Samuel Adams
Founding Father & Statesman
American statesman and Founding Father, known for his role in the American Revolution and his advocacy for independence from Great Britain.
250
America Turns 250!
Meet the Founding Fathers, Sons of Liberty, British Crown, and Loyalists who shaped the American Revolution
You get 10 questions. What would you ask the people who shaped American independence?
Sons of Liberty
&
The British Crown & Loyalists
On July 4, 2026, America turns 250, commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence. To honor this historic milestone, Humy.ai is using AI to bring the patriots and their opponents back to life as interactive simulations — so that 350 million Americans, and everyone curious about history, can ask their questions and hear the answers from every side, in the voices of those who lived it.
250 Years of History
From Resistance to Revolution and Beyond
The road to independence started years before 1776, with acts of defiance, sacrifice, and a growing belief that liberty was worth fighting for. Now, 250 years later, you can ask the founders what they were thinking.
1765
The Stamp Act & the Sons of Liberty
An Act of the Parliament of Great Britain, 1765. National Archives, UK.
Britain imposed the Stamp Act, taxing printed materials in the colonies without their consent. In response, a secret network called the Sons of Liberty organized protests, boycotts, and acts of resistance, planting the seeds of revolution and the principle of 'no taxation without representation.'
1765
The Stamp Act & the Sons of Liberty
Britain imposed the Stamp Act, taxing printed materials in the colonies without their consent. In response, a secret network called the Sons of Liberty organized protests, boycotts, and acts of resistance, planting the seeds of revolution and the principle of 'no taxation without representation.'
An Act of the Parliament of Great Britain, 1765. National Archives, UK.
On March 5, British soldiers fired into a crowd of colonists on King Street in Boston, killing five men including Crispus Attucks. The incident, widely publicized by figures like Samuel Adams and Paul Revere, inflamed anti-British sentiment and became a rallying point for colonial resistance.
1770
The Boston Massacre
"The Bloody Massacre," Paul Revere, 1770. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
1770
The Boston Massacre
On March 5, British soldiers fired into a crowd of colonists on King Street in Boston, killing five men including Crispus Attucks. The incident, widely publicized by figures like Samuel Adams and Paul Revere, inflamed anti-British sentiment and became a rallying point for colonial resistance.
"The Bloody Massacre," Paul Revere, 1770. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
1773
The Boston Tea Party
"The Destruction of Tea at Boston Harbor," Nathaniel Currier, 1846.
On December 16, members of the Sons of Liberty disguised as Mohawk Indians boarded three British ships and dumped 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor. The act of defiance against the Tea Act and British taxation without representation pushed the colonies closer to open revolution.
1773
The Boston Tea Party
On December 16, members of the Sons of Liberty disguised as Mohawk Indians boarded three British ships and dumped 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor. The act of defiance against the Tea Act and British taxation without representation pushed the colonies closer to open revolution.
"The Destruction of Tea at Boston Harbor," Nathaniel Currier, 1846.
On July 4, the Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence, authored principally by Thomas Jefferson. Thirteen colonies proclaimed their separation from British rule, establishing the ideals of liberty and self-governance that would define a new nation.
1776
Declaration of Independence
"Declaration of Independence," John Trumbull, 1819. U.S. Capitol.
1776
Declaration of Independence
On July 4, the Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence, authored principally by Thomas Jefferson. Thirteen colonies proclaimed their separation from British rule, establishing the ideals of liberty and self-governance that would define a new nation.
"Declaration of Independence," John Trumbull, 1819. U.S. Capitol.
1783
Treaty of Paris
Treaty of Paris, 1783. National Archives, Washington, D.C.
The Revolutionary War ended with the Treaty of Paris, in which Great Britain formally recognized American independence. General George Washington, who led the Continental Army through eight years of conflict, resigned his commission and returned to private life.
1783
Treaty of Paris
The Revolutionary War ended with the Treaty of Paris, in which Great Britain formally recognized American independence. General George Washington, who led the Continental Army through eight years of conflict, resigned his commission and returned to private life.
Treaty of Paris, 1783. National Archives, Washington, D.C.
Delegates gathered in Philadelphia to draft the U.S. Constitution, creating the framework for the federal government. Benjamin Franklin, at 81 the oldest delegate, urged every member to sign despite reservations, calling it the best achievable compromise.
