Episode 2: Haym Salomon – The Banker Who Bought the Revolution
He was arrested twice as a spy, escaped the hangman’s noose, and then loaned the cash-strapped Continental Army more than $650,000 of his own money — the equivalent of tens of millions today. Without Haym Salomon, there might have been no Yorktown victory.
In Episode 2 of Unsung Patriots, we tell the incredible story of a Polish-Jewish immigrant who arrived in America with nothing, joined the Sons of Liberty, and used his financial genius and multilingual skills to keep the Revolution alive when the Treasury was empty.
From brutal British prisons in New York to the counting houses of Philadelphia, Salomon repeatedly risked everything — bribing guards, encouraging Hessian deserters, and personally guaranteeing loans that funded George Washington’s final campaign.
You’ll discover:
- How Salomon turned British captivity into an opportunity to undermine the enemy
- The dramatic moment Washington reportedly said “Send for Haym Salomon”
- Why he died penniless despite saving the cause
- His fight for religious liberty in the new nation
This episode reveals that the American Revolution wasn’t won only on battlefields — it was also won with ledgers, credit, and quiet sacrifice from an immigrant who believed in America’s promise.
If you enjoyed Episode 1 on Crispus Attucks, this one will show you another vital piece of the founding mosaic.
Next time on Unsung Patriots: Nancy Hart, the towering red-headed Georgia frontierswoman known as the “War Woman,” who captured British soldiers at her own dinner table and poured boiling lye into a Tory spy’s face.
Unsung Patriots: Heroes Behind America’s Founding
Telling the stories of the overlooked men and women who risked everything for liberty.