STAAR Biographies

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STAAR Biographies
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Colonial AmericaImportant People
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Thomas Hooker

• Founder of Connecticut
• Connecticut
• 1586-1647
• Founded the colony of Connecticut and helped
  write the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut which
  called for the election of officials.

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John Locke

• British Philosopher
• England
• 1632-1704
• Promoted the idea of natural law which emphasized
  individual rights. His idea helped inspire the
  American Revolution.

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Charles de Montesquieu

• Social and Political Philosopher
• France
• 1689-1755
• Montesquieus book The Spirit of the Laws
  influenced Americas founders. His main idea was
  that separation of powers was necessary to
  maintain individual liberty.

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William Penn

• Founder of Pennsylvania
• Pennsylvania
• 1644-1718
• Helped establish the Pennsylvania Colony.
  Promoted religious tolerance because his faith,
  Quakerism, was often persecuted.

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William Blackstone

• Expert jurist, professor, and writer.
• England
• 1723-1780
• Blackstones book Commentaries on the Laws of
  England was the most read legal book in Colonial
  America.

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American RevolutionImportant People
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Abigail Adams

• Second First Lady of the U.S.
• Massachusetts
• 1744-1818
• Promoted equal education for women before most
  people.

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John Adams

• Founding Father, Federalist, Second President of
  the U.S.
• Massachusetts
• 1735-1826
• 1797-1801 (U.S. President)
• Adams served as America in the Continental
  Congress during the American Revolution and
  became the second President of the U.S.

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Samuel Adams

• Founding Father, Sons of Liberty Leader.
• Boston, Massachusetts
• 1722-1803
• Adams was the leader of the Sons of Liberty,
  which organized many protests against the
  British, including the Boston Tea Party.

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James Armistead

• First African-American double spy.
• Virginia
• 1760-1830
• Armistead was a double spy who worked for the
  Americans.

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Crispus Attucks

• Boston Massacre Victim
• Boston, Massachusetts
• 1722-1770
• First person to die in the Boston Massacre.
  Viewed by many as the first casualty of the
  American Revolution.

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Wentworth Cheswell

• American Revolution Veteran, First
  African-American to hold public office. New
  Hampshire
• 1746-1817
• Part of the midnight ride that warned of the
  British.

• No Picture Available

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Benjamin Franklin

• Founding Father, Journalist, Diplomat
• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• 1706-1790
• Franklin promoted American unity and
  independence. He wrote or signed the Albany Plan
  of Union, Declaration of Independence, Treaty of
  Paris (1783), and the Constitution.

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Bernardo de Gálvez

• Spanish Administrator, General
• Spain/Louisiana/Florida
• 1746-1786
• Helped the U.S. during the American Revolution by
  winning battles in Florida and Mississippi River.

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Patrick Henry

• Founding Father, Anti-Federalist
• Virginia
• 1736-1799
• Advocate for liberty. Henry was one of the
  leaders of the American Revolution.

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King George III

• King of England
• England
• 1738-1820
• Unpopular King of England during the American
  Revolution.

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Thomas Jefferson

• Founding Father, Anti-Federalist, Third President
  of the U.S.
• Virginia
• 1743-1826
• 1801-1809 (U.S. President)
• Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence
  which said that all men were created equally and
  were entitled to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit
  of Happiness.

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John Paul Jones

• American Naval Officer during the American
  Revolution.
• Virginia
• 1747-1792
• Fought well against the Britishs feared navy.

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Marquis de Lafayette

• French General
• France/U.S.
• 1757-1834
• 1777-1781 (Assisted American Revolution)
• Convinced France to assist the Americans during
  the Revolutionary War. Led troops during the war.

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Thomas Paine

• Journalist
• England/New Jersey
• 1737-1809
• 1776 (Common Sense)
• Thomas Paine helped inspire the American
  Revolution with his pamphlet Common Sense.

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Haym Salomon

• Businessman
• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• 1740-1785
• A member of the Sons of Liberty. Salomon helped
  pay for the American Revolution.

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Mercy Otis Warren

• Writer, Historian
• Massachusetts
• 1728-1814
• Promoted and honored the American Revolution with
  her writings. Her book, the History of the Rise,
  Progress, and Termination of the American
  Revolution is her most famous book.

