My Name is John Adams: Patriot, Diplomat, and Second President of the U.S. I was born on October 30, 1735, in the small town of Braintree, Massachusetts. My father was a farmer and deacon, a man of faith and principle, who taught me the value of hard work and education. I studied at Harvard College, where I developed a deep love for learning and a passion for reason and debate. Though I first considered becoming a minister, I was drawn instead to the law, believing it was thr

My Name is Kutir-Nahhunte I: King of Elam I am Kutir-Nahhunte, King of Elam, ruler of a land born from mountains and rivers, from the will of gods and the strength of men. I was not born into peace. My early years were marked by the shadow of foreign powers pressing upon our borders. The Akkadian kings to the west sought to subdue us, while rival clans within Elam vied for influence. As a prince of the royal line of Susa, I was taught from childhood that to survive in such ti

My Name is Benjamin Franklin: Philosopher, Inventor, and Diplomat I was born in Boston in 1706, the fifteenth of seventeen children. My father was a candlemaker, and though our means were modest, my hunger for knowledge was anything but. Books were my teachers when schools were beyond our reach. I apprenticed to my brother James, a printer, and soon found myself in the lively world of ideas and public debate. Writing under the name “Silence Dogood,” I learned that words could

My Name is Enmebaragesi of Kish: The King Who Looked Beyond the Mountains I am Enmebaragesi, King of Kish, ruler of the land between the Tigris and Euphrates, where the rivers kiss the fertile plains. My name has been carved upon stones older than memory itself, written in the language of the Sumerians. In my time, the world was still young—cities were few, and kings were measured not only by power but by the stories their people told. I rose to rule Kish when the gods favore

1781–1782: After the Surrender My Name is Wentworth Cheswell: Patriot, Teacher, and Servant of the People I was born in 1746 in Newmarket, New Hampshire, into a family that had known both bondage and freedom. My grandfather came to these shores as an enslaved man but earned his freedom through hard work and faith. My father, Hopestill Cheswell, became a respected landowner and craftsman—a rarity for a Black man in our time. From him, I learned that education, diligence, and i

My Name is Rochambeau (Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, Comte de Rochambeau): Commander of the French Army in America I was born in 1725 in Vendôme, France, into a noble family of warriors. My father, a devoted officer, taught me that honor and discipline were the lifeblood of a soldier. From the time I could walk, I dreamed not of courts or comforts, but of command—of earning my place through service rather than privilege. When I entered the French Army at seventeen, I carr

My Name is General Benjamin Lincoln: Commander of the Southern Campaigns I was born in Hingham, Massachusetts, in 1733, into a family that valued faith, diligence, and service. My father was a farmer and deacon, and from him I learned the value of both duty and humility. As a young man, I entered local politics and served as town clerk, later rising to the rank of colonel in the Massachusetts militia. Before the Revolution, I was a loyal subject of the Crown, devoted to peace

My Name is General William Alexander, “Lord Stirling”: Loyal Son of Liberty I was born in New York City in 1726, into a family of Scottish descent with a proud sense of heritage and responsibility. My father, James Alexander, had been a respected colonial official and lawyer, a man of intellect and strong conviction. From him, I inherited not only a keen mind for organization but also a sense of duty to serve the colonies that had become our home. Yet I also carried a deeper

My Name is Nathan Hale: American Patriot and Spy I was born in Coventry, Connecticut, in 1755, to a large family that valued faith, learning, and duty. From my earliest days, I sought to live with purpose, to be useful to my fellow man and to the ideals that seemed to stir in the hearts of so many around me. When I attended Yale College, I was filled with excitement for philosophy, languages, and the sciences—but even more for the promise of a world where reason and liberty g

My Name is Admiral Charles Hector, comte d’Estaing: French Fleet Commander I was born in 1729 in Auvergne, France, into a family of noble standing and military tradition. My father served honorably in the army, and from a young age, I too was drawn to the life of service and command. I began my career in the French army, earning distinction in the War of the Austrian Succession, but it was the call of the sea that truly captured my ambition. By the 1750s, I transferred to the