All information is derived from the book, “Biographical Sketches of the Signers of the Declaration of American Independence” by B.J. Lossing, 1848.  Further information can be found at www.tjki.org                                          1  

Name: __________________________________ Date: __________

Constitution Day Matching Activity on the Founding Fathers of America

Match the name of the founding father with the event they are associated with, during their lifetime. Some are well known and some need to be known due to their accomplishments which have impacted every American to this present day. There are 12 names so not all of the names will be used.

George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, Francis Lightfoot Lee, John Witherspoon, Benjamin Rush, Noah Webster, James Armistead, William Whipple, Gouverneur Morris or Patrick Henry.

1 ____________________ He purchased the French Territories in 1803 for 15 million dollars, doubling the size of the United States and ending all claims of France in the new world.

2 ____________________ Authored large parts of the Constitution and was a signer of the Articles of Confederation, which predated our current Constitution.

3 ____________________ He was a publisher, scientist, inventor, abolitionist and served as counsel to England and France. He was the one who signed the peace treaty with England.

4 ____________________ Served as the President of the Constitutional Convention was served as a leader in the Continental Army.

5 ____________________ Served as the Secretary of the Constitutional Convention. One of three authors on the Federalist Papers which supported the new Constitution.

6 ____________________ One of several who anonymously authored the Anti-federalist papers which was instrumental in creation of the Bill of Rights, which became the first of over 27 current changes to the Constitution, called amendments.

7 ____________________ Signer of the Declaration and is considered the father of modern medicine in America. He became well known for his work during the yellow fever epidemic of 1793 in Philadelphia.

8 ____________________ Writer and instrumental in standardizing American education, reassigning definitions to England’s terms and establishing the standards for American spelling.

9 ____________________ He was a slave, given to George Washington to act as his secretary. He could read, write and speak in 5 languages and his intellect became apparent to the general and he made him his number one spy, ultimately helping to win the war.

10 ____________________ Signer of the Declaration he served as Brigadier General in the army. His slave Prince is shown in the famous painting of Washington Crossing the Delaware.

All information is derived from the book, “Biographical Sketches of the Signers of the Declaration of American Independence” by B.J. Lossing, 1848.  Further information can be found at www.tjki.org                                          2  

Educators answer to

Constitution Day Memory Matching Activity on the Founding Fathers of America

Please read the matching information to your students prior to giving them this memory exercise. Mix them up a little. As an example, start with #2: Gouverneur Morris authored large parts of the Constitution and was a signer of the Articles of Confederation, which predated the current Constitution. This information is just a snippet and we encourage you to read their entire stories on-line.

Also, please consider reading more stories of our founding fathers to your students. There are more than 200 men and women who help establish the United States, but we usually on attribute the term “founders” to those who signed the Declaration of Independence. We have provided many inspiring stories of those who helped found America, on-line for you to read aloud in just 15 to 30 minutes.

As all educators know, most of our founders weren’t geniuses but rather, individuals who spent their time being productive and relegating their “down time” to a few minutes a day and a few hours on the weekend, usually Sunday. The amount of time they put into study was one of the keys to their successes and outstanding achievements. We hope to inspire you and your students to become as great!

1. Thomas Jefferson 2. Gouverneur Morris 3. Benjamin Franklin 4. George Washington 5. James Madison 6. Patrick Henry 7. Benjamin Rush 8. Noah Webster 9. James Armistead – please find his story at our website. This is perhaps the one person whose

story should be taught in every classroom and in every grade. George Washington attributes the winning of the American Revolution to him, above any other person, event or battle.

10. William Whipple – his slave was called Prince Whipple, but was treated well, fighting alongside the general and in 1784 Prince was given his freedom.