Download Biographical Glossary

8th Grade Biographical Glossary
Person
Who he/she is? What he/she did? What event(s) is he/she associated with? List any
documents from the document sheet that he/she is associated with under his/her
name.
Colonial Era (chapter 2-5)
Thomas Hooker
William Penn
Charles de
Montesquieu
John Locke
William Blackstone
Led about one hundred people from Massachusetts to settle along the Connecticut
River. Later three settlements merged to form the Connecticut Colony. This colony
put Hooker's principles, into practice when it adopted the Fundamental Orders
sometimes called the first written constitution. These principles included the idea
that voting should be extended to non-church members.
He established a colony in Pennsylvania as a refuge for Quakers and a place where
they could create a government based on their own standards. Penn attempted to
treat Native Americans and settlers from other colonies residing in the grant fairly.
He defined the principle of separation of powers, calling for a system of checks and
balances in government
Created a doctrine of natural rights which outlined the fundamental rights all humans
should enjoy: life, liberty, and property. Promoted the idea that government
develops at the consent of the governed and is designed to protect citizens’ natural
rights. It can be dissolved if the citizens believe that their government fails to act in
their best interests
An enlightenment thinker, Blackstone believed human laws were like scientific
laws. They were creations of God waiting to be discovered just as Isaac Newton had
discovered the laws of gravity a century before. Also known as the father of English
Common Law.
Revolution (chapter 6 & 7)
She was the wife of John Adams, and mother to John Quincy Adams. During their
54 years of marriage, John and Abigail Adams spent much of the time apart as he
traveled as a circuit judge and a statesman. They wrote letters to one another during
these absences that have become a source of information about the American
Abigail Adams
Revolution and early American history. In her most famous letter to her husband,
she asked him to “Remember the Ladies.” She pressed him to give women equal
status with men when forming the new government. Abigail Adams is also known to
have advocated for public education for girls.
He was a Harvard lawyer who defended the British soldiers after the Boston
Massacre. He served as a delegate to both Continental Congresses and was on the
John Adams
committee to write the Declaration of Independence.
A beloved and respected patriot. The first African-American elected to public office,
he served as town messenger for the regional Committee of Safety, one of the many
groups established in Colonial America to monitor events pertaining to public
Wentworth Cheswell
welfare. . In this position, Like Paul Revere, he rode out from Boston to warn the
countryside that the British were heading towards Lexington and Concord. As
soldier, he served in the Battles of Saratoga
Samuel Adams
In 1765 he was elected to the Massachusetts Assembly. He was a member of the
First Continental Congress and an outspoken patriot who was well known for his
oratory skills and as a passionate advocate of independence from Britain. Adams
was a member of the Sons of Liberty and secretly helped organize the Boston Tea
Party. Cousin to John Adams, he helped organize the committees of correspondence
to help bring unity to the colonies.
Mercy Otis Warren
James Armistead
Benjamin Franklin
Bernardo de Gálvez
Crispus Attucks
An American patriot. She was a writer who authored plays, poems and essays
supporting the idea of independence. Her writings convinced many in Massachusetts
to become Patriots. Sister to James Otis and wife of patriot James Warren, cofounder of the Boston committee of correspondence, Mercy was a very outspoken
woman for her time. She was also a close friend of Abigail Adams. Her writings
have helped historians in the study of the American Revolution and she is often
considered the first historian of the American Revolution
One of General George Washington’s most effective weapons against the British,
James Armistead. Armistead was enlisted as a patriotic spy who worked as a
“double-agent” on behalf of the United States. Pretending to be a runaway slave,
Armistead was able to infiltrate the British defenses and acquire countless important
British war secrets which helped turn the tide of the Revolution in favor of the
Americans. Marquis de Lafayette helped him by writing a letter of recommendation
for his freedom, which was granted in 1787.
An inventor, writer, printer, diplomat, scientist, humorist, and statesman. He was
born in Boston in 1706. In 1733 he started publishing Poor Richard’s Almanack.
