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Showing results 11 – 20 of 22

Glossary Term – Person

Robert Morris

Robert Morris (1734–1806) was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and the “financier of the American Revolution.” He also originated the plan for a national bank. Congress approved the establishment of the Bank of North America, which ultimately financed the war effort, stabilized the economy, and established the credit of the United States. Morris was appointed financial agent (the precursor of secretary of the treasury) of the United States and directed the operation of the new bank.

Glossary Term – Person

Elbridge Gerry

Elbridge Gerry (1744–1814) served in the Massachusetts General Court, the provincial congress, and committee of safety, and as chairman of the state committee of supply before he attended the Continental Congress in 1776–1780 and 1783–1785. A signer of the Declaration of Independence, Gerry refused to sign the Constitution because he feared that it invested too much authority in the central government. He was a member of Congress from 1789 to 1793, a two-term Massachusetts governor, and vice president under James Madison. The eponymous term...

Glossary Term – Person

John Hancock

John Hancock (1737–1793) was a leader of the American Revolution and the first signer of the Declaration of Independence. Born in Massachusetts and educated at Harvard, Hancock was a wealthy merchant in colonial America. In the 1760s, he became a supporter of the resistance movement against British rule and an associate of Samuel Adams. In 1764, the Liberty, a sloop owned by Hancock, was seized for allegedly violating the Sugar Act, and Hancock became a widely known figure in the ensuing case. Hancock served as president of the...

Glossary Term – Person

Richard Henry Lee

Richard Henry Lee (1732–1794) was one of the first colonial statesmen to call for independence from Great Britain. Born in Virginia and eduated in England, Lee served in the Virginia House of Burgesses from 1758 to 1775. He opposed British policies such as the Stamp Act and the Townshend Duties. He helped organize the First Continental Congress, and in the Second Continental Congress in 1776 proposed a resolution for declaring independence from Great Britain. Lee continued his political service in the Virginia House of Delegates and...

Glossary Term – Person

Thomas Jefferson

Glossary Term – Person

Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin (1705–1790) was one of America’s first renaissance men—his career included work as a statesman, scientist, writer, printer, and diplomat. Born in Boston, Franklin eventually settled in Philadelphia. He published Poor Richard’s Almanack for twenty-five years and later wrote an autobiography that is still in print. His inventions, such as the bifocal lens and the Franklin stove, as well as his investigations into the properties of lightning, earned him international recognition. Widely popular in...

Glossary Term – Person

Mary Katherine Goddard

Mary Katherine Goddard (1738–1816) was the printer of the first copy of the Declaration of Independence to include the names of the signers in January 1777. Goddard was also the editor and publisher of various Revolutionary-era colonial newspapers, an unusual occupation for a woman at the time. Goddard was appointed postmaster of Baltimore of 1775, likely making her the first woman to hold that position anywhere in America. In 1789, however, she was replaced by a male colleague despite protests by the citizens of Baltimore.

Henry Knox to Lucy Knox, July 8, 1776. (GLC02437.00363)

Primary Source

Henry Knox on the British invasion of New York, 1776

When twenty-six-year-old Henry Knox, the Continental Army’s...

William Jennings Bryan to I. J. Dunn, January 4, 1895 (GLC07189)

Primary Source

William Jennings Bryan and the ideals of the Declaration of Independence, 1895

In 1895, Williams Jennings Bryan wrote to I. J. Dunn, an Omaha lawyer and president of the Jackson Club, to...

Texas Declaration of Independence, March 2, 1836. (GLC02559)

Primary Source

Texas Declaration of Independence, 1836

On March 2, 1836, Texas formally declared its independence from Mexico. The Texas Declaration of...