American Revolution Individuals

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  • Created by: izzking
  • Created on: 06-06-24 22:34

Benjamin Franklin

  • part of the American Philosophical Society
  • example of American enlightenment and renaissance - inventor, printer, philosopher
  • proposed the 1754 Albany Congress
  • was a delegate in the 1775 continental congress 
  • helped to draft the declaration of independence in 1776 as one of the committee of five
  • he helped to bring France into the war of independence as an American ally by rallying support on a diplomatic mission in 1776
  • delegate to the 1783 Peace of Paris
  • federalist
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John Locke

  • British political philosopher
  • wrote the Two Treatises of Government in 1690, anti-absolute monarchy
  • ideological influence on Thomas Jefferson in writing the Declaration of Independence
  • created the contract theory of government - individuals obey the law and surrender some rights in exchange for the government safe-guarding rights and order
  • promotion of separation of powers
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John Wilkes

  • demanded the freedom of the press and a more democratic parliament
  • criticised King George III and his ministers for being the tools of despotism and corruption in 1763, causing him to be imprisoned for 22 months
  • convinced many Americans that the British constitution was being subverted by a corrupt ministry
  • created the Wilkesite movement
  • in 1968, 30,000 people surrounded the prison Wilkes was at and demanded his release. British troops killed 6 people in the crowd, spurring American outrage and suspicions that Parliament were supressing liberty on both sides of the Atlantic
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Thomas Paine

  • English radical
  • Published Common Sense in 1776, attacking the English constitution and the idea of hereditary monarchy and privilidge
  • sold 100,000 copies in 3 months and had an audience of 2 million
  • proposition of independence - not outspoken at the time
  • published the American Crisis between 1776-1783, boosting wartime morale e.g. motivating Washinton & troops for Battle of Trenton
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John Dickinson

  • Pennsylvanian lawyer and politician
  • published Letters from a Pennsylvania Farmer in 1768, attacking the Townshend duties and the suspension of the NY assembly as an attack on liberites
  • intention to raise revenue could only be done by colonial assemblies
  • pamphlet and newspaper format created a wide audience
  • penman of the revolution - wrote the 1774 Petition to the King, 1775 Olive Branch petition, 1777 AOCs
  • encouraged other writers to attack the power of the British executive
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Montesqieu

  • articulated the theory of separation of powers
  • created the use of despotism to descirbe an arbituary government
  • 1748 Spirit of the Laws influenced the US constitution
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Thomas Jefferson

  • elected to Virginias's house of Burgesses in 1769
  • published a summary view of the rights of British America in 1774 in response to the intolerable acts declaring Parliament had no rights to exercise authority, criticising King George III for minismising American liberty and calling for the boycott of British goods
  • represented Virginia in the 2nd Continental Congress in 1776
  • wrote the most of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, inspiring refusal of British rule and the American indentity
  • became governor of Virginia in 1779
  • became French minister in 1784, creating a commercial alliance
  • became Secretary of State in 1789
  • argued that the US should recognise the French Jacobin government, increasing the threat of Genet in the US
  • anti-federalist, republican party
  • published the National Gazette, opposing Hamilton's United States Gazette
  • created a division in Washington's cabinet with Hamilton
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Samuel Adams

  • radical ideologist rebel leader in Massachusetts
  • important in developing protest in Massachusetts, influencing other colonies
  • mis-represented British policy to ensure mass protest
  • member of the Loyal Nine, leading to the formation of the Sons of Liberty
  • helped co-ordinate Stamp Act resistance in Boston
  • Involved in the 1768 Massachusetts circular letter, denouncing the Townshend Duties
  • helped form committees of correspondence in 1772 at the 1771 Boston Town meeting to inform Massachusetts of colonial grievances
  • member of the continental congress from 1774-1781
  • anti-federalist
  • was convinced by federalist pressure from Bostonian artisans to support the constitution, influencing other states
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John Adams

  • radical ideologist
  • cousin of Samuel Adams
  • defended the British soldiers legally after the 1770 Boston Massacre
  • wrote articles for the Boston Gazette following the Stamp Act
  • present at the Continental Congresses
  • worked to establish a continental Navy - Britain had 300 ships
  • organised and was part of the Committee of Five to write the Declaration of Independence in 1776
  • created the model for the 1787 constitution after writing the Massachusetts constitution in 1779
  • was sent to Britain in 1779 to negotiate a commercial treaty and discuss ending the war
  • sent to Britain in 1785 to discuss commercial treaty and the removal of British troops in the Ohio Valley but was rebuffed
  • assigned to negotiate the 1783 Treaty of Paris
  • American minister to Britain from 1785-1788
  • federalist
  • vice-president to Washington in 1789
  • Became the second president of the USA after the 1796 election against Jefferson
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John Adams