1787
The Constitution
"Scene at the Signing of the Constitution," Howard Chandler Christy, 1940. U.S. Capitol.
1787
The Constitution
Delegates gathered in Philadelphia to draft the U.S. Constitution, creating the framework for the federal government. Benjamin Franklin, at 81 the oldest delegate, urged every member to sign despite reservations, calling it the best achievable compromise.
"Scene at the Signing of the Constitution," Howard Chandler Christy, 1940. U.S. Capitol.
1791
The Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights, 1789. National Archives, Washington, D.C.
The first ten amendments to the Constitution were ratified, guaranteeing fundamental freedoms including speech, religion, press, and assembly. James Madison, who drafted the amendments, drew on the Virginia Declaration of Rights and Enlightenment philosophy.
1791
The Bill of Rights
The first ten amendments to the Constitution were ratified, guaranteeing fundamental freedoms including speech, religion, press, and assembly. James Madison, who drafted the amendments, drew on the Virginia Declaration of Rights and Enlightenment philosophy.
The Bill of Rights, 1789. National Archives, Washington, D.C.
The United States marks its semiquincentennial, 250 years since the Declaration of Independence. Through AI, we can now engage with the Founding Fathers' ideas directly, asking them the questions that matter to us today.
2026
America’s 250th Anniversary
2026
America’s 250th Anniversary
The United States marks its semiquincentennial, 250 years since the Declaration of Independence. Through AI, we can now engage with the Founding Fathers' ideas directly, asking them the questions that matter to us today.
“The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the republican model of government, are justly considered as deeply, perhaps as finally staked, on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.”— George Washington, First Inaugural Address, 1789
The Sons of Liberty
Before there was a Declaration, before there was a Continental Army, a secret network of patriots lit the fuse of revolution.
Benjamin Franklin
Founding Father & Diplomat
American polymath, Founding Father, and inventor whose work as a diplomat, writer, and scientist helped shape the Revolution and secure the alliance with France that made independence possible.
Paul Revere
Patriot & Silversmith
American silversmith and Patriot, best known for his “Midnight Ride” to warn the colonial militia of British troop movements and his role as a leader in the Sons of Liberty.
Thomas Paine
Revolutionary Writer
Revolutionary writer and political activist whose pamphlet Common Sense galvanized the colonies toward independence and whose later works defended the principles of liberty on both sides of the Atlantic.
Benjamin Church
Physician & Double Agent
American physician and first Surgeon General of the Continental Army, who was a prominent member of the Sons of Liberty before being exposed as a British double agent during the early stages of the American Revolution.
Benjamin Edes
Printer & Publisher
American printer and journalist, best known as the co-publisher of the Boston Gazette and a leading member of the Sons of Liberty who used his press to advocate for American independence.
Benjamin Kent
Lawyer & Abolitionist
American lawyer and senior member of the Sons of Liberty, known for his early advocacy for independence and his pioneering legal work representing enslaved individuals in freedom suits.
John Hancock
President of Congress
American merchant, statesman, and Founding Father, best known for his prominent signature on the Declaration of Independence and for serving as the first Governor of Massachusetts.
James Otis Jr.
Lawyer & Orator
American lawyer and political activist known for his fiery oratory against British policies, coining the phrase “taxation without representation is tyranny,” and providing the intellectual foundation for the American Revolution.
Joseph Warren
Physician & Revolutionary
American physician and revolutionary leader who played a key role in the Sons of Liberty and was a prominent martyr of the American Revolution after his death at the Battle of Bunker Hill.
Ebenezer Mackintosh
Shoemaker & Stamp Act Leader
American shoemaker and radical leader of the Sons of Liberty, known for his pivotal role in organizing the Stamp Act riots and leading the working-class ‘South End gang’ in pre-Revolutionary Boston.
John Lamb
Artillery Officer
American soldier and politician who led the New York Sons of Liberty and served as a distinguished artillery officer during the American Revolutionary War.
Alexander McDougall
Merchant & Major General
Scottish-American merchant, Sons of Liberty leader, and Continental Army Major General who was a pivotal figure in the American Revolution and the first president of the Bank of New York.
Christopher Gadsden
Merchant & Statesman
American merchant, soldier, and statesman from South Carolina, known as the “Sam Adams of the South” and the designer of the iconic Gadsden flag.
