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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Lemuel Haynes (Library of Congress)

Lemuel Haynes

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

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
John Laurens, by Charles Willson Peale, 1780 (National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution)

John Laurens

South Carolina officer and close friend of Alexander Hamilton who advocated abolition and recruitment of Black troops

Person
James Madison, by H. E. Hall and Sons, n.d. (The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History)

James Madison

Fourth President of the United States known as the “Father of the Constitution”

Person
Hand colored portrait engraving of a middle-age Dolley Madison, drawn by J. Heravring after J. Wood. ca 1830-1880 (The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History)

Dolley Madison

The influential First Lady who saved the portrait of George Washington during the War of 1812

Person
Lithographed portrait print, “The Reverend Sampson Occom” (circa 1830), (Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History)

Samson Occom

Mohegan clergyman, writer, and orator who was a key figure in Native American rights and education

Person
Paul Revere, 1887 (Library of Congress)

Paul Revere

Boston patriot, famed for his “midnight ride,” whose art turned a local skirmish into a “Massacre”

Person