Timeline of Events
Haym Salomon and the Nation’s Founding
Haym Salomon is born into a Sephardic Jewish family in Leszno, Poland
Salomon learns international trade, monetary transactions, and multiple languages, including English, German, and French
First Continental Congress petitions King George to redress grievances and repeal the Intolerable Acts
Battles of Lexington and Concord; American Revolutionary War begins
Second Continental Congress convenes
Second Continental Congress appoints George Washington commander in chief
Haym Salomon settles in New York City
Salomon joins the Sons of Liberty
Second Continental Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence
The British occupy Manhattan
The British arrest and imprison Haym Salomon twice for espionage
The British occupy Philadelphia
Continental Army winters in Valley Forge
Haym Salomon escapes to Philadelphia after the British sentence him to death
United States and France become allies
The British abandon Philadelphia
Haym Salomon meets Robert Morris
Salomon accrues wealth facilitating international trade and monetary transactions
Second Continental Congress adopts the Articles of the Confederation
With Morris, superintendent of finance of the United States, Salomon raises the funds Washington needs to wage the battle of Yorktown
The Battle of Yorktown begins
Under General Cornwallis, the British army surrenders
With Morris, Salomon raises the funds (reportedly millions of dollars in today’s money) to finance the new republic
With Morris’s support, Salomon helps lead the effort to remove the religious oath from the Pennsylvania Constitution prohibiting Jews from holding public office
United States and Great Britain sign the Treaty of Paris
Salomon responds to American antisemitism stating, “I am a Jew; it is my own nation; I do not despair that we shall obtain every other privilege that we aspire to enjoy along with our fellow-citizens.”
Salomon dies penniless after lending his fortune (without repayment) to support the Revolution and is buried in an unmarked grave in Philadelphia’s Mikveh Israel Cemetery
Constitutional Convention adopts the U.S. Constitution
New Hampshire becomes the ninth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution, making it the official law of the land
George Washington takes the presidential oath of office
President Washington writes a letter to the congregation of Touro Synagogue in Newport, Road Island
The mass burial site originally known as Potter’s field is officially renamed Washington Square
William Salomon installs a memorial plaque for his great-grandfather, Haym Salomon, at the Mikveh Israel Cemetery in Philadelphia
Warner Brothers produces “Sons of Liberty,” a film about Haym Salomon
Chicago erects the Herald Square Monument depicting Washington flanked by Robert Morris and Haym Salomon
Los Angeles erects a memorial statue of Haym Salomon in Hollenbeck Park
Philadelphia erects the Washington Square war memorial, including Tomb of the Unknown Revolutionary War Soldier and statue of George Washington
United States Postal Service issues a commemorative stamp honoring Haym Salomon, bearing an inscription on the back:
FINANCIAL HERO
Businessman and broker Haym Salomon was responsible for raising most of the money needed to finance the American Revolution and later to save the new nation from collapse.
The Congressional Record reads as follows:
When Morris was appointed Superintendent of Finance, he turned to Salomon for help in raising the money needed to carry on the war and later to save the emerging nation from financial collapse. Salomon advanced direct loans to the government and also gave generously of his own resources to pay the salaries of government officials and army officers. With frequent entries of “I sent for Haym Salomon,” Morris’ diary for the years 1781-84 records some 75 transactions between the two men.