What distinguished Franklin’s almanac were his witty sayings and lively writing.
During the French and Indian War, Franklin advocated colonial unity with his
Albany Plan which encouraged the colonists to “Join or Die.” He was a delegate to
the both Continental Congresses and a member of the committee to write the
Declaration of Independence. Franklin was the U.S. Ambassador to France and
helped to negotiate the Treaty of Paris that ended the American Revolution.
A descendant of ancient Spanish nobility, Gálvez was the acting Governor of the
Louisiana Territory. Due Spains support of the American colonists during the
Revolution, Gálvez naturally sided with the Americans throughout the war. He was
instrumental in buying Spanish weapons, gunpowder, clothing and many other vital
supplies that were essential to the colonial army. He was influential in keeping the
port of New Orleans and the Mississippi River out of the control of the British, thus
preventing British attacks from the west and the south during the revolution
In 1770, Crispus Attucks, an African American former slave was the first of five
unarmed American civilians to be shot and killed by British soldiers in a riot known
as the Boston Massacre. Attucks was credited as the leader and instigator of the
heroic upheaval against the British army.
King George III
King of England from 1760-1810. During his reign, there were many conflicts
involving his kingdom. After the French and Indian War, the British Parliament with
the King’s approval angered the American colonists by taxing them to pay for
military protection. In 1776 the American colonists declared their independence and
listed their grievances against the king. The Treaty of Paris of 1783 ended the
Revolutionary War and confirmed American independence
George Washington
He was a Virginia planter and a delegate to the House of Burgesses. Washington
fought during the French and Indian War and was a delegate to the Continental
Congress. He was chosen Commander of the Continental Army during the American
Revolution. Washington lead the Continental Army in is retreat from New York,
then commanded the American victories at Trenton, lead the army through the
winter at Valley Forge and coordinated the victory at Yorktown that lead to the
surrender of Cornwallis.
Haym Salomon
Patrick Henry
Thomas Jefferson
Marquis de
Lafayette
Thomas Paine
John Paul Jones
A Polish-born Jewish immigrant who played an important role in financing the
American Revolution.. He was a member of the American Espionage(spy) ring and
helped convince many Hessians to desert the British military. He was arrested as a
spy by the British but escaped before he could be hung. Salomon became a financial
broker in Philadelphia. He went on to help finance the Continental Congress, using
his own personal money to finance the patriot cause. Known as the “American
Financier.”
A symbol of America’s struggle for liberty and self-government, he was a lawyer,
patriot, orator, and willing participant in virtually every aspect of the founding of
America. He served as the first and sixth post-colonial Governor of Virginia from
1776 to 1779. He was a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses. During the
American Revolution, he famously said “Give me liberty or give me death.” He was
a delegate to the First Continental Congress from Virginia.
As a Virginia planter, he was also a delegate to the House of Burgesses and to the
First and Second Continental Congress. He was selected to draft the Declaration of
Independence and is thus considered the author of the Declaration of Independence.
A French officer who came to help the Americans fight the Revolution against Great
Britain. When he learned of the struggle of the Americans in their endeavor to secure
independence, he resolved to come to the colonies to aid them in their efforts. He
was given the rank of major general, since he represented the highest rank of French
nobility. He developed a friendship with George Washington which lasted as long as
Washington lived. His influence helped to secure support from France for the
patriots’ cause. Lafayette was also able to obtain troops and supplies from France.
He was the first foreigner to be granted honorary United States citizenship.
He authored the pamphlet Common Sense which encouraged the colonies to break
with England and become independent. He was a soldier in the Continental Army
and wrote the pamphlet The Crisis to encourage Continental soldiers to continue to
fight. In the pamphlet, he penned his famous line, "These are the times that try men's
souls."
In 1776 with his ship the Bonhomme Richard, he defeated the British warship
Serapis, which raised American spirits. Jones’ success against the best navy in the
world angered the British and inspired the Americans. Jones’ famous words during
this battle were “I have not yet begun to fight!” which became a slogan for the U.S.
