About the Colonial Leaders of the Revolutionary War

The colonial leaders of the Revolutionary War formed the United States in the 1760s and 1770s. They are engrained in the minds of Americans across the country through statues and monuments, high school textbooks and $1 bills. From Presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, to agitators like Benjamin Franklin and Sam Adams, these colonial leaders led the people of the United States. During the Revolutionary War, they were foremost in war, politics and international affairs.

The Facts

Beginning in the 1760s, the revolution against England began the path that ended with the Revolutionary War and independence. Sam Adams led the legal agitating in Boston, engaging colonials with drawings of the Boston Massacre. John Hancock served as president of the Continental Congress that governed the colonies at the time of the Revolutionary War. George Washington led the American armies in the war. Benjamin Franklin served as foreign minister, traveling to France to enlist aid in the war.

History of

All of the colonial leaders of the Revolutionary War began as sons of Englishmen. They were generally born in the United States from humble backgrounds, and ascended through civilian, political, or military life through outstanding achievements in times of turmoil. George Washington gained his military beginning in the French and Indian War of the 1750s. John Adams emerged as a lawyer in Boston in the 1760s. Benjamin Franklin served in the smaller governments of Pennsylvania and Philadelphia.

Effects

The effects of these leaders, despite their humble beginnings, shaped the course of colonial history through the Revolutionary War. Without the experienced leadership of George Washington as general of the Continental Army, the troops may have given up after the miserable winter of 1778. They may have never achieved the decisive victories at Yorktown and Saratoga. Without the help of France, enlisted by Benjamin Franklin, the Americans may never have broken the naval siege of the English forces.

Features

The leaders that dominated the colonial Revolutionary War all shared a common desire for freedom. Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin displayed this desire in eloquent form in the Declaration of Independence, signed on July 4, 1776. Patrick Henry proclaimed his desire in front of the Virginia House of Burgesses when he said, "Give me liberty, or give me death!" Sam Adams expressed his need for freedom when he helped dump British Tea into Boston Harbor during the Boston Tea Party of 1773.

Significance

These men have remained important to the American people because of their role in the formative years of the nation. These colonial leaders not only broke away from the English government, helped win the Revolutionary War, signed the Declaration of Independence and secured the existence of the 13 colonies, but they led the American people in the principles that have come to define the nation. Benjamin Franklin was a leading philanthropist and scientist of the era; Thomas Jefferson led the country through expansion; and John Adams helped found the Federalist Party that developed the Constitution, contributions all evolved from the freedom and political experience gained during the Revolutionary War.