American Quotations by William J. Federer 2024

John Carroll (January 8, 1735-December 3, 1815) was the first Roman Catholic bishop and archbishop in the United States, based out of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. John Carroll grew up in Maryland, went to Europe to become a priest, and upon his return, since there was no Catholic Church in the entire State, he started one on his families farm. Protestants at the time did not think Catholics could be both loyal to the Pope and loyal to the American cause. John Carroll founded Georgetown University, the oldest Catholic university in the United States, and St. John the Evangelist Parish...

Daniel Boone (November 2, 1734-September 26, 1820) was an American pioneer and hunter. He was instrumental in the founding of Kentucky. In 1755, he served with George Washington during the French and Indian War. He was a 21-year-old wagon driver at the Battle of Monongehela. Boone explored Florida in 1765, and Kentucky in 1767. He once exclaimed: "I can't say I was ever lost, but I was bewildered once for three days." In 1767, Daniel Boone, whose Quaker family had pioneered North Carolina's Yadkin River Valley, began to explore Kentucky. In 1769, Boone traveled through the Cumberland Gap in the...

Robert Aitken (1734-July 15, 1802) was a Scottish immigrant and printer. In January of 1775, he began a monthly publication, The Pennsylvania Magazine, with 600 subscribers and Thomas Paine as its editor. In January of 1776, Robert Aiken began printing the journals of the Continental Congress. In 1777, Aitken printed a small New Testament, followed by the first English-language Bible printed in America, called the 'Bible of the Revolution,' the only Bible ever authorized by an act of Congress. During colonial America, the printing of Bibles had been highly regulated by the British government. It was actually illegal to print the...

George Read (September 18, 1733-September 21, 1798) was a signer of the Declaration of Independence; a signer of the U.S. Constitution; a delegate from Delaware to the Constitutional Convention; a U.S. Senator, 1789-93; and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Delaware. As a youth, George Read studied at the seminary of Rev. Dr. Allison at New London. At the age of 17, he began reading law with John Moland Esq., and two years later was admitted to the bar. In 1769, he married the daughter of Reverend George Ross, who was the pastor of Immanuel Church in Newcastle for 50...

John Dickinson (November 8, 1732-February 14, 1808) was a signer of the United States Constitution. He was a member of the Continental Congress, 1774-76, and wrote the first draft of The Articles of Confederation, 1776. He served as the President of the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania, in addition to being an accomplished lawyer, planter and state legislator. In 1773, he foundered Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and was known for giving generously to the Friends (Quakers) in Philadelphia for their educational pursuits. John Dickinson wrote persuasive letters regarding the authority of Scripture and the soundness of Christian evidences. He campaigned...