaranteed basic rights to US citizens. It was signed on September 17, 1787 by delegates at the Continental Convention in Philadelphia. Originally, the Constitution did not include individual rights, but the Bill of Rights was added in 1791. -
Eminent Domain
It comes from the latin phrase " Eminenes Dominium," which refers to a government’s power to take private property for the public’s use, with or without the property owner’s consent. Worried about possible abuse, the founders of the Bill Of Rights decided to limit its use through the fifth amendment. -
Fifth Amendment
The fifth amendment states that you are protected from being held for committing a crime unless properly indicted by the police. It also states that in order to stand trial, a grand jury must decide first if there is enough evidence. A person cannot be tried twice for the same crime. The government also cannot take away a person's property or rights without first following through the Due Process. It was added to the Bill Of Rights on September 5, 1789 by James Madison -
Bill of Rights
The first 10 amendments of the US Constitution. Written by James Madison, it states the prohibitions of governmental power over these certain rights. It was strongly influenced by the Virginia Bill Of Rights written by George Mason. -
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Alexis De Tocqueville and His Five Principles
Alexis was a French political theorist who proposed five principles of democracy: Liberty, Egalitarianism, Individualism, Populism, and Laissez-faire. Liberty means freedom from an arbitrary government. Egalitarianism means society of equals. Individualism means that citizens are free to pursue their personal dreams. Populism refers to the participation of the people in politics. Laissez-faire means the government does not directly control the economy. Alexis wrote "Democracy of America" (1835). -
"In God We Trust"
The official motto of the United States. Signed into law by president Eisenhower, the law states that it is the official motto and will be printed onto all American paper currency. The phrase has been printed onto coins since the Civil War, but it was Eisenhower's treasury secretary, George Humphrey, that suggested adding the phrase to paper currency as well.
