Important

People of the

Revolutionary

War

George Washington

• Commander

and Chief of the

Continental

Army. He

motivated his

soldiers to win

the war

Abigail Adams

• Wife of John

Adams that wrote

the letter

“Remember the

Ladies” about

including rights

for women in the

new country.

Benjamin Franklin

• American

diplomat that

worked as the

ambassador to

France. He

helped convince

France to help or

ally with the

United States.

Marquis de Lafayette

• Young French

nobleman that

volunteered to

serve in the

Continental

Army under

George

Washington.

Bernardo De Galvez• Spanish Governor

of Louisiana that

attacked the British

along the Gulf of

Mexico. This gave

the British another

enemy to fight

taking pressure off

of the Americans.

John Paul Jones

• American naval

officer that won

the most famous

naval battle of the

war when he

defeated the

British ship

Serapis off the

English Coast.

Haym Salomon

• A Jewish financial

supporter of the

Patriot cause. He

donated over

600,000 dollars of

his own money to

the government.

Wentworth Cheswell

• A free black militia

leader from New

Hampshire who

fought in the Battle

of Saratoga. He later

became the 1st

African American

elected to public

office.

James Armistead

• A slave that spied

on British troop

movements and

reported it to the

Americans.

Richard Allen

• Using the American

Revolution as an

example, he began

a society that

encouraged African

Americans to help

each other.

Elizabeth Freedman

• A slave that used

the American

Revolution as an

example and sued

for her freedom in

Massachusetts in

1781 and won. Her

victory ended

slavery in that state

(abolition).

George Rogers Clark• American General

that won the frontier

battles giving

America claim in the

Treaty of Paris to the

western lands to the

Mississippi River.

John Adams• Attorney who

defended soldiers

on trial for Boston

Massacre.

• Leader of the

movement for

separation from

England

Sam Adams• Leader who

organized the

Boston Sons of

Liberty to protest

British taxes.

• Argued “No

taxation without

representation”.

Mercy Otis Warren• Wrote series of

pamphlets and

satires against

the British.

• Stirred Colonists

against British

policies with her

writing.

Crispus Attucks• African American

who was the first

person killed at the

Boston Massacre.

King George III• King of Great

Britain

• Supported

attempts to

discipline

colonists.

Patrick Henry• Objected to the

Stamp Act.

• Convinced House

of Burgesses to

support war.

“Give me liberty

or give me

death”.

Thomas Jefferson• Member of the

Second Continental

Congress.

• Author of the

Declaration of

Independence.

Thomas Paine• Published a

pamphlet in 1776,

Common Sense,

that advocated

Independence

from Great Britain.

John Locke• People have Natural

Rights of Life, Liberty,

and Property

• Purpose of government

was to protect

individual freedom and

property. If a

government failed to do

this, its citizens had the

right to overthrow it.