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John Locke
John Locke (1632-1704) was an English philosopher and a major influence upon the Founding Fathers. Locke embodied the principles of the Enlightenment, which was a movement that focused on logic and reasoning as opposed to religion. He was a loyalist and a supporter of Britain. He believed if Britain was going to become powerful, it needed to establish colonies all over the world. -
Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) was one of the most celebated Founding Fathers in American history. He helped to draft both the Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776) and the Constitution (September 17, 1787). He was a loyalist first, but then transitioned into a patriot. -
George Washington
George Washington (1732-1799) was commander of the Continental Army during the American Revolution. He sought a commission in the British Army before the Revolution, but in the 1770s, he became an early supporter for seperation from Great Britain, making him first a loyalist, but then a patriot. He crossed the icey Delaware and woke up the Hessian soldiers, winning the Battle of Trenton. (Fun Fact: He was the first president of the United States of America.) -
John Hancock
John Hancock (1737-1793) was one of the Founding Fathers, as well as president of the Continental Congress and later governor of Massachusetts. Hancock was a patriot and a Boston merchant and opposed the Stamp Act of 1765. In 1768, British authorities seized his ship, named the Liberty, for smuggling. He signed the Decloration of Indepedence on July 4, 1776. (Fun Fact: He is the one known for his famous signature. "Show me your John Hancock.") -
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) is considered to be one of the Founding Fathers of the United States for the central role he played in drafting the Declaration of Independence, established on July 4, 1776. During the American Revolution, Jefferson was elected governor of Virginia. He was a patriot. -
Sugar Act
The Sugar Act was the first law ever passed by Parliament raising tax revenue in colonies. This increased tax on sugar imported from West Indies to North American colonies. Colonists became very unhappy. After bitter protest these taxes were substantially lowered and agitation died down. -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act was passed by Prime Minister George Grenville in 1765 to pay for the military stationed in the colonies. The act required that stamps be affixed to paper as proof of payment. After much protests, the act was repealed. -
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The Revolution
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Townshend Act
This act was passed by Prime Minister Charles Townshend. The most important of these acts was a light tax on goods such as tea, paint, glass, white lead and paper payable in American ports. Part of the tax paid for royal governors' salaries. The colonists were angered by this. Smuggling increased. -
Boston Massacre
Sixty colonists taunted ten redcoats, clubbing them and throwing rocks and snowballs, provoking them to open fire. Five colonists were killed. Though both sides were partially to blame, this incident fueled the colonists' anger. This was said to be the first "battlle" of the Revolutionary War. -
Boston Tea Party
Bostonians disguised as Indians dumped 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor. The Boston Tea Party (also known as "the Destruction of the Tea in Boston") was a political protest by the Sons of Liberty in Boston. This was the first real act of revolt against the British government. -
Battle of Lexington and Concord
The "Lexington Massacre" took place right before Battle of Concord. Both were attempts by the British to seize colonial gunpowder and capture Samuel Adams and John Hancock- leaders of rebellion. Colonial militia did not disperse quick enough- British opened fire. Eight colonists were killed. In the Battle of Concord, colonists prepared after Lexington and hid behind walls and shot British. 70 British soldiers were killed, with 300 total British casualties. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
The Battle of Bunker Hill took place at Breed's Hill overlooking Boston with British staging a frontal attack. The colonists slaughtered the British until they ran out of gunpowder, when they were forced to retreat. Though they lost the battle, the colonists struck a blow to the British, which boosted morale. -
Battle Of Trenton
The Battle of Trenton was a small but pivotal battle during the American Revolutionary War which took place in Trenton, New Jersey. George Washington led his army and defeated many of the Hessians before withdrawing. -
Battle of Brandywine
British general William Howe attempted to remove Pennsylvania from the war by engaging troops under Gen. George Washington on Brandywine Creek, 25 mi from the revolutionary capital of Philadelphia. In the end, the British troops occupied the battlefield but failed to destroy Washington's army or cut it off from Philadelphia. -
Battle of Yorktown
Although it did not end the war, the Battle of Yorktown was the last major battle of the war. General Nathanael Greene replaced General Gates in October 1780. Rather than an all-out attack on Cornwallis, he managed to drive the British towards the coast and back into Yorktown.
