Founding Fathers

Considered an Anti-Federalist, he was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence, helped organize a boycott of English goods and was the 3rd President of the U.S.

• George Washington

• Alexander Hamilton

• Thomas Jefferson

• Benjamin Franklin

Considered a great military leader and Federalist-leaning, he fought in the French and Indian War, was Commander in Chief of the Continental Army and the 1st President of the U.S.

• George Washington

• Alexander Hamilton

• Thomas Jefferson

• Benjamin Franklin

Federalist inventor and scientist, he wrote "Poor Richard's Almanac", offered to pay for the tea in the Boston Tea Party if British would end taxation and was the oldest delegate to the Continental Congress. He persuaded France to send officers, soldiers, guns and money to America. Later, he became Ambassador to France.

• George Washington

• Alexander Hamilton

• Thomas Jefferson

• Benjamin Franklin

Federalist creator of the first national bank in America and well-known for his hot temper and dueling, he was chosen by George Washington to be our country's first Secretary of the Treasury. He died as the result of a duel with Aaron Burr.

• George Washington

• Alexander Hamilton

• Thomas Jefferson

• Benjamin Franklin

Originally a Federalist, he is considered the father of the Constitution of the United States for his pivotal role in writing and promoting the United States Constitution and the United States Bill of Rights. He also co-wrote The Federalist Papers. Later, he became the 4th President.

• James Madison

• Samuel Adams

• John Adams

• John Hancock

An Anti-Federalist agitator and organizer of the Revolution against the British, he was a failure at everything except revolution. He organized the Sons of Liberty, a group that fought against British taxation, and he vigorously promoted and publicized the colonists' efforts to move toward revolution.

• James Madison

• Samuel Adams

• John Adams

• John Hancock

Author of Common Sense, he wrote a persuasive argument for independence from Great Britain. His writing convinced many colonists and founding fathers of the wisdom of rebellion against the British. He also published The Crisis during the Revolutionary War, helping encourage the soldiers to fight on. Despite his contributions, he did not serve in government or sign the Declaration of Independence.

• Thomas Jefferson

• Thomas Paine

• Patrick Starr

• Patrick Henry

This leader helped write the Declaration of Independence,

worked to form an alliance with France, invented bifocals, a new kind of stove and an odometer you could attach to your wagon wheel, and established a library, fire department and police department in his community.

• John Adams

• Benjamin Franklin

• Nathan Hale

• John Hancock

Though he himself was not a Founding Father, his ideas and writings were one of the central influences on them. Key among his ideas was the belief that all people were born equal and had natural rights to life, liberty, and property, and it was government's job to protect those rights.

• Jean-Jacques Rousseau

• Baron de Montesquieu

• Thomas Hobbes

• John Locke

An Anti-Federalist radical revolutionary unafraid to speak up against Great Britain at an early date, he is most famous for his speech which includes the line, "Give me liberty or give me death." Governor of Virginia during the Revolution, he also helped fight for the addition of the Bill of Rights to the US Constitution, a document with which he disagreed because of its strong federal powers.

• Thomas Jefferson

• Thomas Paine

• Patrick Starr

• Patrick Henry