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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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
Gouverneur Morris, engraving by J. Rogers (Wikimedia Commons)

Gouverneur Morris

Constitutional Convention delegate who advocated a strong central government, abolition, and freedom of religion

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
Thomas Paine, by Romney Illman & Sons (The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History)

Thomas Paine

Author of “Common Sense” and “The Rights of Man” who was influential in the American and French Revolutions

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
Mrs. James Warren (Mercy Otis), by John Singleton Copley. ca. 1763. (Courtesy of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston)

Mercy Otis Warren

Patriot, playwright, and poet who chronicled the American Revolution and corresponded with Revolutionary War leaders

Person
George Washington, by Rembrandt Peale, ca. 1852 (The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History)

George Washington

The first President of the United States and a symbol of American independence and integrity

Person
Frontispiece, "Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral," 1773, by Phillis Wheatley, 1773 (The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History)

Phillis Wheatley

First published African American female author and supporter of American independence

Person