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George Washington

• Founding Father, Commander in Chief of the
  Continental Army, First President of the U.S.
• Virginia
• 1732-1799
• 1789-1797 (U.S. President)
• Washington is known as the Father of the U.S.
  because he helped the U.S. win independence as
  Commander in Chief of the Continental Army.

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Creation and Ratification of the
ConstitutionImportant People
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Benjamin Franklin

• Founding Father, Journalist, Diplomat
• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• 1706-1790
• Franklin promoted American unity and
  independence. He wrote or signed the Albany Plan
  of Union, Declaration of Independence, Treaty of
  Paris (1783), and the Constitution.

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Alexander Hamilton

• Federalist, First Secretary of the Treasury
• New York
• 1755-1804
• Made many arguments for the Constitution in the
  Federalist Papers. Believed a stronger National
  Government was needed to ensure the safety and
  stability of the country.

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Patrick Henry

• Founding Father, Anti-Federalist
• Virginia
• 1736-1799
• Henry opposed Americas Constitution because he
  feared it would give the government too much
  power. Henry believed in States Rights.

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James Madison

• Founding Father, Federalist,
• Fourth U.S. President
• Virginia
• 1751-1836
• 1809-1817 (U.S. President)
• Helped write the U.S. Constitution. Promoted and
  explained the Constitution in the Federalist
  Papers.

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George Mason

• Founding Father and
• Anti-Federalist
• Virginia
• 1725-1792
• Wrote Virginias Constitution and helped write
  Americas Constitution. However, Mason felt the
  new Federal government was too powerful and would
  damage individual rights.

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George Washington

• Founding Father, Commander in Chief of the
  Continental Army, First President of the U.S.
• Virginia
• 1732-1799
• 1789-1797 (U.S. President)
• Washington was elected President during the
  Constitutional Convention due to his immense
  popularity.

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Early RepublicImportant People
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John Adams

• Founding Father, Federalist, Second President of
  the U.S.
• Massachusetts
• 1735-1826
• 1797-1801 (U.S. President)
• The second President of the U.S. His Presidency
  was marked by controversy from the XYZ Affair and
  the Alien and Sedition Acts.

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Alexander Hamilton

• Federalist, First Secretary of the Treasury
• New York
• 1755-1804
• Helped create the first National Bank. As
  Secretary of the Treasury he strengthened the
  National economy.

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Thomas Jefferson

• Founding Father, Anti-Federalist, Third President
  of the U.S.
• Virginia
• 1743-1826
• 1801-1809 (U.S. President)
• Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory which
  doubled the size of the U.S. Also, Jefferson
  started the Democratic-Republican Party.

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James Madison

• Founding Father, Federalist,
• Fourth U.S. President
• Virginia
• 1751-1836
• 1809-1817 (U.S. President)
• President during the War of 1812. Madisons
  leadership during the war, helped the nation
  fight the British to a draw.

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John Marshall

• Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
• Virginia
• 1755-1835
• 1801-1803 (Chief Justice)
• Helped establish Judicial Review as Chief
  Justice. Ruled over some of the most important
  cases in U.S. History.

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James Monroe

• Fifth U.S. President
• Virginia
• 1758-1831
• 1817-1825 (U.S. President)
• American President who wrote the Monroe Doctrine
  which changed American foreign policy by making
  it more aggressive/strong.

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George Washington

• Founding Father, Commander in Chief of the
  Continental Army, First President of the U.S.
• Virginia
• 1732-1799
• 1789-1797 (U.S. President)
• As the first President of the United States,
  Washington set many examples for future
  Presidents, such as the Presidential Cabinet and
  serving two terms.

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The Age of JacksonImportant People
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John Quincy Adams

• Secretary of State, Sixth President of U.S.,
  Congressmen
• Massachusetts
• 1767-1848
• Beat Andrew Jackson with the help of Henry Clay.
  He received less votes than Jackson and his
  Presidency was not respected as a result.

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John C. Calhoun

• Senator, Vice President, States Rights Advocate
• South Carolina
• 1782-1850
• 1828-1833 (Nullification Crisis)
• As Vice-President of the U.S. Calhoun fought with
  Jackson over the Tariff of 1828 and the idea of
  Nullification. Nullification said states could
  cancel out Federal Laws.

