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Feel free to talk about any personality/ies you personally find interesting or important. Remember to justify your opinions, try to give as much information about the person as possible.
You might also want to introduce a person who might not be that well-known but for some reason you find them interesting or important to mention.

You can speak about politicians, sportsmen and sportswomen, artists, writers or scientists. The more you know the person, the better and the more interesting your speech might be...

What you should mention:
- name + where from
- why famous
- any fun facts?
- what you think about them (do you like them? not? why?)

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A list of famous and influential people from the United States of America.

Pilgrims or the Pilgrim Fathers (17th Century) A group of early settlers who left England and founded a colony in Plymouth, Massachusetts, around 1620.

William Penn (1644 - 1718) In the Pennsylvania Frame of Government (1682), Penn included democratic principles and the principle of religious tolerance. Penn was also an early advocate for uniting the different colonies of America.

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) Author, politician, diplomat, scientist and statesman. Franklin urged the colonies to join together and one of the strongest supporters for the idea of a United States.
George Washington (1732-1799) Founding Father of the United States. Served as Commander in Chief of American forces during the War of Independence. Also elected the first President of the United States, serving for eight years (1789-1797).
Thomas Paine (1737-1809) English-American writer and political activist. In 1776, he wrote the best selling pamphlet Common Sense. This advocated America seeking independence from Great Britain.

Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) Founding Father and principal author of The Declaration of Independence (1776). Third President of the US, Jefferson helped to expand the territory of the US through the Louisiana Declaration(1803).

Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804) Founding Father, who served as a soldier, economist, and lawyer. The first United States Secretary of the Treasury, establishing a national bank, and taxation system. Negotiated trade deals with Great Britain.

John Adams (1735-1826) Founding Father and the second US President. Adams assisted Thomas Jefferson in writing the Declaration of Independence and helped to pass the Declaration through Congress.

James Madison (1751-1836) Fourth president of the US (1809-1817) Drafted the US Constitution and the US Bill of Rights. In 1788, along with Hamilton and John Jay, he wrote the Federalist Papers.

John Marshall (1755-1835) Influential fourth Chief Justice of the United States (1801-1835). His opinions helped to lay the framework for American constitutional law and the Supreme Court.

Sojourner Truth (1797 - 1883) African-American abolitionist and women's rights campaigner. In 1851, gave a famous extemporaneous speech "Ain't I a woman?" which explained in plain language how women were equal to men.

Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) 16th President of the US from 1861-1865. He led the Union forces during the American civil war. Lincoln led the north to victory preserving the Union and passing a bill to abolish legal slavery.

Harriet Tubman (1822 - 1913) Tubman escaped from slavery but returned on many dangerous missions to Maryland where she helped lead slaves to freedom. She also served as agent and leader during the Civil War. She became a symbol of the abolition movement.

Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) One of America's greatest poets, Emily Dickinson lived most of her life in seclusion. Her poems were published posthumously and received widespread literary praise for their bold and unconventional style. Her poetic style left a significant legacy on 20th Century poetry.

Booker T. Washington (1856 - 1915) Author and orator, Washington was an adviser to the presidents of Roosevelt and Taft. He was the de facto leader of African-Americans. He advocated an incremental approach to improving education and life prospects of black Americans.

Theodore Roosevelt (1858 - 1919) President (1901-09) Roosevelt was a leading political figure of the Progressive Era - fighting corruption and the power of monopoly trusts. As President, he challenged corruption and monopoly power. He also created the first American Natural Parks and pursued a more activist US foreign policy, building up the navy.

Ida B. Wells (1862 - 1931) African-American activist for both civil rights and women's suffrage. Wells rose to prominence for her investigative journalism on the practice of lynching in the Deep South. Her powerful indictment of lynching made her a national figure in the late nineteenth century.

Herbert Hoover (1874 - 1964) Hoover was 31st President from 1929 to 1933 during the Great Depression. He also played a major role in America's humanitarian aid efforts during the First World War. From 1921-28, he served as a dynamic Secretary of Commerce in the cabinets of Harding and Coolidge.

Margaret Sanger (1879-1966) - Sanger was a leading pioneer in offering contraception and health care services to women. Controversial at the time, Sanger is credited with playing a leading role in the acceptance of contraception.

Babe Ruth (1895 - 1948) Iconic baseball player. Babe Ruth was one of the greatest baseball players whose popularity transcended sport and epitomised the Roaring Twenties.

Amelia Earhart (1897- 1937) - Female aviator. She broke several records and became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic in 1932. She disappeared whilst attempting to circumnavigate the world.

Al Capone (1899 - 1947) American gangster who rose to fame during the prohibition era. He was an uncompromising boss of the Chicago Outfit - behind the St Valentine's Day Massacre. Eventually convicted of income tax evasion. Capone is an iconic representative of the mafia mobster.

Alfred Hitchcock (1899 - 1980) - English / American film producer. Hitchcock is considered the master film director, producing some of Hollywood's greatest films, such as Psycho, Rear Window and Birds

Walt Disney (1901 - 1966) American film producer
and creator of cartoon characters such as Mickey Mouse. Walt Disney pioneered the successful film portrayal of classic fairy tales, such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

(1902 - 1974) US air pilot, inventor and environmentalist. In 1927, Lindbergh succeeded in making the first non-stop flight from New York to Paris. It hit the headlines again when his child was abducted and murdered in 1932.

Walter Reuther (1907 - 1970) Reuther was an influential trade union leader who took on the major car firms and gained recognition for unions. Under his leadership, UAW became a major force. He took part in the civil rights movement, supporting Martin Luther King's 1963 March on Washington.