Marinus Willett
Officer & Mayor of New York
American military officer and politician who was a prominent leader of the New York Sons of Liberty and served as the 49th Mayor of New York City.
Patrick Henry
Orator & Founding Father
American Founding Father and orator known for his “Give me liberty, or give me death!” speech and his pivotal role in the American Revolution and the Bill of Rights.
Charles Thomson
Secretary of Congress
Irish-born American patriot and scholar who served as the permanent Secretary of the Continental Congress and co-designed the Great Seal of the United States.
Thomas Mifflin
General & Governor
American merchant, soldier, and Founding Father who served as a major general in the Continental Army, President of the Continental Congress, and the first Governor of Pennsylvania.
“If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace.”Samuel Adams, 1776
The British Perspective
History is best understood from every angle. Meet the monarchs, ministers, and officers in London — and the loyalists across the colonies — whose decisions and convictions shaped these years.
King George III
King of Great Britain
Monarch of Great Britain and Ireland for six decades, whose reign spanned the American, French, and Napoleonic eras and who believed deeply in the constitutional duty to preserve the unity of the empire.
Lord Frederick North
Prime Minister of Great Britain
Prime Minister from 1770 to 1782 who steered Parliament through the fiscal and constitutional disputes with the American colonies, navigating pressures from king, Parliament, and a war-weary public.
General Thomas Gage
Commander-in-Chief, North America
British General and Governor of Massachusetts who ordered the march on Lexington and Concord, igniting the first shots of the American Revolution in April 1775.
Lord Charles Cornwallis
British Army General
One of Britain's leading commanders in the American War of Independence, whose surrender at Yorktown in October 1781 effectively ended major combat and secured American victory.
Thomas Hutchinson
Royal Governor of Massachusetts
Massachusetts-born historian and royal governor who worked to uphold imperial authority in his native province, and whose correspondence with London became a flashpoint in the debates that preceded the Revolution.
Edmund Burke
Member of Parliament
Anglo-Irish statesman and philosopher who argued in Parliament for conciliation with the colonies, warning that coercion would not preserve the empire — and whose speeches became foundational texts of modern conservatism.
Joseph Galloway
American Loyalist & Congressman
Pennsylvania delegate to the First Continental Congress who proposed a plan of union with Britain, then sided with the Crown during the war and spent the rest of his life in British exile.
Benedict Arnold
Continental General, later British Brigadier
Decorated Continental Army general whose leadership shaped the campaigns at Quebec and Saratoga, before personal grievances and political conviction led him to switch sides and accept a commission in the British Army.
“The use of force alone is but temporary. It may subdue for a moment; but it does not remove the necessity of subduing again: and a nation is not governed, which is perpetually to be conquered.”Edmund Burke, Speech on Conciliation with America, 1775
Coming Soon
The full assembly of Founding Fathers and the fifty-six signers of the Declaration is being prepared, to be unsealed in honor of the nation’s 250th year.
Connect with Other Founding Fathers
Beyond Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin — explore 1,200+ AI-powered historical figures including John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and many more. All grounded in primary sources and scholarly references.
Learn More
America 250 Resources
Explore trusted sources to learn more about the semiquincentennial and how communities across the country are celebrating.
Official
America250.org→
The official hub for the United States Semiquincentennial, led by a congressionally mandated commission with bipartisan leadership from former Presidents Bush and Obama.
Stories
Our American Story→
A nationwide storytelling initiative creating the largest archive of American stories ever assembled, with select stories preserved at the Library of Congress.
Education
America's Field Trip→
A student competition for grades 3-12 where 250 winners receive trips to iconic American landmarks including the White House and Independence Hall.
Documents
National Archives: Charters of Freedom→
View the original Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights — the foundational documents that shaped the nation 250 years ago.
Government
USA.gov: History & Government→
Official U.S. government resource on the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the history of the American founding.
Volunteer
America Gives→
Join the largest volunteer effort in U.S. history with over 1.69 million hours logged and 50,000+ volunteer opportunities nationwide.
Government
250.gov→
The official U.S. government portal for the 250th anniversary, connecting federal agencies, events, and initiatives celebrating the semiquincentennial.
Interactive
The American Revolution: Moments Game→
An interactive game from PBS and Ken Burns that lets you experience key moments of the American Revolution and test your knowledge of the founding era.