American History
is probably one of the most interesting histories all over the world. And some
of the most important people shaping the history of America in between 1492 to
1865 are Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison,
Alexander Hamilton and Abraham Lincoln.
Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston
in 1706, he was a clever boy, and as he grew up he was fascinated in books and
poetry, which made him write articles for newspapers and books. He was a very
creative person, and was the inventor of the Franklin stove which saved fuel.
But the invention for which we all remember him still today is the invention of
electricity, we remember him as the first person to introduce light in our
lives. Franklin was such a person who thought all people were equal, and in
1765 he was asked by Thomas Jefferson to help him in writing the Declaration of
Independence. The people of America still consider him as a hero, who struggled
for their independence.
George Washington was born in
Virginia in 1732; he was a gentleman who developed good morals and manners at a
young age. In the beginning of his career he worked as a surveyor and he had
many lands. Till the American Revolution Washington managed his lands at Mount
Vernon. In 1775 as a delegate of Virginia Washington was elected as Chief
Commander of the Continental Army. Immediately after he took command of his
troops and started the war against British, which lasted for six years. In 1781
he finally forced the arrest of Lord Cornwallis, which put an end to the war.
He was one of the main persons in the Constitutional Convention in 1787 at
Philadelphia. And finally on April 30th 1789 he took oath as the
first President of the United States.
Thomas Jefferson was born in
Virginia in 1743; his father who was a planter was a rich man with lots of
land, which Jefferson inherited from him. He was an active member of the
Congress, who did not speak much. He along with Benjamin Franklin wrote the
Declaration of Independence. He was appointed as a minister to France in 1785.
He played a key role in writing a bill for religious freedom, which was put
forward in 1786. Jefferson was elected as vice-president in 1796. In 1801 he was
elected as the third President of United States. As the President he cut the expenditures
for the Navy and the Army and he also slashed the budget. He was also busy in
keeping the nation away from the wars of Napoleon.
James Madison was born in Virginia
in 1751; he was mostly inspired by people like Isaac Newton, David Hume and
Voltaire. He worked on the Orange County Committee for safety in Virginia in
1774. Later he was elected to the Virginia Convention, which sought
independence and wanted a new state. He served in the council of State in 1778
and 1779. He became a leader of the Nationalist Group in 1779. He worked
closely with Jefferson and he left Congress in 1797. In 1801 he was appointed
as the State secretary by then President Jefferson. James Madison was elected
as the fourth President of United States in 1808. He played a key role in
forming the US constitution, and was greatly favorable to a republican
government.
Alexander Hamilton was born in 1755;
his parents were from West Indian trading families. Hamilton entered into
politics by writing about the disputes between the Americans and the British.
He was more interested in action so he joined the military and fought in
different battles in 1775 and 1776, his abilities brought him closer to George
Washington and he worked for four years with Washington as a staff officer.
After leaving the army he went into legal practice and became a well known
lawyer. Hamilton was the one to propose to establish a national bank to help
the government to manage various trades and finance matters that was how the
Bank of United States was started in 1791. Hamilton was obviously one of the
most influential people, as he was the first secretary of the treasury and he
had given America a very strong financial foothold.
Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky
in 1809; he used to work on a farm and tried to manage as much education as he
could. He spent almost eight years in the legislature of Illinois. In 1858
Lincoln contested for the Senator elections, but he lost the elections, but
while contesting with the opposition, he gained lots of popularity which earned him the nomination for the President in the Republic part in 1860. In 1861 he
was elected as the 16th President of the United States. Lincoln was
totally against slavery and in 1863 he passed the Emancipation Proclamation
bill which declared that all the people working as slaves were free forever. In
1864 he was re-elected as the President, he was a very flexible and generous
person and he encouraged the people to stop fighting and unite with others.
All the above people have played a
key role in shaping the history of United States and all of them have
influenced the country in their own way. Most of the influential people were
the Presidents of the United States at some time or the other. People still
remember these people with respect and that shows in the various names of
states and memorials which are in the names of these people.