Antonio López de Santa Anna (1794-1876) WHO HE WAS: Antonio López de Santa Anna, often known simply as Santa Anna, was a Mexican politician and general. He served multiple terms as the President of Mexico and is a controversial figure, known for his political opportunism, shifting allegiances, and his pivotal role in the Texas Revolution,
Stephen Austin (1793-1836) WHO HE WAS: Stephen Fuller Austin, known as the “Father of Texas,” was an American empresario. Recognized for his efforts in leading the second and ultimately successful colonization of the region by bringing 300 families from the United States to the region in 1825, Austin played a crucial role in the early
Sam Brennan (1819-1889) WHO HE WAS: Sam Brannan was an American settler, businessman, and journalist, who became California’s first millionaire. His role in publicizing the California Gold Rush transformed the region’s history, and he was instrumental in the development of the city of San Francisco. WHAT HE SAID: “Gold! Gold from the American River!” WHY
John Sutter (1803-1880) WHO HE WAS: Johann August Sutter, better known as John Sutter, was a German-born Swiss pioneer of California known for establishing Sutter’s Fort in the area that would become Sacramento, California’s state capital. He is often associated with the California Gold Rush, despite his personal financial downfall due to the discovery. WHAT
John L. O’Sullivan (1813-1895) WHO HE WAS: John Louis O’Sullivan was an influential American journalist, lawyer, and diplomat. He is best known for coining the term “Manifest Destiny,” which became a guiding doctrine for American expansion in the 19th century. His editorial work provided a philosophical endorsement for the nation’s territorial growth and played a
Elijah Lovejoy (1802-1837) WHO HE WAS: Elijah Parish Lovejoy was an American Presbyterian minister, journalist, and news editor who was a staunch abolitionist. He was murdered by a pro-slavery mob in Alton, Illinois, for his anti-slavery editorials. His death at the hands of a mob made him an icon of the abolitionist movement and his
Harriet Tubman (c.1822-1913) WHO SHE WAS: Harriet Tubman was an American abolitionist, humanitarian, and an armed scout and spy for the United States Army during the American Civil War. Born into slavery, Tubman escaped and subsequently made some thirteen missions to rescue approximately seventy enslaved people using the network of antislavery activists and safe houses
Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896) WHO SHE WAS: Harriet Beecher Stowe was an American abolitionist and author. She hailed from a prominent religious family and is best known for her novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” which depicted the harsh reality of slavery and galvanized anti-slavery forces in the northern states, while provoking widespread anger in the South.
Frederick Douglass (c.1818-1895) WHO HE WAS: Frederick Douglass was an American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. Born into slavery in Maryland, he escaped in 1838 and rose to become a leading figure in the anti-slavery movement. Douglass’s eloquence and incisive antislavery writings, including his autobiography, “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an
Sojourner Truth (c.1797-1883) WHO SHE WAS: Sojourner Truth was an African American abolitionist and women’s rights activist. Born into slavery as Isabella Baumfree, she escaped with her infant daughter to freedom in 1826. After going to court to recover her son, she became the first black woman to win such a case against a white
