The Role of the United States in the World Community

Signer of the US Constitution, veteran of the American Revolution, and Federalist presidential candidate, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney provided the young nation long and dedicated public service. A southern planter, he also worked to protect the interests of slaveholders in the young republic.

John Laurens, born to a wealthy planter family in South Carolina, received a republican education in Switzerland and England. Upon his return to South Carolina to fight in the American Revolution, he radically proposed to recruit slaves as soldiers in return for their freedom. An aide-de-camp to General Washington and later a lieutenant colonel of the Continental Army with a field command, he served bravely in many key battles, only to die in a meaningless skirmish in 1782.

Freddie Stowers was born in South Carolina in 1896. He was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1917 and was assigned to the all-Black 371st Infantry Regiment. He was killed in action on September 28, 1918. He was the first African American to be awarded a Medal of Honor for actions during World War I, which he received posthumously on April 24, 1991. He is buried at the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery and Memorial in France.

As the first internationally recognized African American and Native American sculptor, Edmonia Lewis overcame several barriers to achieve international recognition and acclaim as an artist.

Spottswood Poles was born on December 9, 1887, in Winchester, Virginia. He was one of the greatest outfielders in the Negro Leagues between 1909 and 1916. During World War I, he served in the 369th Infantry Regiment, nicknamed the Harlem Hellfighters. Poles was awarded the Purple Heart and honorably discharged as a Sergeant. Poles died on September 12, 1962, in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.

Cassin Young served as an officer in the United States Navy. After Young's heroic action during the attack on Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt awarded him with the Medal of Honor. Killed in action at Guadalcanal, Young was honored as the namesake of the destroyer USS CASSIN YOUNG.

While first dedicated to the women's suffrage movement, Florence Luscomb participated in women’s rights, civil rights, labor, and peace movements throughout the 20th century.

Suffragist Margaret Foley relied on her captivating personality and trained voice to draw attention to women’s suffrage in Boston. She became known as "the Heckler" for confronting politicians on the campaign trail about their position on women's suffrage.

Dr. Me-Iung Ting worked tirelessly to improve medical care for women, children, and refugees, even when it put her at great personal risk. Ting’s experiences as a foreign student studying in the US illustrate the influence of American medical education around the world. 

Emmeline Pankhurst was one of the most famous and influential British suffrage leaders. Her embrace of protest and direct action in the early 1900s marked a new phase in the battle for women’s votes and influenced the course of the American movement