  • radical ideologist
  • cousin of Samuel Adams
  • defended the British soldiers legally after the 1770 Boston Massacre
  • wrote articles for the Boston Gazette following the Stamp Act
  • present at the Continental Congresses
  • worked to establish a continental Navy - Britain had 300 ships
  • organised and was part of the Committee of Five to write the Declaration of Independence in 1776
  • created the model for the 1787 constitution after writing the Massachusetts constitution in 1779
  • was sent to Britain in 1779 to negotiate a commercial treaty and discuss ending the war
  • sent to Britain in 1785 to discuss commercial treaty and the removal of British troops in the Ohio Valley but was rebuffed
  • assigned to negotiate the 1783 Treaty of Paris
  • American minister to Britain from 1785-1788
  • federalist
  • vice-president to Washington in 1789
  • Became the second president of the USA after the 1796 election against Jefferson
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Patrick Henry

  • Virginian lawyer, orator and radical ideologist
  • opposed and attacked the Stamp Act with the 1765 Virginia Resolves printed in colonial newspapers
  • 5 resolutions accepted by 39 of Virginia's burgesses
  • coined no taxation without representation
  • "give me liberty or give me death"
  • governor of Virginia during the war - sent troops and resources to Valley Forge
  • anti-federalist, opposed the 1787 constitution
  • helped write the Anti-Federalist papers and influenced the Bill of Rights
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Richard Henry-Lee

  • leading opponent of Britain in Virginia
  • did not agree with violent mob protest
  • organised the Virginia convention to choose representatives for the 1st Continental Congress
  • served as a congress delegate from 1774-1776
  • suggested that colonies should prepare militias
  • proposed independence in Virginia's congress in 1776
  • helped write the AOC
  • anti-federalist
  • helped write the anti-federalist papers that had strong influence in Virginia
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John Hancock

  • Boston radical merchant
  • one of the leaders of ideological opposition to Britain pre-1775
  • involved in the Liberty affair causing the Sons of Liberty to control Boston by 1768
  • led meetings to condemn the 1773 Tea Act and 1774 Coercive Acts
  • elected to the 2nd Continental Congress as President, overseeing the Declaration of Independence and signing first in large
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King George III

  • King of Britain and the colonies during the revolution from 1760
  • blamed for the loss of the American colonies along with Lord North
  • had no desire for despotism - saw the colonies as his children
  • Whig leaders accused him of plotting to enhance the Crown's power over parliament by ending the exclusion of tories from government by forcing out William Pitt (Whig) with the Earl of Bute (Tory). This political prejudice helped cause ministerial instability in the 1760s
  • His policies were blamed for being tyrannous and subverting American liberty
  • refused to consider the 1775 Olive Branch petition, instead called to suppress the rebellion
  • rejected the 1774 Petition to the King, calling for repeal of the intolerable acts and instead kept determination 
  • many ideologists criticised the divine right of the King
  • German heritage influenced British hiring of 18,000 Hessians from 1775-1776
  • suffered from Porphyria from the mid 1780s and became permanently insane in 1811
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William Pitt

  • formed a ministry with the Duke of Newcastle in 1757
  • was British Prime Minister during 1768 - Whig
  • argued against policies that led to the War of Independence and supported colonial response to the Stamp act
  • played a pivotal role as secretary of state in the 7 Years War
  • sent 25,000 troops, helping the British to outnumber the French 45,000: 6,000 in 1758
  • using his 3 prongued attack strategy, Britain were able to capture forts and re-establish power on the Ohio River
  • ensured the crown paid for equipping and provisioning the colonial militia, maintaining support - 1/2 of the troops were colonial volunteers
  • prepared launch offences unlike London who failed to capture Louisbourg in 1757
  • acknowledged the importance of domestic policy and united the Americans
  • created the 1757 militia act and refused too revall troops to Britain, supporting American attitudes to the British
  • replaced by King George III with Earl of Bute due to political tactics to break Whig dominance
  • was prime minister 1766-1768 but passed responsibility due to poor health
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George Grenville

  • whig Prime Minidter from 1763-1765
  • insisted that the colonists had to pay for the 10,000 troops kept in America by Earl of Bute
  • main concern was reducing National debt
  • colonial admid had risen from £70,000 in 1748 to £350,000 in 1763
  • issued the 1763 proclamation to stop crossing over the Applachains following Pontiac's rebellion but 30,000 ingnored in following 5 years
  • his 1763 anti-amuggling measures created colonial customs officials in America and transferred cases from colonial courts to a vice-admiralty court
  • passed the 1764 Sugar Act to tax molasses and sugar and enforce proper collection to raise £78,000 annually which strongly affected New England colonies = any customs officials bribed would be fined £500
  • compliance to the sugar act gave Grenville confidence to further tax the colonies
  • passed the 1765 Stamp act to tax 50 printed colonial items to raise £60,000 annually as the first direct tax on the colonies 
  • led to attacks from ideologists for taxation without representation, leading to the Stamp act congress and mob action mostly in Boston
  • argued that taxation was part of sovereign power
  • was replaced by King George III in 1765 with Marquis of Rockingham who repealed the Stamp Act
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Charles Townshend

