When we picture the founding of the United States, we often imagine powdered wigs, quills on parchment, and fiery speeches delivered by American-born patriots. However many of those who shaped the country’s earliest days, and informed what the country would become, were immigrants.

Foreign-born soldiers, thinkers, and statesmen brought with them ideas of liberty and the courage to defend those ideas. They crossed oceans, not just to escape oppression or chase opportunity, but to actively help build a new nation.

At the same time, it’s crucial to remember that this “new” nation was built on land that had long been home to Indigenous peoples whose sovereignty was ignored and whose communities were devastated in the making of the United States. It was also shaped by the forced labor of trafficked and exploited Africans who were stolen to this land to create the very wealth and infrastructure that enabled the Revolution to take hold.

This is the story of some of the immigrants who helped found the United States, but it is only one strand in the complex web of individuals who contributed, willingly or not, to the founding of our country.

Immigrants Before and During the Revolution

The American Revolution was more than just a colonial–uprising, it was an international cause one that drew support from immigrants already living in the colonies and volunteers from abroad who saw in America a new hope for freedom.

Marquis de Lafayette

France

At just 19 years old, Gilbert du Motier, the Marquis de Lafayette, left France to fight alongside the colonists. He quickly became a general and George Washington’s trusted ally, forming a bond so strong that Lafayette would later call Washington his “adoptive father.” His leadership helped secure French support for the war, which proved crucial to the American victory.

Baron von Steuben

Prussia

Arriving in 1778, Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben found the Continental Army in disarray. At Valley Forge, he transformed a struggling group of volunteers into a disciplined force through rigorous training and innovative drills. His contributions laid the foundation for the U.S. military as we know it today.

Casimir Pulaski & Tadeusz Kościuszko

Poland

Pulaski, a skilled cavalry officer, reorganized and led American horsemen in battle, becoming known as the “Father of the American Cavalry.” Kościuszko, an engineer, fortified key battle sites like Saratoga and West Point. Both were driven by a shared belief: that liberty is a universal right worth fighting for.

Johann de Kalb

Germany/France

De Kalb, a seasoned officer, fought and died for the American cause in South Carolina. His last words reportedly praised the bravery of the American soldiers he served beside.

Immigrant Founding Fathers

Some of the most familiar signatures on America’s founding documents belonged to men born far beyond its shores. These immigrants weren’t just soldiers or supporters, they were architects of American democracy.

Alexander Hamilton

British West Indies

Born in Nevis, Hamilton arrived in the colonies as a teenager. Brilliant, ambitious, and fiercely committed to the new nation, he became George Washington’s aide, a co-author of the Federalist Papers, and the first Secretary of the Treasury. His financial vision helped stabilize a young and fragile country.

James Wilson

Scotland

A key legal mind of the Revolution, Wilson signed both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. He later served on the first U.S. Supreme Court and advocated for popular sovereignty, the idea that government derives its power from the people.

James Iredell

England

Appointed to the Supreme Court by Washington at just 38, Iredell helped lay the groundwork for American constitutional law. He immigrated as a teenager and quickly embraced the patriot cause.

John Witherspoon

Scotland

A Presbyterian minister and president of Princeton University, Witherspoon brought both spiritual and intellectual fire to the Revolution. He signed the Declaration of Independence and helped shape early American education.

Robert Morris

England

Known as the “Financier of the Revolution,” Morris used his business savvy to secure loans, manage wartime expenses, and later help establish the Bank of North America. He signed the Declaration, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution–a rare trifecta.

Immigrant Allies from All Walks of Life

Not all immigrant contributions came from high offices or command posts. Many immigrants fought, labored, and funded the Revolution in ways that remain unsung.

Haym Salomon

Poland

A Jewish financier and Polish immigrant, Salomon was instrumental in raising funds for the Continental Army, often using his own wealth to help pay soldiers and stabilize the economy.

Peter Francisco

Portugal

Known as the “Hercules of the Revolution,” Francisco’s strength and daring became the stuff of legend. His feats included lifting a cannon onto his shoulder and fighting off multiple British soldiers single-handedly.

Across the colonies, immigrants from Ireland, Germany, the Caribbean, and beyond joined militias, served as spies, printed revolutionary pamphlets, and spread the ideals of liberty. Without their efforts, America’s path to independence may have looked very different.

The immigrants who helped found this country weren’t just participants in history, they were makers of it. They remind us that American identity has always been expansive, evolving, and inclusive of people who bring their experiences, skills, and dreams from somewhere else.

Yet, none of this happened in isolation. The very land these patriots fought for is the ancestral homeland of Indigenous nations, many of whom were drawn into the war, displaced, or violently removed from their homes. The Revolution also unfolded in a society deeply dependent on enslaved labor. While white immigrants were often celebrated for their courage, others were denied freedom and personhood altogether.

Today, as we continue to debate and define what it means to be American, we would do well to remember this: the very foundation of this country was laid, in part, by foreign hands–and by those whose hands were not free.