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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“Washington Reviewing the Western Army at Fort Cumberland, Maryland,” attributed to Frederick Kemmelmeyer, 1795 (Metropolitan Museum of Art)

Whiskey Rebellion, 1794

Pennsylvania farmers violently resisted a federal whiskey tax—illustrating the tensions between frontiersmen and the new government’s authority

Event
A 19th-century engraving of the Hamilton-Burr Duel (Granger)

Hamilton-Burr Duel, 1804

A fatal confrontation between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr that stemmed from political and personal animosities and shaped American political history

Event
Engraving of Abigail Adams, n.d. (Gilder Lehrman Collection)

Abigail Adams

Influential First Lady, advocate for women’s rights, and prolific writer

Person
Samuel Adams, from "An Impartial History of the War in America," 1780 (The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History)

Samuel Adams

One of the first Americans to challenge British rule and resist their policies in the 1760s and 1770s

Person
John Adams, by John Trumbull, 1793 (National Portrait Gallery)

John Adams

A leading proponent of independence, a congressman, a diplomat, and the second President of the United States

Person
"Mrs. John Barker Church, Son Philip, and Servant," by John Trumbull, 1785 (Private Collection)

Angelica Schuyler Church

The charming, intelligent, politically active oldest daughter of Philip Schuyler and sister of Elizabeth Hamilton

Person
Nathanael Greene, based on a portrait by Alonzo Chappel (The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History)

Nathanael Greene

Trusted aide to George Washington known for strategic brilliance and Revolutionary War victories

Person
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