Key Figures of the American Revolution

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What role did the Continental Congress play in uniting the colonies against British policies?

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The Continental Congress acted as a unifying body that brought representatives from the colonies together to discuss and coordinate their response to British policies. The First Continental Congress in 1774 organized a boycott of British goods in response to the Intolerable Acts. The Second Continental Congress in 1775 created the Continental Army, led by George Washington, and eventually declared independence.

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Patrick Henry

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'Give me liberty, or give me death!' He was a prominent figure in the American Revolution.

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Crispus Attucks

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An African American man who was the first person killed in the Boston Massacre, thus the first American killed in the American Revolution.

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Sons of Liberty

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A secret organization of American colonists formed to protect the rights of the colonists and to fight taxation by the British government.

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Sam Adams

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An American statesman, political philosopher, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He was a leader of the movement that became the American Revolution.

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Paul Revere

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An American silversmith, engraver, early industrialist, and Patriot in the American Revolution, famous for his midnight ride to alert the colonial militia of the approaching British forces.

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William Dawes

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An American patriot who rode with Paul Revere to warn that the British were advancing on Lexington and Concord.

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What was the Boston Massacre, and how did it lead to the Revolution?

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The Boston Massacre occurred on March 5, 1770, when British soldiers fired into a crowd of colonists in Boston, killing five people. This event intensified calls for resistance and set the stage for the American Revolution.

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John Hancock

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An American merchant, statesman, and prominent Patriot of the American Revolution. He is remembered for his large and stylish signature on the United States Declaration of Independence.

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Minutemen

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Members of a class of American militiamen who volunteered to be ready for service at a minute's notice during the American Revolutionary War.