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John Trumbull Sr.
John Trumbull was one of the only two colonial governors to continue in office after independence. He also served as deputy governor of the colony of conn. He also was the first commissary general of the continental army and an early member of the board of war. -
John Witherspoon
John Witherspoon was born into a ministerial family near Edinburgh on Feb. 5, 1723. Witherspoon was just the man for the presidency of the College of New Jersey, which was torn between new-and old-side factionalism, and the job was offered him in 1766. But his wife thought that to leave home "would be as a sentence of death to her." The persuasiveness of Benjamin Rush, an alumnus of the college, and now a medical student at Edinburgh, finally allayed her fears. -
John Hancock
was president of Congress when the Declaration of Independence was adopted and signed. He is primarily remembered by Americans for his large, flamboyant signature on the Declaration, so much so that "John Hancock" became, in the United States, an informal synonym for signature. -
Charles Carroll
He was an early advocate of independence from the kingdom of Great Britain . he was a member of Annapolis' first committee of safety. He was elected to the continental congress. He was also a slaveholder. He retired from public life in 1801. -
John Jay
Founding Father John Jay (1745-1829) served as the first chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court among a variety of top government posts. The New York native drafted the state’s first constitution in 1777 and the following year was chosen president of the Continental Congress. He then became U.S. minister to Spain, helping to broker the 1783 Treaty of Paris that ended the Revolutionary War. Jay was appointed the Supreme Court’s chief justice in 1789. -
Benjamin Rush
Rush was a leader of the American Enlightenment, and an enthusiastic supporter of the American Revolution. He was a leader in Pennsylvania's ratification of the Constitution in 1788. He was prominent in many reforms, especially in the areas of medicine and education. He opposed slavery, advocated free public schools, and sought improved education for women and a more enlightened penal system. As a leading physician, Rush had a major impact on the emerging medical profession. -
John Peter Muhlenberg
he was elected to the Supreme Executive Council of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1784. He was elected Vice-President of the Council, a position comparable to that of Lieutenant Governor, on October 31, 1787. His term as Vice-President ended on a mysterious note. On October 14, 1788 the minutes of the Executive Council report that Muhlenberg had left Philadelphia without tendering his resignation why his resignation was needed or expected is not noted so a messenger was sent after him. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence is one of the most important documents in American history. It tells the major ideas that the Founders had about government. The Declaration also contains the Founders' complaints against the British king. A very very important part of american history. -
E Pluribus Unum
means , out of many (one). E pluribus unum is the motto suggested by the committee Congress appointed on July 4, 1776 to design "a seal for the United States of America." The below sketch of their design accompanied a detailed description of their idea for the new nation's official emblem. -
U.S. Constitution
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. -
Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights was a pretty controversial idea when it was proposed in 1789, because a majority of the founding fathers had already entertained and rejected the idea of including a Bill of Rights in the original 1787 Constitution. For most people living today, this decision might seem a little strange. -
Fitfth Amendment
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without etc... -
Eminent Domain
is the right of a government or its agent to expropriate private property for public use, with payment of compensation.The authority of Federal, state, and local governments to take private property for public use, providing just compensation to the owner, is called “eminent domain.” Real estate, or land, is not the only property subject to eminent domain law, but water and air rights as well. -
Alex de Tocqueville.
French sociologist and political theorist Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859) traveled to the United States in 1831 to study its prisons and returned with a wealth of broader observations that he codified in “Democracy in America” (1835), one of the most influential books of the 19th century. With its trenchant observations on equality and individualism, Tocqueville’s work remains a valuable explanation of America to Europeans and of Americans to themselves. -
Liberty.
Societies that focus on individual liberties, free societies, often produce economic freedom. This leads to better economies. When there are more choices in a market, there is a tendency for lower prices at higher quality levels for products and services. -
Egalitarianism.
this looks at society as being equal. In Europe , society was built around hereditary distinctions separating the nobles , middle classes , and peasants. In america there are different classes but everyone was equal socially. basically meaning if you're born poor or rich you are still in the same social class. Owning land allowed americans to view themselves as equal to their neighbors and further contributed to their feeling of equality. -
Individualism.
a social theory favoring freedom of action for individuals over collective or state control. Individualism makes the individual its focus[1] and so starts "with the fundamental premise that the human individual is of primary importance in the struggle for liberation. Classical Liberalism, existentialism, and anarchism are examples of movements that take the human individual as a central unit of analysis. -
Populism.
At its root, populism is a belief in the power of regular people, and in their right to have control over their government rather than a small group of political insiders or a wealthy elite. The word populism comes from the Latin word for "people," populus. Definitions of populism. -
Laissez-faire.
is an economic system in which transactions between private parties are free from government interference such as regulations, privileges, tariffs, and subsidies. The phrase laissez-faire is part of a larger French phrase and literally translates to "let (it/them) do", but in this context usually means to "let go". -
"in god we trust"
is the official motto of the United States. It was adopted as the nation's motto in 1956 as an alternative or replacement to the unofficial motto of E pluribus unum, which was adopted when the Great Seal of the United States was created and adopted in 1782.
