Who’s Who in the 13 English Colonies

(For the Year 1754)

Slide 1: Colonial Timeline• 1570: The Iroquois Confederacy begins• 1607: British start the colony of Jamestown,

Virginia• 1620: The Pilgrims come to Massachusetts• 1630: The Puritans come to Massachusetts• 1692: The Salem Witch Trials occur• 1706: Ben Franklin born in Boston, MA• 1732: George Washington born in Virginia• 1738: King George III born in England• 1754: Current year of our story

George Washington - Slide 2

George Washington - Slide 3

• An aristocrat farmer from Virginia. • Lives on a large plantation called Mount

Vernon. Washington inherits Mount Vernon, its cash crops, and its slaves from his older brother Lawrence who died when he was young.

• Gifted at mathematics, he became a surveyor at the age of 15.

• As a child, he always tried to better himself and correct poor behavior. He felt it was important to learn to do the right thing.

George Washington - Slide 4

• He joined the British army to try to make a name for himself and gain more land in Virginia through service to the King.

• Pretends to know French (which all aristocrats are supposed to know) but he really does not know how to speak the language.

• He has very poor teeth. He usually keeps his mouth tightly closed.

George Washington - Slide 5

• He is a natural leader of men. He is very likable and not distant. He is seen as “one of the guys”. He likes to gamble and play cards with others in his spare time.

• He is known as a terrific dancer! He quite easily charms ladies at many aristocratic parties in Virginia.

George Washington -Slide 6

• Knew the Backcountry of Virginia and other colonies very well.

• Was very tall for his time, over 6 feet and very strong.

• Was one of the best horse riders in the 13 Colonies.

• Had a strong temper that he always worked to control.

• Only 22 years old in the year 1754 (Birthdate: February 22, 1732)

Benjamin Franklin - Slide 7

Ben Franklin - Slide 8

• World famous inventor, scientist, printer. • A certified genius. • Discovers the causes of electricity. Proves

his theory while flying a kite during a lightning storm with a key attached to the string.

• Invents the lightning rod, the stove, and bifocals among many other items.

Ben Franklin - Slide 9

• He firmly believes in the importance of helping others. He creates the first library in America, gas lights for the city of Philadelphia to keep streets safe, a volunteer fire company, and helped run the postal service.

• He lives in one of the largest cities in America: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

• He made a fortune by publishing newspapers in the 13 Colonies. (Example: The Pennsylvania Gazette, Poor Richard’s Almanac)

Ben Franklin - Slide 10

• Is widely considered the most famous and smartest man in the 13 English Colonies.

• Is 48 years old in the year 1754 (Birthdate: January 17, 1706)

King George III - Slide 11

King George III - Slide 12

• Becomes King in the year 1760 at the age of 22.

• He was a man of simple tastes and refused to wear a powdered wig as other upper class individuals did.

• Has never visited or lived in the 13 Colonies. • Has never served in the British army.• Many thought that he was not very bright.

General Edward Braddock - Slide 13

General Edward Braddock - Slide 14

• One of Britain’s most talented generals. • Very stubborn. • Believes only in the strength of the British

army and does not look favorably on the military talents of the American colonists.

• Has very little experience fighting in the forests of North America. He usually fights in Europe.

• He brags that he will eliminate the French threat to the 13 English Colonies.

• Is George Washington’s commanding general.

The Algonquin - Slide 15

• Have been trading with the French for animal furs since Robert de La Salle came to the New World and began New France.

• Believe that the French will not disrupt their homelands.

• Believe that the English are disrupting their homelands (as in the case of the Backcountry of the 13 Colonies)

• Will fight the English Colonists if given the opportunity.

Agree or Disagree with the Following Statements:

• Benjamin Franklin is a very intelligent colonist.

• Young George Washington makes a good addition to the British army.

• King George III was a gifted leader. • General Edward Braddock was the best

choice to defend the 13 English Colonies against the French.

• The Iroquois should not have been attacking the English colonists in the Backcountry.

Agree or Disagree with the Following Statements:

• Ben Franklin did much to help his fellow colonists in America.

• George Washington had a lot of experience in the military before the year 1754.

• King George III knew a lot about his subjects in the 13 Colonists.

• The Iroquois Confederacy would be a powerful ally to the French.

• General Braddock is well liked by the American colonists.