Navy. Some consider him the “Father of the U.S. Navy.”
Creating a Government and putting it in Place (chapter 8, government, & 9)
James Madison
Alexander Hamilton
Patrick Henry
A Virginia delegate to the Philadelphia Constitutional Convention, and is considered
the “Father of the Constitution” for his many contributions to the basic structure of
our government. He authored the Virginia Plan which proposed representation in
the Congress based on population. He supported ratification of the new U.S.
Constitution and wrote over a third of the Federalist Papers, promoting its
ratification. He proposed the Bill of Rights.
A delegate to the Constitutional Convention in 1787 from New York. As a
proponent of a strong central government, he was one of the authors of The
Federalist Papers (essays that promoted the ratification of the Constitution).
Appointed by Pres. Washington as the Secretary of the Treasury who developed the
republic’s financial plan, which created a national bank, a very controversial issue.
He was a symbol of America’s struggle for liberty and self-government; he was a
lawyer, patriot, orator, and willing participant in virtually every aspect of the
founding of America. He was a delegate to the First Continental Congress from
Virginia. He did not attend the Constitutional Convention in 1787 because he
“smelled a rat” and later fought against ratification of the U.S. Constitution
George Mason
George Washington
A member of the Virginia Legislature and wrote the Virginia Declaration of Rights.
He was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in 1787 but did not sign the
Constitution. He became an Anti-Federalist and worked against ratification of the
U.S. Constitution. He believed in basic American liberties such as freedom of the
press, religious tolerance and the right to a trial by jury.
Commander of the Continental Army during the American Revolution. Later, he
became the President of the Philadelphia Constitutional Convention in 1787. He
sides with the Federalists in the debate over ratification and is elected the First
President of the United States in 1788. He set many precedents, including: served
two terms between 1789 and 1797. During his two terms he started regular meetings
of his cabinet and supported Alexander Hamilton's plans to deal with war debts and
create a currency system for the new nation. He was a Federalist, believing in a
strong central government and the responsibility of the wealthy to ensure the
wellbeing of all, but he remained open to the opinions of others, especially fellow
Virginian Thomas Jefferson. In 1793 he sought to avoid another war with European
powers, Britain and France, by issuing the Neutrality Proclamation, a move which
incensed pro-French Jeffersonians but heartened Federalists. This stands as one of
his greatest accomplishments because it allowed the United States to build a solid
system of government, expand westward, and develop a merchant marine to engage
in trade without becoming embroiled in another European war.
The Nation Expands and Experiences Growing Pains (chapter 10-14)
John Marshall
Nominated as the Supreme Court Chief Justice by John Adams in 1801, under the
Judiciary Act of 1801. Involved in many key landmark decisions including: Marbury
v Madison, McCullough v Maryland, and Gibbons v Ogden. Decision in the
Marbury case led to the growth in power of the judicial branch by incorporating the
principle of judicial review. Decisions in the Gibbons and McCullough case helped
to grow the strength of the court and federal government.
Andrew Jackson
Hero of the Battle of New Orleans, which took place after the treaty to end the War
of 1812. Later, elected to the U.S. Congress from the state of Tennessee. Was chosen
as General to fight off invasions from Spanish Florida, he later invaded the territory
and claimed it for the U.S.; this led to Spain ceding FL in the Adams-Onis Treaty.
As president, offered jobs to political supporters (spoils); aided in spreading political
power to common people (Jacksonian Democracy); ignored the Supreme Court’s
decision in Worcester v Georgia and instituted the Indian Removal Act to remove
Natives from the south for cotton land and gold; fought South Carolina against
nullification and possible secession to preserve the union; vetoed the renewal charter
for 2nd National Bank because he felt it favored the wealthy, but this led to an
economic depression.
John C. Calhoun
Congressman from South Carolina who was a War Hawk, prior to the War of 1812.
