Meet the Revolutionaries
Thomas Paine
Thomas Paine wrote Common Sense, a pamphlet that argued independence was not only possible but necessary. His clear, bold language helped ordinary people understand why breaking from Britain mattered.
Prince Hall
Prince Hall was an African American leader who demanded freedom and equal rights during the Revolutionary era. He challenged Americans to live up to their promises of liberty and justice.
Betsy Ross
Betsy Ross was a Philadelphia craftswoman who supported the Revolution through her work. She is often connected to the story of the first American flag, and she also helped the war effort in many everyday ways behind the scenes.
Joseph Warren
Joseph Warren helped organize resistance to British rule and warned patriots before major battles. He was an important figure early on in the Revolution, and died fighting at Bunker Hill, becoming an early martyr of the Revolution.
John Dickinson
John Dickinson believed strongly in colonial rights but worried about rushing into war. His careful arguments helped shape early debates about independence and the responsibilities of self-government.
Lucy Knox
Lucy Knox supported the American Revolution even though she came from a Loyalist family. As the wife of General Henry Knox, she followed the Continental Army, endured difficult winter camps, and helped care for soldiers and their families.
Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben
Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben came to America from Prussia to train American troops in discipline and strategy. His leadership transformed the Continental Army into a more effective fighting force.
Marquis de Lafayette
Marquis de Lafayette was a young French officer who volunteered to fight for American independence. His support helped strengthen the alliance between the United States and France and he became a trusted ally and friend to the patriot cause.
Benjamin Rush
Benjamin Rush was a doctor who treated soldiers during the American Revolution and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He believed education, public health, and civic responsibility were essential and worked to improve schools, medicine, and care for the poor.
Deborah Sampson
Deborah Sampson was born in Massachusetts and grew up working from a young age. During the American Revolution, she disguised herself as a man to serve in the Continental Army—later becoming one of the first women to receive a military pension.
Joseph Plumb Martin
Joseph Plumb Martin enlisted as a teenager and fought throughout the war. His later memoir gives historians a rare look at the daily life of common soldiers.
Elizabeth Freeman
Elizabeth Freeman was an enslaved African American woman. She used the language of liberty to successfully sue for her freedom. Her freedom case showed how Revolutionary ideals could challenge slavery.
Charles Willson Peale
Charles Willson Peale fought as a soldier and painted portraits of Revolutionary leaders. His artwork helped Americans see themselves as part of a shared national story.
Canasatego
Canasatego was a leader of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy who emphasized unity among nations. His ideas influenced colonial leaders as they considered forming a united government.
Sarah Franklin Bache
Sarah Franklin Bache organized fundraising and supplies for Continental soldiers. Her leadership demonstrated how civilians supported the war effort.
James Wilson
James Wilson believed government power should come directly from the people. His ideas shaped both the Revolution and the Constitution that followed.
Dive Deeper
Explore the Founders’ Library
The National Constitution Center’s Founders’ Library includes primary texts that span American history—from the philosophical works that influenced the Founding generation to the most important speeches, essays, books, pamphlets, petitions, letters, court cases, landmark statutes, and state constitutions that have shaped the American constitutional tradition.
