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Website
US National Archives

Nara: Founding Fathers: Delegates to the Constitutional Convention

For Students 9th - 10th
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) provides biographies of all 55 delegates to the Constitutional Convention.
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Handout
University of Groningen

American History: Biographies: George Clymer 1739 1813

For Students 9th - 10th
Clymer was orphaned in 1740, only a year after his birth in Philadelphia. A wealthy uncle reared and informally educated him and advanced him from clerk to full-fledged partner in his mercantile firm, which on his death he bequeathed to...
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Handout
University of Groningen

American History: Biographies: Thomas Fitzsimons 1741 1811

For Students 9th - 10th
Fitzsimons (FitzSimons; Fitzsimmons) was born in Ireland in 1741. Coming to America about 1760, he pursued a mercantile career in Philadelphia. The next year, he married Catherine Meade, the daughter of a prominent local merchant, Robert...
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Handout
University of Groningen

American History: Biographies: Jared Ingersoll 1749 1822

For Students 9th - 10th
The son of Jared Ingersoll, Sr., a British colonial official and later prominent Loyalist, Ingersoll was born at New Haven, CT, in 1749. He received an excellent education and graduated from Yale in 1766. He then oversaw the financial...
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Handout
University of Groningen

American History: Biographies: Thomas Mifflin 1744 1800

For Students 9th - 10th
A member of the fourth generation of a Pennsylvania Quaker family who had emigrated from England, Mifflin was born at Philadelphia in 1744, the son of a rich merchant and local politician. He studied at a Quaker school and then at the...
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Handout
University of Groningen

American History: Biographies: Gouverneur Morris 1752 1816

For Students 9th - 10th
Of French and English descent, Morris was born at Morrisania estate, in Westchester (present Bronx) County, NY, in 1752. His family was wealthy and enjoyed a long record of public service. His elder half-brother, Lewis, signed the...
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Handout
University of Groningen

American History: Biographies: Robert Morris 1734 1806

For Students 9th - 10th
Morris was born at or near Liverpool, England, in 1734. When he reached 13 years of age, he emigrated to Maryland to join his father, a tobacco exporter at Oxford, Md. After brief schooling at Philadelphia, the youth obtained employment...
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Article
University of Groningen

American History: Biographies: James Wilson (1742 1798)

For Students 9th - 10th
Article presenting two somewhat contrasting biographies of James Wilson, who was a lawyer, member of the Second Continental Congress and later became a Supreme Court Justice.
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Handout
US National Archives

Nara: Founding Fathers: Pennsylvania

For Students 9th - 10th
Gives biographical details on the eight delegates from Pennsylvania to the Constitutional Convention: George Clymer, Thomas Fitzsimons, Benjamin Franklin, Jared Ingersoll, Thomas Mifflin, Gouverneur Morris, Robert Morris, and James Wilson.
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Handout
Bill of Rights Institute

Bill of Rights Institute: Robert Morris

For Students 9th - 10th
Known as the "Financier of the Revolution," Robert Morris played a critical role in winning and securing American independence. As chairman of the Continental Congress's Finance Committee between 1775 and 1778, Morris traded flour and...
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Handout
Bill of Rights Institute

Bill of Rights Institute: James Wilson

For Students 9th - 10th
James Wilson lived what one might call a double life. His formidable intellect, passion for politics, and willingness to fight for his beliefs made him one of the most influential leaders of his time. On the other hand, his penchant for...