  • dominated the ministry of the Duke of Grafton who had taken responsibility from William Pitt, Earl of Chatham
  • determined that taxes should be external - paid directly to Britain and not to colonial assemblies
  • gave American customs officials more power by creating an American board of customs commissioners in Boston
  • passed the 1767 Townshend duties to externally tax enumerated commodities, raising £40,000 annually (not significant revenue)
  • colonial resistance developed more slowly than in 1765 but unrest increased and there was a strong intellectual, political and economic response
  • passed the 1767 New York restraining act forcing NY to comply to the 1764 Quartering Act which fell unequally on the state
  • died in 1767 before any intense colonial response
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Marquis of Rockingham

  • Replaced George Grenville in 1765 as Prime Minister
  • wanted Parliament's authority to remain strong
  • believed the right to taxation should be done discretely to minimise unrest
  • informed by General Gage that the military force in America could not enforce the Stamp Act
  • Repealed the Stamp Act in 1766 recieving graditude from colonial assemblies and an end to boycotts
  • passed the Declaratory Act on the same day to assert Parliamentary sovereignty and authority over the colonies
  • replaced by William Pitt in 1766
  • became Prime Minister again in 1782
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Lord North

  • British Prime Minister from 1770-1782
  • oversaw the repeal of the Townshend duties in 1770 leading to 3 years of comparative calm
  • passed the 1773 Tea Act which re-ignited tensions causing the 1773 Boston Tea Party
  • passed the coercive acts in 1774 to punish Boston
  • declared Massachusetts to be in rebellion from 1775
  • failed to appreciate the scale of military needed to face the colonists, only sending 4,000 troops to Boston
  • refused to repeal the Coercive acts and diminish British authority
  • introduced a concilliation plan but lacked strong promise
  • provided no unified direction and leadership to ensure his war ministers was co-ordinated during the War of Independence
  • blamed with George III for the loss of the American colonies
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Gen John Burgoyne

  • his surrender at Saratoga in 1777 was one of the most important turning points of the War of Independence
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Sir Henry Clinton

  • British commander-in-chief in North America from 1778-1782 after Howe lost reputability
  • 1780 proclamation to the Southern states about loyalty
  • thought the best strategy was to pursue Washongton and the continental army
  • conflicted with Howe over British strategy
  • left the Southern strategy to Cornwallis
  • failed to send reinforcements in time for the 1781 Battle of Yorktown
  • blamed for the loss of the colonies militarily
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General Charles Cornwallis

  • was responsible for the Southern campaign in 1780
  • struggled to fight patriot militias
  • lost many men in the batlle of Guildford Courthouse in 1781
  • surrendered at the Battle/siege of Yorktown in 1781 whilst waiting for reinforcements
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General Richard Howe

  • fought in the Austrian War of Succession and the 7 Years War 
  • became commanding chief of the British Army in North America in 1776
  • won a number of victories from 1776-1777
  • resigned in 1777 after a failure of his military plans
  • inability to defeat the continental army led to French entry into the war
  • his focus on capturing Pennsylvania left Burgoyne to be defeated at Saratoga in 1777
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General James Wolfe

  • served in the Austrian war of Succession
  • led a 10,000 strong expedition in 1759 to destroy French power in Canada leading to the capture of Quebec
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General Horatio Gates

  • American general
  • credited with the victory at Saratoga in 1777
  • led the Southern army in 1780
  • removed from command following his defeat at the battle of Camden 1780
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General Nathanael Greene

  • led resistance to Britain in Rhode Island
  • became a continental army general in 1775
  • waged a successful guerilla war in the Southern colonies from 1780-1781
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George Washington

  • was forced to surrender in 1754 at Fort Duquesne
  • began the 7 Years War in 1754 as him, Braddock and 2,000 men were ambushed by Native Americans
  • served in Virginia's House of Burgesses from 1759-1774
  • elected to the first Continental congress in 1774
  • was appointed as the commander of the Continental Army in 1775
  • united the North and South as a Southerner leading a mostly Northern army
  • held the army together as 1/3 of the army deserted fighting
  • took over a weak army of 15,000 with only 50 cannons
  • a large majority of Americas significant tactical decisions came from Gen Gates and Greene and Rochambeau
  • successes of Trenton in 1776 and Yorktown in 1781
  • remained with the weak troops at Valley Forge where 3000 died
  • slow to grasp the significance of war in the South
  • attended the 1787 Philadelphia convention but did not say much
  • was inaugerated as the first President of the new government in 1789
  • federalist
  • promised a Bill of Rights
  • had a divided cabinet
  • declared Native American issues were one of his highest priorities in 1789
  • stood down for the 1796 Presidential election after 2 terms
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Edmund Randolf

