Annapolis

1732–1799 · Commander-in-Chief · Mount Vernon Planter · Enslaver

Virginia planter and Continental Army commander-in-chief who owned and managed Mount Vernon's enslaved workforce. Absent from his estate for most of the war, he directed Lund Washington's management by correspondence and returned to find the plantation's human community shaped by eight years of wartime disruption.

1743–1826 · Continental Congressman · Virginia Delegate · Future President

Virginia delegate present in Annapolis for Washington's resignation and the Treaty ratification. He later called Washington's voluntary resignation the greatest act of the general's life and helped manage congressional proceedings for the treaty.

1744–1800 · President of Congress · Continental Army General · Pennsylvania Politician

President of the Continental Congress who presided over Washington's resignation on December 23, 1783, and the Treaty of Paris ratification on January 14, 1784. His acceptance of Washington's commission completed the transfer from military to civilian authority.

1737–1832 · Maryland Senator · Signer of Declaration of Independence · Planter

The wealthiest man in colonial America and the last surviving Declaration signer. Carroll represented Maryland in Congress and the Senate; as a Catholic facing British legal disabilities, his signature carried particular significance.

1741–1811 · Continental Congressman · Signer of Declaration of Independence · Supreme Court Justice

Maryland firebrand and Declaration signer who was among the most vocal advocates for independence in 1776; later appointed to the Supreme Court. His aggressive advocacy pushed Maryland's reluctant delegates toward independence.

1740–1799 · Maryland Governor · Signer of Declaration of Independence · Jurist

Maryland governor and Declaration signer whose Annapolis mansion survives as a museum. Paca served as governor during 1782–85 and helped facilitate Congress's use of Annapolis as national capital.

1748–1786 · Maryland Patriot · Lawyer · Continental Association Delegate

Annapolis lawyer whose Hammond-Harwood House, designed by William Buckland and completed in 1774, is considered the finest example of five-part Palladian architecture in America. Hammond was active in pre-Revolutionary resistance before retiring from public life after independence.

1721–1783 · President of Congress · Maryland Delegate · First President under Articles

Maryland delegate elected the first President of Congress under the Articles of Confederation in 1781 — sometimes called by Maryland boosters the "first president." His election marked the first operation of the formal government established by the Articles.