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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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
Philip Schuyler, engraved by T. Kelly, based on a painting by John Trumbull, 1835 (Library of Congress)

Philip Schuyler

American general, influential New Yorker of Dutch descent, and father-in-law to Alexander Hamilton

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
Martha Washington, by Currier & Ives, ca. 1860 (Library of Congress)

Martha Washington

The nation’s first “First Lady,” who married George Washington in 1759 when she was a wealthy young widow

Person