  • former governor of Virginia
  • was appointed as attorney general/ legal advisor by George Washington
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Alexander Hamilton

  • set an example for social mobility in American society
  • represented New York at the 1787 Philadelphia convention
  • appointed secretary of the Treasury by Hamilton
  • was a federalist and conservative nationalist
  • wrote 51 of the 85 Federalist papers with Jay and Madison from 1787-1788
  • published the 1st report on public credit in 1790 proposing Federal takeover of state debts ($21m) and domestic debts ($56m)
  • published the 2nd report on public credit in 1791 showing how national debt had reached $80m
  • placed a tax on Whiskey in 1791 that led to the Whiskey Insurection
  • created a National bank in Philadelphia in 1791 
  • his report on manufacturers in 1791 set out for the US to become an industrialised nation with protective tariffs
  • strong ideological opposition to Jefferson and Madison
  • wrote the National Gazette and formed the Federaist/Democratic party
  • idolised British policy
  • in favour of centralised power, the Northern states and an industrialised nation
  • killed in a duel by Arron Burr in 1804
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James Madison

  • served in Virginia's state legislature from 1776-1779
  • attended the 1787 Philadelphia convention as a Virginian delegate and spoke 161 times
  • wrote the vices of the political system of the Unites States in 1787, attacking the Articles of Confederation
  • proposed the Virginia Plan: 2 houses in legislative branch with people electing respresentatives for the 1st and the 1st electing representatives for the 2nd, lack of state rights, legislative branch would elect executive and judiciary, checks and balances
  • set the agenda for the constitution
  • wrote 29 of the 85 Federalist Papers with Hamilton and Jay under the pseudonym publius from 1787-1788
  • worked on a religious freedom statute in 1783
  • was elected to the House of R from 1789-1797
  • most vocal opposition to Hamilton's reports
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John Jay

  • was president of the continental congress in 1778
  • was in Spain from 1779-1782 to gather financial support and an alliance for the war
  • led peace discussions with John Adams in 1783, opening seperate discussions with Britain to secure land east of the Mississippi for the US
  • not a delegate to the 1787 Philadelphia convention as NY had an anti-federalist governor
  • Jay was a strong federalist
  • wrote 5 of the 85 federalist papers with Madison and Hamilton under the pseudonym publius from 1787-1788
  • wrote an adress to the people of New York which supported ratification of the constitution in New York
  • attempted a treaty with Spain in 1986 for the US to access Spanish trade in return for giving up its rights to the Mississippi for 25 in response to Spain seizing Natchez in 1784 - only 5/9 states ratified
  • was appointed the first chief justice of the US Supreme Court with 6 justices (3 North, 3 South) by Washington with the 1789 Judiciary Act
  • was sent to London to negotiate the 1784 Jay's Treaty for British troops to evacuate North West forts by 1796, compensation for seizure of 250 ships and access to West Indies commerce
  • republicans saw the treaty as favouring the British too much 
  • Anglo-American trade increased x3 and war with Britain was avoided
  • the treaty made Spain more negotiable as Britain and the US seemed closer
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Thomas Pickney

  • sent to madrid to negotiate the treaty of San Lorenzo giving the US free use of the Mississippi, the right to deposit goods in New Orleans, accepting the Florida boundary and stopping of NA attacks on  western settlers
  • benefitted American trade and reduced the argument for a separate Western confederacy
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Robert Morris

  • superintendent of finance in 1781
  • used his own wealth and ideas to avoid US bankrupcy
  • wanted the national government to set up a national bank to secure public debt and levy duties
  • the government severed ties with the bank of North America in 1784
  • supported ammending the AOCs to give congress power to levy a 5% duty on imports
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Rochambeau

  • fought in the Austrian war of succession
  • brought 6,000 French troops to America in 1780
  • commanded the siege of Yorktown in 1781 which Washington didn't realise the potential of, leading to British surrender
  • Rochambeau convinced Washington that Cornwallis in Yorktown was a better target than New York leading to a 16,000 strong French-American army twice the size of Cornwallis' army on the Yorktown peninsula
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Lafayette

  • smuggled aristocratic soldier attracted by the prospect of glory, liberty and republicanism
  • enlisted in 1777 at 20 years old
  • gave $200,000 of his own money to the American cause
  • solidified a positive American view of France since the early battles
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