American civil leaders, such as Patrick Henry and Paul Revere, played important roles in the fight to gain independence. This section contains information about some of the people involved in the birth of the new country.
Penn, John (1741-1788), a United States lawyer and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. See more »
Its broad stripes and bright stars are up for debate. Classic American lore would have us believe that Betsy Ross made the first U.S. flag, but some historians dismiss this as a campy tale.
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Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton were two of the most important figures who shaped the American government in its infancy. See if you can tell who's who among some of their most famous quotations.
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He was called the "Washington of the South," but Francis Marion's guerilla war tactics were less distinguished than Gen. George Washington's.
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Henry, Patrick (1736-1799), a United States orator and statesman. He was one of the first American patriots to speak out against taxation by Britain.
See more »Clark, Abraham (1726-1794), a United States patriot and signer of the Declaration of Independence.
See more »Hamilton, Alexander (1755 - 1804), a United States patriot and statesman. He was a leader in the formation of the United States government.
See more »Pickens, Andrew (1739 - 1817), a United States Revolutionary War army officer.
See more »Wayne, Anthony (1745 - 1796), a United States army officer. Wayne was an able commander in the Revolutionary War and, after the war, against Indians in the Northwest Territory.
See more »Ward, Artemas (1727 - 1800), an American Revolutionary War general. After the Battle of Lexington in 1775, he was given command of Massachusetts forces.
See more »Middleton, Arthur (1742-1787), an American patriot and a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
See more »St. Clair, Arthur (1736? - 1818), an American Revolutionary War general and public official.
See more »De Kalb, Baron, the assumed name of Johann Kalb (1721 - 1780), an officer in the French army, and later in the American army during the Revolutionary War.
See more »Arnold, Benedict (1741 - 1801), an American Revolutionary War general who turned traitor.
See more »Franklin, Benjamin (1706 - 1790), an American statesman, scientist, and author. He was one of the great figures in the colonial and Revolutionary periods of American history.
See more »Harrison, Benjamin (1726-1791), an American patriot and signer of the Declaration of Independence.
See more »Tallmadge, Benjamin (1754 - 1835), a United States soldier. From 1778 to 1783 Tallmadge was in charge of the major part of General Washington's secret service operations.
See more »Ross, Betsy (1752-1836), by tradition the designer and maker of the first Stars and Stripes flag.
See more »Gwinnett, Button (1735-1777), an American Revolutionary War patriot and signer of the Declaration of Independence.
See more »Braxton, Carter (1736-1797), a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He was born in King and Queen County, Virginia, the son of a wealthy, aristocratic planter, and graduated from the College of William and Mary in 1755.
See more »Pulaski, Casimir (1748-1779), a Polish count who fought in the American Revolution.
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