Was an advocate for Henry Clay’s American System, especially for the internal
improvements on transportation. Proposed the doctrine of nullification because of
the Tariff of Abominations’ negative impact on S.C., this would allow them to
cancel out the tariff. Threatened they would secede from the union if not allowed to
nullify the tariff, eventually resigned as Jackson’s Vice President out of shame from
this incident.
Henry Clay
Daniel Webster
John Quincy Adams
John James
Audubon
Henry David
Thoreau
Frederick Douglass
Elizabeth Cady
Stanton
Congressman from Kentucky who was a War Hawk, prior to the War of 1812.
Proposed what became known as the American System which called for: a 2nd
national bank to unify the currency, a protective tariff to support U.S.
manufacturing, and government funded improvements to transportation (like the
Erie Canal). In 1820, he proposed the Missouri Compromise to Congress. Made a
“corrupt bargain” with J.Q. Adams to become Secretary of State in exchange for
giving Adams his support for president. Allied with national bank to gain the
presidency in 1832, attempting to ruin Jackson if he vetoed the renewal charter.
Proposed the compromise tariff to end the Nullification Crisis over the Tariff of
Abominations.
U.S. Senator from Massachusetts who argued for the importance of the federal union
with Sen. Hayne from S.C. over the doctrine of nullification. Claimed that the union
was of the people and not the states. Successful lawyer who defended the national
bank and won its case against the state tax in McCullough v. Maryland; defended
Gibbons and won in the case dealing with interstate commerce in Gibbons v. Ogden;
also, was the lawyer for the bank who spoke out against Jackson’s veto of its charter
for renewal.
Helped negotiate the Treaty of Ghent, to end the War of 1812. He also was the
Secretary of State for Pres. James Monroe who helped negotiate the Adams-Onis
Treaty. Made a deal with Henry Clay making him the Sec. of State in return for his
support to make himself the president. President during the passing of the Tariff of
1828.
A member of the Hudson River School. He was a naturalist specializing in painting
the birds of America. He practiced his hobby of drawing birds as he floated down
the Mississippi River. Through his observation of birds and nature, he became a
conservationist. He illustrated a collection of 435 life size prints of America birds.
Today, the Audubon Society continues his spirit of protecting birds and their
habitats.
Heavily influenced by Ralph Waldo Emerson, he was a transcendentalist author who
wrote many books and poems. His most famous book is called Walden. In this book
he set forth his ideas about how an individual should live to be attuned to his own
nature as well as to nature itself. He is known for his civil disobedience when he was
jailed for not paying taxes to support the Mexican War. Thoreau’s most famous
essay was Civil Disobedience published in 1849, in which he called for passive
resistance to unjust laws.
A leader of the abolitionist movement in the decades prior to the Civil War. He was
born a slave in Maryland and eventually escaped to the North. He founded an
antislavery newspaper called the North Star, which he published for 13 years. He
participated in the first women’s rights convention at Seneca Falls in 1848 and wrote
three autobiographies. He also served as an advisor to President Abraham Lincoln
during the Civil War and helped recruit African Americans into the Union army.
After the war, he held several public offices and campaigned for full civil rights for
African Americans and women’s suffrage.
A leader in the women’s rights movement. Unlike most women of her era, she was
formally educated. She planned and organized the first women’s rights movement in
the United States, called the Seneca Falls Convention for Women’s Rights in Seneca
Falls, New York and wrote the Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions which
was modeled after the Declaration of Independence. She is regarded as one of the
true major forces in the drive towards equal rights for women in the United States.
Susan B. Anthony
Worked in the abolitionist slavery movement against slavery and the temperance
(fight against alcohol) movement. Anthony dedicated her life to the women’s
suffrage (right to vote) movement. Along with Elizabeth Cady Stanton, she founded
the National American Women Suffrage Association and the American Equal Rights
Association. In 1868 Anthony and Stanton established The Revolution to lobby for
women’s rights. Anthony toured the country making speeches on suffrage.
