Key People Flashcards
John Adams
Founding Father and proponent of bicaremal legislature, Adams defended the British soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre and later served as the 2nd president of the United States, where he made his midnight appointments that were the basis of the Marbury v Madison
James Madison
Fourth President of the United States and Founding Father, Madison is often called the “Father of the Constitution” He co-authored The Federalist with Hamilton and Jay, and helped Jefferson create the Democratic-Republican party
James Wilson
A primary framer of the Constitution, Wilson proposed the three-fifths compromise for slave representation and election of the President by the people. He was also key in Pennsylvania’s ratification
Roger Sherman
Connecticut delegate to the CC, Sherman proposed the great compromise of one of the legislative house having proportional representation while the other had equal representation
Gouverneur Morris
Pennsylvania representative at the Constitutional Convention, Morris is credited with authoring large sections of the constitution, including the Preamble
Charles Pinckney
A south Carolina representative to the Constitutional Convention, Pinckney was a strong promoter of federalism and helped persuade ratification of the Constitution in South Carolina
William Paterson
New Jersey representative at the CC who presented the New Jersey Plan, which gave equal representation to states regardless of states size or population
George Mason
Virginia delegate to the Constitutional Convention, Mason refused to sign the Constitution because it did not contain a declaration of rights
George Washington
Known as the “Father of his country,” He led the Continental Army to victory during the Revolutionary War, presided over the Constitutional Convention, and was elected as the first President
Benjamin Franklin
A Founding Father, who was also a leading printer, scientist, inventor, and diplomat. He helped secure France as an ally for Revolutionarm
Edmund Randolph
Governor of Virginia and delegate to the CC, he refused to sign the Constitution in Philadelphia, but later was instrumental to persuading Virginia leadership to ratify it.
Samuel Adams
Second cousin to John Adams, he was a Massachusetts statesman and organizer of the Boston tea party. Adams served in the CC and signed the Deceleration of Independence, but was opposed to a strong federal government.
Patrick Henry
Best know for his speech “Give me liberty, or give me death” in the Virginia house of Burgesses, Henry was an Anti- federalist who pushed for a bill of rights to be added to the constitution.
Alexander Hamilton
Served as the first Secretary of the Treasury under Washington and started the Federalist party. Also co authored The Federalist and wanted a strong Federal
John Jay
A Founding Father, served as President of the Continental Congress, co-wrote The Federalist and served as the first chief justice of the supreme court
William Marbury
A “Midnight Appointment” by John Adams, Marbury sued secretary of state James Madison for delivery of his commission, which was being withheld by order of President Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Third President of the United States, Jefferson was the principal author of the Deceleration of Independence and an influential Founding Father. He founded the Democratic-Republican Party and promoted the idea of a small federal government.
John Marshall
Fourth Chief Justice of the US, he ruled that writs of mandamus were unconstitutional in the case of Marbury v Madison, thereby establishing a precedent of judicial review
Andrew Jackson
The seventh President of the United States, Jackson championed the US as a democracy, pushing for more political involvement by the common man. He also vetoed the US Banks charter and made other reforms to keep the federal government small.
Robert E. Lee
Confederate general and commander of the Army of Northern Virginia during the Civil War. After surrendering at Appomattox on April 9, 1865, lee urged reconciliation with the North.
George B. McClellan
Union general during the Civil War. Although he helped raise and train the Union Army as general-in-chief, McClellan failed to press his advantage at the Battle of Antietam, and was later relieved of his command by President Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
16th president, he sought to end slavery and preserve the Union. He signed the Emancipation Proclamation and delivered his famous “Gettysburg Address.”
Stephen A. Douglas
An Illinois statesman who ran against Lincoln, Bell, and Breckinridge in the 1860 presidential election on a popular sovereignty platform for slavery, Douglas also authored the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which repealed the Missouri compromise and heightened the slavery debate.
Chief Justice Roger B. Taney
Fifth Chief Justice, he ruled in the Dred Scott V Sanford that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional.
Dred Scott
Slave who sued unsuccessfully for his freedom in 1857 because he had lived with his owner in several states where slavery was illegal. The ruling of Dred Scott V Sanford determined that slaves were property and could not be freed by state laws. The ruling essentially nullified the Missouri Compromise and was a major factor contributing to the Civil War.
John Breckinridge
A Senator from Kentucky and the 14th vice president, ran against Lincoln, Bell, and Douglas, in 1860 on an extreme pro slavery platform
John Bell
A wealthy slave owner from Tennessee who served in both the house and the senate, and ran for president against Lincoln, Douglas, and Brekinridge in 1860 with the Constitutional Union Party on a moderate pro slavery platform
