Haym Salomon was born on April 7, 1740. He was a Polish Jew who immigrated to New York City in 1775. He became a financial broker to merchants who were involved in trade. He immediately joined colonists who opposed British misrule. “To serve my adopted country is to serve humanity. Freedom, once gained, must be guarded by all who cherish it.” He was in the Sons of Liberty. In September, 1776, he was arrested as a spy and held for 18 months being forced to be an interpreter for Hessian troops. While in this captivity, he convinced some Hessians to defect to the American side and some British soldiers to desert. He helped some prisoners of war to escape. He worked with Hercules Mulligan and Cato. Despite these secret activities, he was pardoned. In 1778, he was convicted of espionage and imprisoned. He managed to escape to Philadelphia. He became the paymaster for French forces. He worked closely with Robert Morris, who was the Superintendent of Finance. Morris later wrote that without Salomon’s “zeal, activity, and patriotism,” the government “could not have carried on the public business.”
Haym raised $650,000 ($15 million today) through fundraisers and personal loans. He gave loans of his own money to Continental Congress delegates like James Madison. His crowning achievement came in 1781. Washington planned to march south to trap Cormwallis in Yorktown. The problem was there was no money available for supplies and food, but also for pay which had pushed some Continental Army soldiers to close to mutiny. When Morris told Washington the Continental Congress was broke, Washington demanded “Send for Haym Salomon”. Salomon took up the challenge and raised $20,000 to get to Virginia to win the war. He was well-respected among the Founding Fathers and pushed hard to make sure freedom of religion was included in the Constitution. In 1783, Washington accepted his invitation to a victory celebration in the Philadelphia synagogue. Despite his enormous efforts during the war, he was penniless because he was not repaid for all the money he loaned to the Continental Congress and the Continental Army. He died at age 44 in a debtor’s prison from tuberculosis.
Robert Morris was born on January 20, 1734 in Great Britain. In 1747, he migrated to Maryland and worked for his father in the tobacco trade. He was sent to Philadelphia to live with a friend of his father. He became friends with the man’s son. He was an apprentice in the man’s shipping and banking firm. Later, he became a partner with his friend in the Willing Morris and Company. Its ships traded all over the world. In 1784, its ship Empress of China became the first American ship to trade with China. Unfortunately, the company was involved in the slave trade and Morris owned slaves. Although born in England, Morris considered himself an American. He took a stand in the years leading up to the Revolution. He opposed British taxation. He supported boycotts on British imports, although it hurt his business. He smuggled gunpowder into the colonies. He was in the Second Continental Congress. He served on the Secret Committee of Trade, the Marine Committee (in which he helped create the Continental Navy), and the Committee of Secret Correspondence which established relations with countries like France. He was a moderate who did not favor independence. He hoped for reconciliation with England. He did not vote on July 2 resolution for independence, but by abstaining, he knew this meant Pennsylvania would end up voting affirmatively. He did sign the Declaration of Independence in August. “I am not one of those politicians that run testy when my own plans are not adopted. I think it is the duty of a good citizen to follow when he cannot lead.” He and Roger Sherman are the only Founding Fathers to sign the Declaration, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution. During the war, he became the “Financier of the Revolution”. He managed to acquire the arms and ammunition necessary to keep Washington’s army fighting. For example, the procured the supplies necessary for crossing the Delaware and attacking Trenton. He said, “while I do not wish to see my countrymen die on the field of battle nor do I wish to see them live in tyranny”. He commissioned privateers and outfitted some of them. When Washington retreated across New Jersey into Pennsylvania and the Continental Congress fled Philadelphia, he was one of a few delegates who stayed.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haym_Salomon
https://www.battlefields.org/learn/biographies/haym-salomon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Morris_(financier)
https://www.battlefields.org/learn/biographies/robert-morris
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