AMERICAN REVOLUTION: KEY PLAYERS

Target Language or Knowledge:

Thomas Paine – Radical writer and pamphleteer Common Sense (1776) Argued for complete American independence from Britain, attacking monarchy as illegitimate and promoting republicanism as a rational and just form of government. John Dickinson – Moderate political thinker and lawyer Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania (1767–68) Warned that Parliament’s taxation policies (e.g., Townshend Duties) violated colonial rights; emphasized the need for legal protest, not violent rebellion. Samuel Adams – Political activist and propagandist Massachusetts Circular Letter (1768) Called for united colonial resistance to the Townshend Acts; emphasized that taxation without representation was a violation of English liberties. Patrick Henry – Orator and revolutionary leader “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” speech (1775) Urged Virginia to arm for war; asserted that peaceful petitions had failed and only force would preserve liberty from British tyranny. Abigail Adams – Advocate for women’s rights and republican values Letters to John Adams (notably March 1776) Asked her husband to “remember the ladies” in the new laws, advocating for women's inclusion in republican political discourse. Benjamin Franklin – Diplomat, scientist, political thinker Rules by Which a Great Empire May Be Reduced to a Small One (1773) Satirical essay criticizing British colonial policies; exposed their hypocrisy and encouraged sympathy for colonial grievances. George Mason – Virginia statesman Virginia Declaration of Rights (June 1776) Asserted that all men are born with inherent rights; inspired key parts of the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. Thomas Jefferson – Philosopher-statesman and primary author of Declaration Declaration of Independence (July 1776) Justified revolution based on natural rights theory and the social contract; condemned King George III for violating colonial liberties. Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay – Federalist thinkers The Federalist Papers (1787–88) Defended the U.S. Constitution; argued for a strong federal government with checks and balances to prevent tyranny and ensure stability. Mercy Otis Warren – Political writer and early historian Observations on the New Constitution (1788) Criticized the proposed Constitution for lacking a Bill of Rights and warned of potential abuse of federal power. John Locke – English Enlightenment philosopher Two Treatises of Government (1689) Advanced the idea that legitimate government is based on the consent of the governed and that people have the right to overthrow tyrants — deeply influenced Jefferson and other revolutionaries. James Otis Jr. – Lawyer and early colonial critic of British authority The Rights of the British Colonies Asserted and Proved (1764) Asserted that taxation without representation was tyranny; emphasized natural rights and challenged the legality of writs of assistance. Phillis Wheatley – Enslaved African-American poet Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral (1773) Used classical and religious themes to express Christian republican values, question slavery, and support the patriot cause — a rare revolutionary voice from an enslaved woman. Joseph Galloway – Loyalist political figure Plan of Union (1774, proposed to First Continental Congress Plan of Union (1774, proposed to First Continental Congress John Adams – Political theorist and constitutional advocate Thoughts on Government (1776) Proposed a balanced republican structure with separation of powers and checks and balances; became a model for several state constitutions. Chief Joseph Brant (Thayendanegea) – Mohawk leader and British ally Letters and Speeches (1770s–1790s) Defended the rights of the Iroquois Confederacy and their alliance with Britain; argued that Indigenous peoples had their own sovereignty and were betrayed by American expansion. Richard Henry Lee – Virginia statesman Lee Resolution (June 1776) Formally proposed American independence from Britain in Congress, paving the way for drafting the Declaration of Independence. Eliza Wilkinson – South Carolinian woman and diarist Letters from the American Revolution (1776–1783 Documented the social effects of war on Southern women, expressing patriot support while questioning gender roles in the new republic. Thomas Hutchinson – Royal governor of Massachusetts and Loyalist Strictures Upon the Declaration (1776) Criticized the Declaration of Independence as inconsistent and hypocritical; defended British constitutional authority over the colonies. Thomas Jefferson (again, in later years) Notes on the State of Virginia (1785) Reflected on republican government, race, and American identity; deeply influential but also controversial for its racial assumptions and defense of agrarianism.