"The greatest ability in business is to get along with others and to influence their actions.” – John Hancock
A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history’s most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors’ American Legends series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of America’s most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known.
At the National Archives Building in Washington D.C., the foundational documents of the United States are kept under layers of bulletproof glass in an atmosphere of argon gas, in casements designed to retract in case of emergency into vaults designed to survive a nuclear blast. Americans are familiar with the famous phrases contained in the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Declaration of Independence, but viewers immediately notice how faded the documents on display are, especially the Declaration of Independence. The words can scarcely be read, nor can most of the signatures of the signers be made out, with one famous exception: the large, bold, distinctive, and most recognizable signature in American history.
Most Americans are familiar with John Hancock solely because of his famous signature, and his name has become a slang phrase for signing a document. But his conspicuous signature on the Declaration of Independence has overshadowed the various and important contributions Hancock made in colonial Boston before the Revolution, the Continental Congress during the Revolution, and Massachusetts state politics after the Revolution.
Hancock’s story is also unique because of his position as one of the richest men in the colonies, a byproduct of inheriting a shipping business from his father. That put him in a position of prominence in the merchant world right as the British began imposing taxes on the colonies after the Seven Years War, infuriating British and colonial shippers alike. The growing hostility led Hancock to join patriot circles, and he became a protégé of Samuel Adams.
Hancock soon became a prominent figure in the tension between colonial Boston and the British, especially when his sloop Liberty was seized and Hancock was accused of smuggling. There are still questions surrounding the extent to which Hancock smuggled goods, but there is no doubt that he was one of the most important Sons of Liberty by the time the Revolution started. Hancock and Adams were believed to be targets of the British raid toward Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, thus setting in motion the events that triggered Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride and culminated with the shots heard round the world.
American Legends: The Life of John Hancock chronicles the amazing life and career of John Hancock before, during, and after the Revolution, from his time as a merchant to Massachusetts’ first governor. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events in his life, you will learn about John Hancock like you never have before, in no time at all.
