GEORGE WASHINGTON
This is the familiar face of George Washington, the President, but he was an accomplished young man long before this portrait
was painted . . .
Young George Washington
Virginia aristocratGained experience in French & Indian WarCommander-in-chief of the Continental Army Victory at YorktownFirst U.S. President
Samuel Adams
Massachusetts politicianMember of the Sons of LibertyInfluential speaker and writerHelped draft the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of ConfederationOne of the British targets at Lexington and Concord
Paul Revere
Boston silversmithMember of the Sons of LibertyCreated the engraving of “The Bloody Massacre”Alerted the Colonial Militia during his “midnight ride” (along with William Dawes and Samuel Prescott)
Thomas Paine
Radical English author and intellectualAuthor of Common SenseWidely read and highly influential in the colonies"Without the pen of the author of Common Sense, the sword of Washington would have been raised in vain.” – John Adams
Thomas Jefferson
Virginia gentlemanInquisitive and intelligentPrincipal author of the Declaration of IndependenceFounded the University of VirginiaThird U.S. President
Benjamin Franklin
Philosopher , scientist, inventor, writer, & diplomat
Experimented with electricity
Invented bifocals, the lightning rod, and the Franklin stove
Delegate at the Continental Congress & signed the Declaration of Independence
Ambassador to France after the war
Ethan Allen
Farmer and land speculator from Connecticut
Leader of the Green Mountain Boys
Helped capture Ft. Ticonderoga
One of the founders of the state of Vermont
Nathaniel Greene
Rhode Island farmer and blacksmithQuaker upbringingSelf-taught military strategistBegan the war as a privateBecame one of Washington’s most trusted and effective generals
Henry Knox
Boston bookstore owner with an interest in military historyTransported artillery 300 miles, from Ticonderoga to BostonChief artillery officer of the Continental ArmyFriend and advisor of George Washington
Patrick Henry
Radical Virginia politicianLed the opposition to the Stamp ActLeading proponent of the Bill of RightsA fiery orator most famous for saying . . .
Nathan Hale
21-year-old soldier for the Continental ArmyCaptured by the British in New York and hanged as a spyBefore dying, he reportedly said . . .
John Paul Jones
Scottish sailor and officer in the Continental NavyBon Homme Richard defeated HMS SerapisIn response to a taunt from a British captain, he was heard to shout . . .
Francis Marion
Military officer from South CarolinaNicknamed the “Swamp Fox”Employed guerilla techniques and is sometimes known as the father of modern guerilla warfare
Marquis de Lafayette
French aristocrat and military officerInfluenced by French radicals and the “rights of man”Major-general on Washington’s staffPlayed a key role in the British defeat at Yorktown
Benedict Arnold
Connecticut merchant, who became an accomplished generalPlayed a key role at Ticonderoga and SaratogaDefected to the British side and fought against the AmericansHis name is now synonymous with “traitor”
Thomas Gage
British generalAppointed military governor of MassachusettsCharged with implementing the Intolerable ActsIn command at Lexington and Concord and at Bunker Hill
William Howe
British generalAppointed Commander- in-Chief after Bunker HillSuccessfully captured New York & PhiladelphiaPoor planning contributed to the defeat at Saratoga
Henry Clinton
British general Clashed with Howe and
resented him Appointed Commander-
in- Chief after Howe’s resignation
Was in charge when Cornwallis surrendered