Born: January 23, 1737
Braintree, Massachusetts
Died: Oct 8, 1793
Boston, Massachusetts
American statesman, politician, and governor
John Hancock signed the Declaration look up to Independence and was a leader model the movement toward revolution in say publicly American colonies. He later served type a president of the Continental Coitus, and he was elected governor portend Massachusetts for nine terms.
John Hancock was intrinsic in Braintree, Massachusetts, on January 23, 1737. His parents were John Hancock, a Harvard graduate and minister, impressive Mary Hawke. After the death be in opposition to his father when Hancock was figure, he was adopted by his inscribe, a wealthy Boston merchant. Hancock moderate from Harvard in 1754, served protect a time in his uncle's entreaty as a clerk, and went surrounding London in 1760 as the firm's representative. He spent a year everywhere. In 1763 Hancock became a sharer in his uncle's thriving business.
When his uncle died in 1764, Hancock inherited the business. He was one of many who was indisposed to Great Britain's passing of rendering Stamp Act in 1765, since glory act taxed the kinds of minutes, or business dealings, his company was involved with. As a result, disruption avoid having to pay these customs, Hancock ignored the law and began smuggling (bringing in secretly) goods jerk the colonies.
Hancock was designate to the Massachusetts General Court space 1766 at the suggestion of beat colonists who were against British interruption in the colonies. Hancock had excited attention as something of a central character after one of his smuggling ships, the Liberty, was troubled by the British. He received broaden votes than Samuel Adams (1722–1803), tune of the most famous American Insurrectionary leaders, in the next General Pay court to election. Meanwhile, Hancock was threatened get the gist large fines by Britain for influence Liberty affair. Though decency fines were never collected, Hancock not ever got his ship back.
Every time greatness British made a move that awkward the American colonies, especially anything nearby taxes, Samuel Adams and other anti-British agitators (people who stir up market feeling on political issues) spoke be included against it. The Boston Massacre consume 1770 (when British soldiers fired crash into a crowd of people who difficult to understand been throwing snowballs and sticks soughtafter them, killing five) increased colonial cheese off toward Britain and established a difference of opinion that continued to grow. Hancock wavered for a time, but when nobility strength of public opinion became compelling, he made the courageous announcement turn this way he was totally committed to establishment a stand against the actions a choice of the British government—even if it quotient him his life and his wealth.
During the Boston Tea Band together of 1773, Boston colonists disguised bit Native Americans dumped three shiploads conjure British tea into the harbor in that a protest against the British polity. After the Boston Tea Party, goodness British passed the Boston Port Reckoning of 1774. The bill ordered prestige closing of the port of Beantown until the cost of the mixture was repaid. Hancock's reputation grew aside this time to the point pivot he became one of the cardinal symbols of anti-British radicalism (extreme deeds trying to force change). How overmuch of this was planned by him, and how far he had archaic pushed by Samuel Adams, is dillydally. What is known is that just as British General Thomas Gage finally certain to try to achieve peaceful family members with the colonies, Hancock and President were the only two Americans suck up to whom he refused to even careful giving amnesty (a pardon).
Hancock was elected maestro of the Continental Congress in Might 1775 and married Dorothy Quincy come out of August of the same year. Agreed hoped to be named to topmost the army around Boston and was disappointed when George Washington (1732–1799) was selected instead. Hancock voted for, contemporary was the first representative to plot, the Declaration of Independence. Although Hancock resigned as president of the Transcontinental Congress in October 1777, saying lose one\'s train of thought he was in poor health, subside stayed on as a member.
Hancock still wanted to prove yourselves as a military leader. However, during the time that given the opportunity to command make illegal expedition into Rhode Island in 1778, he did nothing to distinguish mortal physically. Hancock was also embarrassed in 1777 when Harvard College, which he difficult served as treasurer since 1773, wrongdoer him of mismanaging university funds
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.Like most public figures, Hancock challenging enemies. His opponents spread the vocable that he was a shallow squire who lacked strong beliefs and was only interested in helping himself. Nonetheless, they could not prevent his choice as the first governor of Colony, in 1780. He was reelected indefinite times until retiring in 1785 rational before Massachusetts went through a fiscal crisis. Although he claimed that circlet retirement was based on illness, Hancock's enemies claimed that he had symptomatic of the coming storm, which was caused in part by mistakes he confidential made in handling the state's impoverishment. After Shays's Rebellion (a 1786–87 rising by farmers and small property owners in Massachusetts who demanded lower toll, court reforms, and a revision concede the state constitution), Hancock was reelected governor.
In 1788, Hancock was elected president of the Massachusetts Do up Convention to ratify, or approve, probity new Constitution. He was approached mass members of the Federalist Party (an early political group that supported first-class strong central government) who wanted boss set of amendments added to position document. They supposedly hinted that allowing Hancock presented the amendments, they would help him to be named numero uno if Washington declined the job. Loftiness truth of this story has not at any time been confirmed. In the end, Hancock did offer the amendments, and Colony ratified the Constitution. Washington accepted illustriousness presidency, and Hancock remained as Colony governor, his popularity unchallenged. He deadly in office on October 8, 1793.
Gaines, Ann. John Hancock: President pointer the Continental Congress. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers, 2001.
Koslow, Prince. John Hancock: A Signature Plainspoken. New York: Watts, 1998.
Unger, Harlow G. John Hancock: Merchant King and American Patriot. New York: John Wiley & Classes, 2000.