Thurgood Marshall (1908 - 1993) US civil rights lawyer and the first African-American appointed to the US Supreme Court Justice. Marshall was the lead lawyer in the pivotal Supreme Court Case Brown vs Board of Education, Topeka (1954) which overturned legal segregation in the US.

Ronald Reagan (1911 - 2004) - US President (1980 - 1988) Reagan sought to roll back the frontiers of the state and pursued an aggressive anti-Communist foreign policy.

John F. Kennedy (1917 - 1963) US President. Elected in 1960, Kennedy was seen as a young dynamic President who offered a new hope to the US and the world. He played a role in diffusing the Cuban missile crisis and the threat of nuclear war.

Jackie Robinson (1919-1974) US baseball. First African-American to play in Major League baseball - breaking the decades old 'color bar' Robinson led the Brooklyn Dodgers to six Pennants and one World Series. Major figure in US civil rights movement.

Cesar Chavez (1927 - 1993) Latin-American labor leader and civil rights activist who, co-founded the National Farm Workers Association. Chavez organised union representation and sought to create better working conditions for migrant farm workers.

Neil Armstrong (1930 - 2012) US Pilot and astronaut. In 1969, Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first men to successful land and walk on the moon, giving the memorable quote. "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. "

Donald Trump (1946 - ) US business magnate, investor, television personality and 45th president of the US. Trump ran a divisive campaign on subjects of immigration, trade and tax cuts.

Steven Spielberg (1946 - ) Influential filmmaker who began with popular blockbusters - Jaws (1975), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), and Jurassic Park (1993) and influential films such as - Schindler's List (1993) and Lincoln (2012)

Hilary Clinton (1947 - ) US politician who became the first women to run for the office of US president for a major political party (Democrats). Also served as Secretary of State from 2009 to 2013. First lady for husband Bill Clinton.

Oprah Winfrey (1954 - ) US media celebrity. Oprah Winfrey launched an influential chat show which became one of the most watched TV shows. This led to spin-offs, such as the Oprah book club.

Michael Moore (1954 - ) US film producer and political activist. Michael Moore has produced films criticising the inequalities of capitalism and globalisation. He has also investigated the US health industry (Sicko) and the American attitude to guns (Bowling for Columbine)

George R.R Martin (1948 - ) American author of epic fantasy series - A Song of Ice and Fire, - his international best-selling series of fantasy has been adapted for the screen as "The Game of Thrones."

George Clooney (1961 ) American actor, director and political activist. Clooney played the lead role in films such as Batman and Robin (1997) and Ocean's Eleven. He went on to direct his own films. He also raises money and awareness for various charities.

Jon Stewart (1962 - ) - Comic and tv presenter from New York. Jon Stewart hosts the influential and popular 'Daily Show.' His biting satire and criticism of mainstream media has made it a hit on tv ratings.

Angelina Jolie (1975 - ) Starred in the popular Lara Croft film series. As well as acting, Jolie is active in charitable activities.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (1989 - ) Democratic Congresswomen. A leading figurehead for a socialist, progressive agenda including "Green New Deal," universal health care, and higher taxes on the rich.

Citation: Pettinger, Tejvan. "Famous Americans", Oxford, www.biographyonline.net, 23 January 2014. Last updated 5 March 2020.

The Constitution of the United States of America

The Constitution of the United States of America at Amazon

America - Teacher's Edition

America - Teacher's Edition at Amazon

Tales of Famous Americans

Tales of Famous Americans at Amazon

Periods in American history

(1775 - 1783) Leading figures in the American Revolution. Includes military leaders, philosophers, British protagonists and ordinary people. List includes; George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, George III and Benjamin Franklin.

Great Events in American History - A list of some of the great moments in the history of the United States, by chronological order - from the arrival of Columbus to landing a man on the moon and the end of the Cold War.

(1861-65) A list of over 20 famous and influential figures in the American Civil War (1861 - 1865) Includes politicians, generals, soldiers, spies and social activists. Including; Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant.

People of the Reconstruction Era (1865-1877) Influential figures and groups of people in the aftermath of the American Civil War and the drive to rebuild the south and defend new civil rights. Including Presidents Johnson, Grant and leading 'carpetbaggers', 'scallawags' and radical Republicans.

The Gilded Age (1870 to 1900) A period of rapid expansion in the economy, with growing inequality. Includes the great industrialists, such as J.D. Rockefeller, J.P. Morgan and Andrew Carnegie.

People of the Progressive Era (1890-1920) A period of increased federal intervention to tackle abuse of monopoly power and inequality. The Progressive Era also saw women gain the vote, and increased efforts to tackle corruption.

People who built America A look at people who helped build American - from the Founding Fathers of the American Revolution to the modern technological age.

. The key events, people and battles which shaped the American War of Independence. Includes principal figures, such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and King George III.
Other famous Americans to be added Related

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A list of famous and influential people from the United States of America. Pilgrims or the Pilgrim Fathers (17th Century) A group of early settlers who left England and founded a colony in Plymouth, Massachusetts, around 1620. William Penn (1644 - 1718) In the Pennsylvania Frame of Government (1682), Penn included democratic principles and the [...]

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American politicians, entertainers, artists etc. considered being the most popular and famous American people...

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Famous people from United States

Here is a list of famous people from United States. Curious if anybody from United States made it our most famous people in the world list? Read the aformentioned article in order to find out.

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Here is a list of famous people from United States. Curious if anybody from United States made it our most famous people in the world list? Read the aformentioned article in order to find out.