John hancock biography videos

Hancock played a significant role in colonial resistance efforts, serving as President of the Second Continental Congress. His wealth and influence made him a key figure in Massachusetts politics, and he contributed both financially and militarily to the Revolutionary cause. Parents: His parents were John Hancock Jr. Died: He died on October 8,at his home in Quincy.

He was 56 years old. Fun Fact: Upon the death of his uncle inhe reportedly became the richest person in Massachusetts, and possibly the richest man in the 13 Original Colonies. Signature from the Declaration of Independence. Image Source: Wikimedia. He was elected to the Boston Assembly in Hancock publicly condemned the Boston Massacre in a speech he delivered at the annual Boston Massacre Memorial in He was a delegate from Massachusetts to the Continental Congress from to He was the first signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Hancock served as Governor of Massachusetts from to He was a delegate from Massachusetts to the Confederation Congress from until He served as president of the Massachusetts state convention to ratify the U. Constitution in Education He graduated from Harvard College in Sons of Liberty Hancock was associated with men like Samuel Adamsand although he had concerns about aligning himself too closely with the Patriot Cause, fearing it would hurt his business, he is believed to have been a member of the Sons of Liberty.

Samuel Adams. Liberty Affair and the Townshend Acts Inhe refused to allow customs officials to inspect the cargo of one of his johns hancock biography videos, defying the provisions of the Townshend Acts. Boston Politics Hancock entered politics and held positions as a Boston selectman — and a member of the General Court — Targeted by the British In AprilGeneral Thomas Gage received orders to confiscate the military supplies and to apprehend the leaders of the resistance.

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Sign up for free Log in. It appears your browser does not have it turned on. Please see your browser settings for this feature. Dickerson believes that there is no reliable evidence that Hancock was guilty in the Liberty case and that the purpose of the trials was to punish Hancock for political reasons and to plunder his property. Aside from the Liberty affair, the degree to which Hancock was engaged in smuggling, which may have been widespread in the colonies, has been questioned.

Given the clandestine nature of smuggling, records are scarce. John W. Tyler identified 23 smugglers in his study of more than merchants in revolutionary Boston but found no written evidence that Hancock was one of them. The Liberty affair reinforced a previously made British decision to suppress unrest in Boston with a show of military might.

The decision had been prompted by Samuel Adams's Circular Letterwhich was sent to other British American colonies in hopes of coordinating resistance to the Townshend Acts. Lord Hillsboroughsecretary of state for the colonies, sent four regiments of the British Army to Boston to support embattled royal officials and instructed Governor Bernard to order the Massachusetts legislature to revoke the Circular Letter.

Hancock and the Massachusetts House voted against rescinding the letter and instead drew up a petition demanding Governor Bernard's recall. The British troops remained, however, and tensions between soldiers and civilians eventually resulted in the killing of five civilians in the Boston Massacre of March Hancock was not involved in the incident, but afterwards he led a committee to demand the removal of the troops.

Meeting with Bernard's successor, Governor Thomas Hutchinsonand the British officer in command, Colonel William DalrympleHancock claimed that there were 10, armed colonists ready to march into Boston if the troops did not leave. After Parliament partially repealed the Townshend duties inBoston's boycott of British goods ended. Hancock's previous elections to the council had been vetoed, but now Hutchinson allowed the election to stand.

Hancock declined the office, however, not wanting to appear to have been co-opted by the governor. Nevertheless, Hancock used the improved relationship to resolve an ongoing dispute. To avoid hostile crowds in Boston, Hutchinson had been convening the legislature outside of town; now he agreed to allow the General Court to sit in Boston once again, to the relief of the legislators.

Hutchinson had dared to hope that he could win over Hancock and discredit Adams. They cooperated in the revelation of private letters of Thomas Hutchinson, in which the governor seemed to recommend "an abridgement of what are called "English liberties" to bring order to the colony. Even more trouble followed Parliament's passage of the Tea Act.

On November 5, Hancock was elected as moderator at a Boston town meeting that resolved that anyone who supported the Tea Act was an "Enemy to America". Unsuccessful in this, they attempted to prevent the tea from being unloaded after three tea ships had arrived in Boston Harbor. Hancock was at the fateful meeting on December 16 where he reportedly told the crowd, "Let every man do what is right in his own eyes.

Over the next few months, Hancock was disabled by goutwhich troubled him with increasing frequency in the coming years. By March 5,he had recovered enough to deliver the fourth annual Massacre Day oration, a commemoration of the Boston Massacre. Hancock's speech denounced the presence of British troops in Boston, who he said had been sent there "to enforce obedience to acts of Parliament, which neither God nor man ever empowered them to make".

