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John Trumbull Sr.
Trumbull was the only man to serve as governor for both an American state and English colony. He was the governor of Connecticut and also a Revolutionary War leader. He took up the Patriot cause during the war and helped with the war efforts by supplying resources from Connecticut. -
Declaration of Independence
This was a formal document written by Thomas Jefferson. The purpose of the document was to declare independence from Britain. The colonies didn't like the way they were treated and governed by the British. The Americans used this to achieve their freedom. -
Benjamin Rush
Benjamin Rush was one of the signees of the Declaration of Independence. He was also a gifted scholar, earning credit in many fields, including the medical field and was also a distinguished writer. He was a member of the Continental Congress, representing Pennsylvania in 1776. -
John Witherspoon
John Witherspoon was a Scottish minister. He came to America in 1768 to become the president of what would one day become Princeton University. He made many positive changes to the college including enrollment and curriculum changes. Witherspoon was also a member of the Continental Congress from 1776-1782 and supported American independence. He was also a signee of the Declaration, and the only active clergyman to do so. -
Charles Carroll
Carroll was an advocate for American independence early on. He was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States and the only Catholic to sign the Declaration of Independence. He served the Continental Congress and Confederation Congress and was the first senator of Maryland. -
"E Pluribus Unum"
"E Pluribus Unum" is a Latin phrase meaning "Out of many, One". This is the motto of the United States of America and means that the combination of many creates a unified one. The phrase appears on the Great Seal of the United States and was created in 1776, but not used widely until June of 1782 when the seal was adopted. -
John Hancock
Hancock was the president of the Second Continental Congress. He was also the first and third governor of Massachusetts. He was a signee of the Declaration of Independence. He was also very wealthy and supported the colonies during war. -
U.S. Constitution
The Constitution, written by James Madison, is the document that came after the Articles of Confederation and created our federal government and rudimentary laws. The Constitution includes the Bill of Rights, which protects individual human rights. It also includes better rules for managing the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the national government. -
John Jay
Jay was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America. He was the second governor of New York and the first Chief Justice for the U.S. He negotiated and also signed the Treaty of Paris in 1783. -
Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights is 10 amendments made to the U.S. constitution that protect the rights of all Americans. The Bill of Rights protects Americans from government and keeps the government in control. It came about after disapproval of the Constitution and the lack of protection of basic human rights. -
Fifth Amendment
The 5th Amendment to the Constitution says that people have a right to not testify against themselves if they would incriminate themselves. This is the right to not be a witness against ourselves in a criminal case; it also says the government must try civilians in court for a felony. It says that someone can't be tried twice for the exact same crime. It says that the government cannot take life, liberty, or property and if they do, they must compensate for it. -
Eminent Domain
Eminent domain is the government's right to seize private property for public use, with just compensation for the owner. This applies to federal, state, and local governments. The Fifth Amendment is what says the government has to compensate the owner. -
Alex de Tocqueville; Five Principles
Alex de Tocqueville was a French politician and writer. He wrote "Diplomacy in America" among others and established 5 values crucial to help America succeed and thrive. They were liberty (freedom from unpredictable or tyrannical government control), egalitarianism (a society of equals, individualism, which is each person's freedom to pursue individual goals), populism (participation of common people in political life), and laissez-faire, (government has a hands-off approach to the economy). -
John Peter Muhlenburg
John Peter Muhlenburg was a member of the clergy, he served in the American Revolutionary War, and was a political figure in the new United States. He was a representative of Pennsylvania. Muhlenburg served in Congress from 1793-1801 before serving Pennsylvania. -
In God We Trust
"In God We Trust" is the motto of the United States. Florida also adopted this motto for their state. It was adopted in 1956 to replace or offer an alternative to "E Pluribus Unum" from 1782.