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Henry Clay

• Speaker of the House, Secretary of State
• Kentucky
• 1777-1852
• As leader of the Whig Party. Clay was one of
  Jacksons biggest political enemies. Clay
  supported Industrialization and government
  support of business.

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Andrew Jackson

• Army General, Seventh President of the U.S.
• Tennessee
• 1767-1845
• 1829-1837 (U.S. President)
• Andrew Jacksons election and Presidency was the
  beginning of the common man. He turned the
  Presidency into a more powerful office.

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Reform and CultureImportant People
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Susan B. Anthony

• Woman Suffragist
• New York and Massachusetts
• 1820-1906
• One of the first and most important fighters for
  womans rights.

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John James Audubon

• Painter
• New York
• 1785-1851
• Audubons artwork focused on nature and helped
  define the American style of art.

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Frederick Douglass

• Former Slave, Abolitionist, Author, Editor
• Washington, D.C.
• 1818-1895
• Wrote on of the most impactful biographies of
  American History. Argued for the rights of
  African-Americans and women.

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Elizabeth Cady Stanton

• Woman Suffragist
• Seneca Falls, New York
• 1815-1902
• Seneca Falls (1848)
• Organized the Seneca Falls convention which was
  viewed as the beginning of the Womens Rights
  Movement.

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Henry David Thoreau

• Author and pioneer of Civil Disobedience.
• Massachusetts
• 1817-1862
• Thoreaus ideas about civil disobedience inspired
  leaders like Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther
  King.

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Sectionalism and Civil WarImportant People
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John Quincy Adams

• Secretary of State, Sixth President of U.S.,
  Congressmen
• Massachusetts
• 1767-1848
• Only President to become later become a
  Congressmen. As a Congressmen, Adams fought
  passionately against slavery.

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Philip Bazaar

• Served in the Union Navy
• Born in Chile, lived in Massachusetts
• (1864-1865) Served for the Union
• Won the Medal of Honor for his service during the
  battle for Fort Fisher.

• No Picture Available

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John C. Calhoun

• Senator, Vice President, States Rights Advocate
• South Carolina
• 1782-1850
• 1828-1833 (Nullification Crisis)
• Calhoun promoted the idea that states had the
  right to ignore federal laws. His views
  influenced the Confederacy.

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Henry Clay

• Speaker of the House, Secretary of State
• Kentucky
• 1777-1852
• Known as the Great Compromiser, Clay tried to
  keep the country together before the Civil War
  with acts such as The Compromise of 1850.

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William Carney

• Union Soldier
• Born in Virginia, but escaped to Massachusetts.
• 1840-1908
• (1863) Battle of Fort Wagner
• Won the Medal of Honor for defending the flag
  while wounded during the Battle of Fort Wagner.

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Jefferson Davis

• President of the Confederacy
• Mississippi
• 1808-1889
• (1861-1865) Confederate President
• Led the Confederacy during the Civil War.

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Frederick Douglass

• Former Slave, Abolitionist, Author, Editor
• Washington, D.C.
• 1818-1895
• Wrote on of the most impactful biographies of
  American History. Argued for the rights of
  African-Americans and women.

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Ulysses S. Grant

• Union General, Eighteenth U.S. President
• Ohio
• 1822-1885
• 1861-1865 (Union General)
• Led the Union Army during the Civil War. Grant
  was the best General of the Union. He later
  became President and fought against the KKK
  during Reconstruction.

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Stonewall Jackson

• Confederate General
• Virginia
• 1824-1863
• Battle of Bull Run (1861)
• Won many of the early battles of the Civil War
  and was known as one the Civil Wars great
  general.

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Robert E. Lee

• Confederate General
• Virginia
• 1807-1870
• 1861-1865 (Confederate General)
• Considered one of the best generals of American
  History. Lee led the Confederate Army against the
  Union Army.

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Abraham Lincoln

• Sixteenth U.S. President
• Illinois and Washington D.C.
• 1809-1865
• 1861-1865 (U.S. President)
• Led the U.S. during the Civil War. Wrote some of
  the best speeches in American History, which
  helped redefine the country.

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Hiram Rhodes

• U.S. Senator
• Mississippi
• 1827-1901
• First African-American to serve in the U.S.
  Senate.

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Daniel Webster

• U.S. Senator
• Massachusetts
• 1782-1852
• As Senator of Massachusetts, Webster promoted the
  Union against Sectionalism.