1754–1763 - French and Indian War

Thomas Hutchinson (1711-1780) was a prominent figure in Massachusetts during the lead-up to the American Revolution. He is most well-known for serving as the Governor of Massachusetts during a significant portion of the American Revolution and the Boston Tea Party.

The Iroquois Confederacy — or the Haudenosaunee Confederacy — was a league made up of six distinct Native American Indian nations that spoke the same language. The Confederacy is most well-known for its role in the Fur Trade and the major wars that shaped the American Colonies.

William Irvine was an officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He led troops in Canada, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, and then commanded the Western Department from Fort Pitt. He is remembered for his command at Fort Pitt, which included the Gnadenhutten Massacre and Crawford’s Defeat.

William Samuel Johnson was a successful lawyer from Stratford, Connecticut, and a Founding Father of the United States. He participated in many key events that shaped the nation, including the Stamp Act Congress, Confederation Congress, and Constitutional Convention. He signed the Constitution and played a key role in the development of the Judiciary Act of 1789. He is also one of the Founding Fathers of Connecticut.

Simon Kenton was a Frontiersman, scout, and soldier who is most famous for helping defend Kentucky settlers from the late Colonial Era to the Early Republic. Kenton is one of the most important figures of the early era of Westward Expansion and Manifest Destiny and was associated with Daniel Boone and George Rogers Clark.

Marquis de Lafayette was a French aristocrat and soldier who is most well-known in America for his support of the Patriot Cause and service in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.

Louis Lispenard was a wealthy landowner from New York City. He participated in the Stamp Act Congress in 1765, and supported the Patriot cause throughout the American Revolution and War for Independence, and was a prominent member of the New York Sons of Liberty.

Philip Livingston was a successful merchant from Albany, New York. He is a Founding Father because he signed the Declaration of Independence and participated in key events that shaped the American Revolution, including the Stamp Act Congress, First Continental Congress, and Second Continental Congress.

Robert R. Livingston, "The Chancellor," is a Founding Father and served on the committee that drafted the Declaration of Independence. He also helped negotiate the Louisiana Purchase.

Robert R. Livingston, "The Judge," was a politician and judge from New York. He participated in the Stamp Act Congress in 1765.

Thomas Lynch, Sr. was a successful planter from Charleston, South Carolina. He is important because he participated in many key events that shaped the American Revolution, including the Stamp Act Congress, First Continental Congress, and Second Continental Congress.

“Manifest Destiny” is the idea that Americans had a “God-given right” — a divine right — to expand across the continent, from the east coast to the west coast, from “sea to shining sea,” planting democracy, capitalism, and Christianity along the way.

Facts about the culture, society, and nature of Colonial Maryland, which was one of the 13 Colonies that declared independence from Great Britain. Maryland was founded in 1632 and implemented the Act of Toleration, one of the first laws requiring religious tolerance in America.

Massachusetts Bay Colony was established in 1629 when King Charles I issued a charter that established the Massachusetts Bay Company and gave the company permission to establish a settlement in New England. Prior to the American Revolution, it became the largest and most powerful British colony in New England and is one of the 13 Original Colonies that declared independence in 1776.

William Maxwell was an officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He led troops in Canada, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. He is most famous as the first commanding officer of the Continental Army’s light infantry corps, known as “Maxwell’s Brigade.”

Alexander McDougall was a prominent leader of the New York Sons of Liberty and served as a General in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. McDougall is most famous for his role as a leader of the Patriot Cause in New York City.

Thomas McKean was a well-known lawyer, politician, and judge from New London, Pennsylvania. He is a Founding Father because he signed the Declaration of Independence and Articles of Confederation and was the second President under the Articles. He also participated in key events that shaped the American Revolution, including the Stamp Act Congress, First Continental Congress, and Second Continental Congress. He also played a key role in Pennsylvania’s ratification of the United States Constitution.

Mercantilism — or the Mercantile System — was an economic theory implemented by England that allowed the American Colonies to flourish, but also led to the policies that contributed to the unrest that caused the American Revolution, and the American Revolutionary War.

The Middle Colonies in the Colonial Era were New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. Known as the “Breadbasket Colonies,” they were diverse in terms of government, culture, and society but had similar economies. Although they supported the ideals of the American Revolution, they were reluctant to support independence. However, they were four of the 13 Original Colonies that declared independence from Britain in July 1776, creating the United States of America.

The Middle Passage was a route in the Triangular Trade System that started in Northwest Africa, crossed the Atlantic Ocean, and ended in the Americas. The Middle Passage is most well-known for its use in the Transatlantic Slave Trade and the terrible suffering it imposed on imprisoned Africans who were sold into slavery.