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John Hancock was a very important super-hero of the American Revolution. He was born in Braintree,
Massachusetts in 1737. Believe it or not, he didn't learn to hate the evil Brits until later on in his life.
Just like many superheroes, he had a tragic event in his childhood, losing his father when he was only seven. He then
went to live with his wealthy uncle, Thomas Hancock. John got a Harvard education and learned how to be a great merchant
under his uncle. when his uncle died in 1764, John inherited all his money (which was definitely alot) but more importantly,
John inherited superpowers, some of which had never before been seen.
Nobody really knows why his uncle's death
gave John superpowers, but there are some theories. Some people believe that John got bitten by a runaway piece of money
that belonged to his uncle and from then on had many powerful gifts. The conspiracy theories go on and
on, but their is no doubt that John inherited some strong (and weird) powers. The one that he would be remembered the
most for was his signature of death. Much like mobs had the Kiss of Death, John Hancock had his Signature of Death.
If John Hancock signed to your death, you were done. Enemies would know their time on this earth was
done once they were "Hancocked." He also used his quill as a weapon of justice and righteousness. Plus,
he had A LOT of money, which in itself wields great power. But with great power comes great responsibility.
Early on in his adult life, John was famous for smuggling in non-British goods, which was illegal. At this point in his life,
He wasn't totally sure that the Patriot cause was the right cause. But, that all changed when a British tax-man inspected
his ship, The Liberty, in May 1768. Being the distributor of justice that he is, John Hancock had his crew lock him in a
cabin. Well, those Brits were no longer sympathetic to John and they decided to take his ship.
Well, Hancock was a very popular man in Boston, and the way the British treated him helped to fire up all the Bostonians.
Imagine, a rowdy group of Bostonians, who would have ever thought? Hancock became even more involved in Boston Politics and
was in close contact with the likes of John Adams. In 1774, he made a speech that said the colonists should form their own
nation called "The United States of America." Hancock became president of the new Massachusetts government when the war was
fast approaching and organized minutemen to prepare to fight the Brits. Not only did he pour his heart, his soul, and his
signature to the Liberty casue, he also pledged his money.
On April 1, 1775 British troops came to capture Hancock and Sam Adams who were hiding in Lexington. Hancock had been helping
organize minutemen, who were said to have been able to fight within a minute's notice. Thanks to the famous ride of Paul Revere,
Hancock and Adams were warned of the approach of the evil army of Britain and were able to escape. John Hancock wanted to
stay behind and fight, but Sam Adams was able to convince him that his signature was needed for the rest of the war, and it
wouldn't have helped the Revolution for him to risk his life this early in the war. They were off to the second Continenal
Congress in Philadelphia, where Hancock and his signature would leave their legacy.
In May of 1775, John Hancock was elected president of the Second Continental Congress. Later that year, He married Dolly
Quincy. They had two kids together but both died before they reached the age of eight. He was the first person to sign the
Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. His signature, written LARGE on the declaration, signaled the end of British
rule in the colonies. Legend has it that he wrote it large enough for King George to be able to read it without his glasses.
This was the signature of death, The Hancock, and no one, not even Great Britain, could stand up to the might of it.
In 1780 John Hancock was elected the first state of Governor of Massachusetts and served in that post for 11 years. Earlier
on he had developed a serious case of gout that often made it impossible for him to walk around. He died in 1793 at the age
of fifty-six.
The quill of John Hancock was no ordinary quill. This quill had powers of justice and righteousness that helped drive the
evil Brits off the continent. With his quill as a weapon, John was the first person to sign the Declaration of Independence.
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