Benjamin Franklin was an inventor, writer, printer, diplomat, scientist, humorist, and statesman. During the French and Indian War, Franklin advocated colonial unity with his Albany Plan which encouraged the colonists to “Join or Die.” He was a delegate to the both Continental Congresses and a member of the committee to write the Declaration of Independence. Franklin was the U.S. Ambassador to France and helped to negotiate the Treaty of Paris that ended the American Revolution. The French loved Franklin, and he was very popular in that country. Later, he was the oldest delegate to the Constitutional Convention at the age of 81.

(1746-1786 )

In 1776, Bernardo de Gálvez, a descendant of ancient Spanish nobility, became the acting Governor of the Louisiana Territory. Due to the “bad blood” between his home country of Spain and England, Gálvez naturally sided with the Americans throughout the war. He was instrumental in buying Spanish weapons, gunpowder, clothing and many other vital supplies that were essential to the colonial army. Galveston, Texas is named in his honor.

(1723-1770)

In 1770, Crispus Attucks, an African American former slave was the first of five unarmed American civilians to be shot and killed by British soldiers in a riot known as the Boston Massacre. The events of that fateful day eventually ended in the fight for ultimate freedom in the American Revolution. A “Crispus Attucks Day” was inaugurated by African American abolitionists in 1858. In 1888 the Crispus Attucks Monument was built on Boston Common. His death has forever linked his name with the cause of freedom

(1738-1820)

King George III became heir to the English throne on the death of his father in 1751 and succeeded his grandfather George II in 1760. During his reign, there were many conflicts involving his kingdom. After the French and Indian War, the British Parliament angered the American colonists by taxing them to pay for military protection. In 1776 the American colonists declared their independence and listed their grievances against the king. After 1784, he suffered a nervous breakdown in 1789. After he was declared insane in 1810, his son was appointed to rule for him.

(1740-1785)

Haym Salomon was a Polish-born Jewish immigrant who played an important role in financing the American Revolution. He became a patriot and joined the New York Sons of Liberty. He was arrested as a spy by the British but escaped before he could be hung. Salomon became a financial broker in Philadelphia and raised money to help fund the war. Known as the “American Financier,” Salomon died penniless in 1785.