Parliament responded to the Tea Party with the Boston Port Actone of the so-called Coercive Acts intended to strengthen British control of the colonies. Hutchinson was replaced as governor by General Thomas Gagewho arrived in May On June 17, the Massachusetts House elected five delegates to send to the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia, which was being organized to coordinate colonial response to the Coercive Acts.

Hancock did not serve in the first Congress, possibly for health reasons or possibly to remain in charge while the other Patriot leaders were away. Gage dismissed Hancock from his post as colonel of the Boston Cadets. In response, the House resolved itself into the Massachusetts Provincial Congressa body independent of British control.

Hancock was elected as president of the Provincial Congress and was a key member of the Committee of safety. On December 1,the Provincial Congress elected Hancock as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress to replace James Bowdoinwho had been unable to attend the first Congress because of illness. Hancock's multiple roles gave him enormous influence in Massachusetts, and as early as January British officials had considered arresting him.

They stayed instead at Hancock's childhood home in Lexington. Gage received a letter from Lord Dartmouth on April 14,advising him "to arrest the principal actors and abettors in the Provincial Congress whose proceedings appear in every light to be acts of treason and rebellion". The purpose of the British expedition was to seize and destroy military supplies that the colonists had stored in Concord.

According to many historical accounts, Gage also instructed his men to arrest Hancock and Adams; if so, the written orders issued by Gage made no mention of arresting the Patriot leaders. Although Gage had evidently decided against seizing Hancock and Adams, Patriots initially believed otherwise. From Boston, Joseph Warren dispatched messenger Paul Revere to warn Hancock and Adams that British troops were on the move and might attempt to arrest them.

Revere reached Lexington around midnight and gave the warning. Soon after the battle, Gage issued a proclamation granting a general pardon to all who would "lay down their arms, and return to the duties of peaceable subjects"—with the exceptions of Hancock and Samuel Adams. Singling out Hancock and Adams in this manner only added to their renown among Patriots.

With the war underway, Hancock made his way to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia with the other Massachusetts delegates. On May 24,he was unanimously elected President of the Continental Congresssucceeding Peyton Randolph after Henry Middleton declined the nomination. Hancock was a good choice for president for several reasons. His wealth and social standing inspired the confidence of moderate delegates, while his association with Boston radicals made him acceptable to other radicals.

His position was somewhat ambiguous because the role of the president was not fully defined, and it was not clear if Randolph had resigned or was on a john hancock biography videos of absence. In Congress on June 15,Massachusetts john hancock biography videos John Adams nominated George Washington as commander-in-chief of the army then gathered around Boston.

Years later, Adams wrote that Hancock had shown great disappointment at not getting the command for himself. This brief comment from is the only source for the oft-cited claim that Hancock sought to become commander-in-chief. According to historian Donald Proctor, "There is no contemporary evidence that Hancock harbored ambitions to be named commander-in-chief.

Quite the contrary. The couple was married on August 28 in Fairfield, Connecticut. Their daughter Lydia Henchman Hancock was born in and died ten months later. While president of Congress, Hancock became involved in a long-running controversy with Harvard. Hancock served in Congress through some of the darkest days of the Revolutionary War. Hancock was president of Congress when the Declaration of Independence was adopted and signed.

He is primarily remembered by Americans for his large, flamboyant signature on the Declaration, so much so that "John Hancock" became, in the United States, an informal synonym for signature. Contrary to popular mythology, there was no ceremonial signing of the Declaration on July 4, As president, Hancock may have signed the document that was sent to the printer John Dunlapbut this is uncertain because that document is lost, perhaps destroyed in the printing process.

Hancock, as President of Congress, was the only delegate whose name appeared on the broadside, although the name of Charles Thomsonsecretary of the Continental Congress but not a delegate, was also on it as "Attested by" implying that Hancock had signed the fair copy. This meant that until a second broadside was issued six months later with all of the signers listed, Hancock was the only delegate whose name was publicly attached to the treasonous document.

Hancock's name was printed, not signed, on the Dunlap broadside; his iconic signature appears on a different document—a sheet of parchment that was carefully handwritten sometime after July 19 and signed on August 2 by Hancock and those delegates present. In Octoberafter more than two years in Congress, Hancock requested a leave of absence.

