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Historical Research Library

Discover the people, events, and key documents that shaped the Founding Era. 

Singers and dancers focused on Chris Jackson playing George Washington

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 Alexander Hamilton, John Trumbull Copy after: Giuseppe Ceracchi 1806, National Portrait Gallery

Alexander Hamilton

A poor immigrant from the Caribbean who became a key figure in the Revolution and in establishing the US government

Person
Anthony Ramos as Philip Hamilton. Photograph by Josh Lehrer.

Philip Hamilton

Eldest son of Alexander Hamilton and Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton who died in a duel defending his father’s honor

Person
Portrait of King George III by Thomas Frye (The Gilder Lehrman Collection)

George III

King of Great Britain viewed as a tyrant by colonists and a symbol of imperial rule

Person
Lemuel Haynes (Library of Congress)

Lemuel Haynes

African American clergyman and Revolutionary War veteran known for his writings on racial equality

Person
Silhouette of unidentified woman or girl, by Charles Willson Peale (Library of Congress)

Sally Hemings

Enslaved woman in the household of Thomas Jefferson, who was likely the father of her six children

Person
Patrick Henry by George Bagby Matthews, oil on canvas, ca. 1891 (US Senate Collection)

Patrick Henry

A leading figure in the Revolutionary era in Virginia, known for his “Give me liberty or give me death” speech

Person
Colonel David Humphreys by Gilbert Stuart, ca. 1808-1810. (Courtesy Yale University Art Gallery)

David Humphreys

Revolutionary War veteran, poet, and abolitionist who advocated a new, uniquely American literature

Person
John Jay, by Gilbert Stuart and John Trumbull, ca. 1818 (National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution)

John Jay

Co-author of the Federalist Papers, American diplomat, abolitionist, and first Chief Justice of the United States

Person
Thomas Jefferson, engraved by C. Tidout, based on a painting by Rembrandt Peale, 1801. (The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History)

Thomas Jefferson

Principal author of the Declaration of Independence who became the third President of the United States after a controversial election

Person
Absalom Jones by Raphaelle Peale, 1810. (Courtesy Delaware Art Museum)

Absalom Jones

Abolitionist, religious leader, and founder of the first Black Episcopal church in the United States

Person