Colonial Period

Before the United States, thirteen separate colonies settled throughout the eastern coast of North America. As separate communities with their own goals and needs, they were not created to join together. However, external forces during the 1770s pushed these colonies to form the United States of America.

John Hancock — The Man Behind the Most Famous Signature in American History

Everyone recognizes the name. Few people, when asked to fill out a form, don't unconsciously reach for the ...

Thomas McKean — The Founding Father Who Lived Three Lives at Once

Most Founding Fathers held one significant office at a time. Thomas McKean (1734–1817) routinely held several—often two or ...

The Great Seal of the United States: Six Years, Three Committees, and One Enduring Symbol

On the afternoon of July 4, 1776, the same day the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, ...

Rachel Walker Revere | The Woman Who Held the Revolution Together at Home

Everyone knows the name, Paul Revere. The silversmith. The patriot. The rider. His midnight gallop through the Massachusetts ...

James Monroe: The Last Founding Father President

James Monroe is often remembered for one idea above all others: the Monroe Doctrine. But Monroe’s impact on ...

James Madison: How a Soft-Spoken Virginian Helped Shape a Nation

When delegates gathered in Philadelphia during the summer of 1787, they faced a daunting challenge. The American Revolution ...

Treaty of Paris (1783): How America Won Independence and Ended the Revolutionary War

The Treaty of Paris, signed on September 3, 1783, formally ended the American Revolutionary War and marked one ...

Sarah Franklin Bache: Civic Leadership on the Revolutionary Home Front

Sarah Franklin Bache was born on September 11, 1743, in Philadelphia, then one of the most populous and ...

Richard Henry Lee: The Revolutionary Who Moved America Toward Independence

While names like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin are often most closely associated with the American ...

Robert Morris — The Financier Who Funded American Freedom

He is one of only two men in American history to sign all three of the nation's foundational ...

From Crisis to Constitution: How Philadelphia Changed America in 1787

On May 25, 1787, delegates gathered in Philadelphia to address a growing crisis facing the young United States. ...

Molly Pitcher (Mary Ludwig Hays) — Revolutionary War Heroine of Monmouth

Among the enduring figures of the American Revolution, few have captured the public imagination quite like “Molly Pitcher.” ...