Although Washington was short on manpower, he nevertheless sent fifteen horsemen to accompany Hancock on his journey home. When Congress voted to thank Hancock for his service, Adams and the other Massachusetts delegates voted against the resolution, as did a few delegates from other states. Back in Boston, Hancock was re-elected to the House of Representatives.

As in previous years, his philanthropy made him popular. Although his finances had suffered greatly because of the war, he gave to the john hancock biography videos, helped support widows and orphans, and loaned money to friends. According to biographer William Fowler, "John Hancock was a generous man and the people loved him for it.

He was their idol. Hancock rejoined the Continental Congress in Pennsylvania in Junebut his brief time there was unhappy. In his absence, Congress had elected Henry Laurens as its new president, which was a disappointment to Hancock, who had hoped to reclaim his chair. Hancock got along poorly with Samuel Adams and missed his wife and newborn son.

Hancock returned to Boston in Julymotivated by the opportunity to finally lead men in combat. Back inhe had been appointed as the senior major general of the Massachusetts militia. Hancock nominally commanded 6, militiamen in the campaign, although he let the professional soldiers do the planning and issue the orders. It was a fiasco: French Admiral d'Estaing abandoned the operation, after which Hancock's militia mostly deserted Sullivan's Continentals.

After much delay, the Massachusetts Constitution finally went into effect in October Hancock was immensely popular and unquestionably patriotic given his personal sacrifices and his leadership of the Second Continental Congress. Bowdoin, his principal opponent, was cast by Hancock's supporters as unpatriotic, citing among other things his refusal which was due to poor health to serve in the First Continental Congress.

Hancock governed Massachusetts through the end of the Revolutionary War and into an economically troubled postwar period, repeatedly winning re-election by wide margins. Hancock took a hands-off approach to governing, avoiding controversial issues as much as possible. According to William Fowler, Hancock "never really led" and "never used his strength to deal with the critical issues confronting the commonwealth.

Hancock cited his failing health as the reason, but he may have become aware of growing unrest in the countryside and wanted to get out of office before the trouble came. Hancock's critics sometimes believed that he used claims of illness to avoid difficult political situations. After the uprising, Hancock was re-elected inand he promptly pardoned all the rebels.

When he had resigned as governor inHancock was again elected as a delegate to Congress, known as the Confederation Congress after the ratification of the Articles of Confederation in Congress had declined in importance after the Revolutionary War and was frequently ignored by the states. Hancock was elected to serve as its president on November 23,but he never attended because of his poor health and because he was disinterested.

In an effort to remedy the perceived defects of the Articles of Confederation, delegates were first sent to the Annapolis Convention in and then to the Philadelphia Convention inwhere they drafted the United States Constitutionwhich was then sent to the states for ratification or rejection. Hancock, who was not present at the Philadelphia Convention, had misgivings about the Constitution's lack of a bill of rights and its shift of power to a central government.

For the first time in years, Samuel Adams supported Hancock's position. Hancock's support was probably a deciding factor in the ratification. Hancock was put forth as a candidate in the U. As was the custom in an era where political ambition was viewed with suspicion, Hancock did not campaign or even publicly express interest in the office; he instead made his wishes known indirectly.

Like everyone else, Hancock knew that Washington was going to be elected as the first president, but Hancock may have been interested in being vice president, despite his poor health. His health failing, Hancock spent his final few years as essentially a figurehead governor. With his wife at his side, he died in bed on October 8,at age Despite his grand funeral, Hancock faded from popular memory after his death.

According to historian Alfred F. Young"Boston celebrated only one hero in the half-century after the Revolution: George Washington. His house on Beacon Hill was torn down in after both the city of Boston and the Massachusetts legislature decided against maintaining it.

John hancock biography videos

No full-length biography of Hancock appeared until the 20th century. A challenge facing Hancock biographers is that, compared to prominent Founding Fathers like Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, Hancock left relatively few personal writings for historians to use in interpreting his life. As a result, most depictions of Hancock have relied on the voluminous writings of his political opponents, who were often scathingly critical of him.

According to historian Charles Akers, "The chief victim of Massachusetts historiography has been John Hancock, the most gifted and popular politician in the Bay State's long history. He suffered the misfortune of being known to later generations almost entirely through the judgments of his detractors, Tory and Whig. Hancock's most influential 20th-century detractor was historian James Truslow Adamswho wrote negative portraits of Hancock in Harper's Magazine and the Dictionary of American Biography in the s.

Since that time, historians have usually presented a more favorable portrait of Hancock while acknowledging that he was not an important writer, political theorist, or military leader. Many places and things in the United States have been named in honor of Hancock. The U. Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read View source View history.

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