Civil War and Reconstruction (chapter 15- 18)
Abraham Lincoln
Served as president of the United States during the Civil War. He managed to
preserve the unity of the United States and took steps to abolish slavery, but he was
assassinated before he could implement post-war plans. He began his political career
by serving four terms in the Illinois state legislature beginning in 1834. He served
one term as representative from Illinois to the U.S. House of Representatives. He
was elected the sixteenth President in 1860, re-elected in 1864, and assassinated in
1865. He helped build the Republican Party, which replaced the Whig Party in the
1850s, from obscurity to the party of choice by 1860. His Gettysburg Address,
delivered in November 1863 at the dedication of the national cemetery at the Civil
War battlefield, called for national unity despite obstacles. He began the process of
freeing slaves in the Confederate states when he issued his Emancipation
Proclamation in 1863. Lincoln’s most lasting influence remains the Thirteenth
Amendment, ratified in December 1865, months after his death. It banned slavery
throughout the United States.
Jefferson Davis
President of the Confederate States of America, Jefferson Davis was educated at
West Point and served on the frontier during the 1830s. He also volunteered in the
Mexican War. He represented Mississippi
in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate and was Secretary of War
from 1853 to 1857. He was appointed provisional president and then was elected
president of the confederacy. He was demanding, did not tolerate disagreement,
interfered in military matters, and did not select effective subordinates.
Robert E. Lee
Lee gained recognition for his military leadership during the Civil War. When the
South seceded, Lincoln offered Lee the command of Union forces but Lee refused,
resigned from the U.S. Army, and returned to Virginia to serve with the Confederate
forces. In 1862 Lee was appointed to command the Army of Northern Virginia. His
battle strategies are admired to this day, but he was criticized for having a narrow
strategy centered on his native Virginia. He surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant at
Appomattox Courthouse in 1865.
Thomas “Stonewall”
Jackson
One of the most famous figures in American Civil War history. Perhaps best known
for his courageous ability to face an opposing army like a “stone wall” without
backing down, Jackson was a veteran of many Civil War battles and skirmishes. He
was revered by the Confederate armies of the South, not only for his years of
dedicated military service but also for his repeated displays of bravery and valor.
Jackson died in May, 1863 as a result of complications from wounds received at
Chancellorsville. When he died, Robert E. Lee said, “I have lost my right arm.”
Ulysses S. Grant
The eighteenth president, Ulysses S. Grant gained notoriety as commander of the
Union army during the Civil War. He graduated
from West Point, served in the Mexican War, and then resigned from the military
after serving in posts on the west coast. He was commissioned as a colonel at the
start of the Civil War. By September 1861 he was promoted to general. After a
series of victories, including the capture of Vicksburg, Lincoln gave him command
of the Union army. He created an overall plan concentrated on Sherman’s march
through Georgia and his own assault on the Confederate army in Virginia. Grant
accepted Lee’s surrender in 1865, ending the war. His popularity after the war and
the voters’ disillusionment with professional politicians following the Andrew
Johnson administration led Republicans to nominate Grant for the presidency in
1868. He wanted peace, not continued military Reconstruction in the South, but he
was unprepared to serve as president.
William Carney
Born a slave in Virginia, his father bought his freedom; enlisted in the all African
American 54th Massachusetts regiment during the Civil War and fought bravely at the
Battle of Fort Wagner outside Charleston, South Carolina and earned a promotion to
sergeant. He was shot four times and survived. He is the first African American to
receive the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Philip Bazaar
Chilean immigrant and a member of the U.S. Navy on the USS Santiago de Cuba, he
participated in the assault on Fort Fisher, a Confederate fort, he and five other men
carried dispatches during the battle and he is the first Hispanic-American to be
awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1865 for his bravery.
Hiram Rhodes
Revels
Originally born free in North Carolina, became the first African-American to serve
in the U.S. Congress when he was elected as a Republican senator from Mississippi
from 1870-1871. He is one of only 6 African-Americans to have served in the U.S.
Senate in its history.