John Hancock: From Boston Latin School to Declaration of Independence
John Hancock, a prominent figure in American history, played a pivotal role in the American Revolution. His journey, marked by education, mercantile success, political activism, and leadership, reflects the spirit of the era. This article delves into Hancock's educational background and traces his rise to prominence, highlighting the key events that shaped his life and legacy.
Early Life and Education
John Hancock was born in Braintree, Massachusetts, on January 23, 1737. He was the son of Colonel John Hancock Jr. of Braintree and Mary Hawke Thaxter. Until the age of seven, he lived with his parents in Braintree, Massachusetts, in a part of town that eventually became the separate city of Quincy. After Hancock's father died in 1744, at age nine, he was sent to live with his uncle and aunt, Thomas Hancock and Lydia (Henchman) Hancock. Thomas Hancock, a wealthy Boston merchant, owned the House of Hancock, a firm that imported European goods and traded domestically, exporting rum, whale oil, and fish.
Hancock's education began at the Boston Latin School, where he prepared for higher education. After graduating from the Boston Latin School in 1750, Hancock enrolled in Harvard College and received a bachelor's degree in 1754. His time at Harvard provided him with a strong foundation in classical education, which was typical for aspiring leaders of the time.
Mercantile Training
Upon graduation from Harvard, Hancock began working for his uncle, Thomas Hancock, just as the French and Indian War had begun. Thomas Hancock had close relations with the royal governors of Massachusetts and secured profitable government contracts during the war. John Hancock learned much about his uncle's business during these years and was trained for eventual partnership in the firm. He learned the business of shipping and importing both on Hancock's Wharf in Boston and in London through his uncle's associates abroad. From 1760 to 1761, Hancock lived in England while building relationships with customers and suppliers. In January 1763, upon returning to Boston, Hancock gradually took over the House of Hancock as his uncle's health failed, becoming a full partner. When Thomas Hancock died in 1764, his nephew inherited one of the largest business concerns and one of the greatest fortunes amassed in New England.
Political Awakening
Hancock's political career began at twenty-eight with his election to the office of selectman in Boston. Hancock emerged as a leading political figure in Boston just as tensions with Great Britain were increasing. In March 1765, he was elected as one of Boston's five selectmen, an office previously held by his uncle for many years. Soon after, Parliament passed the Stamp Act 1765, a tax on legal documents such as wills that had been levied in Britain for many years but which was wildly unpopular in the colonies, producing riots and organized resistance. Initially, Hancock was not opposed to the act, but after witnessing protests and unrest within Boston, Hancock changed his stance. Within a few months Hancock changed his mind, although he continued to disapprove of violence and the intimidation of royal officials by mobs. Hancock joined the resistance to the Stamp Act 1765 by participating in a boycott of British goods, which made him popular in Boston. In 1766, Samuel Adams voiced his public support for Hancock aiding in his election to the Massachusetts House of Representatives.
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The Liberty Affair
After the repeal of the Stamp Act, Parliament took a different approach to raising revenue, passing the 1767 Townshend Acts, which established new duties on various imports and strengthened the customs agency by creating the American Customs Board. The British government believed that a more efficient customs system was necessary because many colonial American merchants had been smuggling. In their enforcement of the customs regulations, the Customs Board targeted Hancock, Boston's wealthiest Whig. On April 9, 1768, two customs employees (called tidesmen) boarded Hancock's brig Lydia in Boston Harbor. Hancock was summoned, and finding that the agents lacked a writ of assistance (a general search warrant), he did not allow them to go below deck. On the evening of May 9, 1768, Hancock's sloop Liberty arrived in Boston Harbor, carrying a shipment of Madeira wine. One month later, while the HMS Romney was in port, one of the tidesmen changed his story: he claimed that he had been forcibly held on Liberty while it had been illegally unloaded. On June 10, customs officials seized Liberty. Bostonians were already angry because Romney's captain, John Corner, had been impressing local sailors, which arguably violated an act of Parliament, the Trade to America Act 1707 (6 Ann. c. Crown officials filed two lawsuits stemming from Liberty incident: an in rem suit against the ship and an in personam suit against Hancock. The first suit, filed on June 22, 1768, resulted in the confiscation of Liberty in August. The second trial began in October 1768, when charges were filed against Hancock and five others for allegedly unloading 100 pipes of wine from Liberty without paying the duties. Although the charges against Hancock were dropped with John Adams as his lawyer, his reputation suffered from being seen as a smuggler. The Liberty affair reinforced a previously made British decision to suppress unrest in Boston with a show of military might. The Liberty Affair is seen as one of the first major events leading up to the American Revolution.
Road to Revolution
As tensions between colonists and the British rose, Hancock continued to participate in resistance by leading meetings regarding the Tea Act and the Coercive Acts. Even more trouble followed Parliament's passage of the 1773 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". Hancock and others tried to force the resignation of the agents who had been appointed to receive the tea shipments. Unsuccessful in this, they attempted to prevent the tea from being unloaded after three tea ships had arrived in Boston Harbor. Parliament responded to the Tea Party with the Boston Port Act, one of the so-called Coercive Acts intended to strengthen British control of the colonies. On December 1, 1774, Hancock was elected as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress; he was elected to discuss the revolution's goals and plan the next steps for the colonies. Due to his position, living in Boston was not safe due to being a target of the British. Wary of returning to Boston, Hancock was staying at the Hancock-Clarke House in Lexington when the Revolutionary War began. On the night of April 18, 1775, Dr. Joseph Warren received news that British troops, under Thomas Gage's command, age, were heading toward Lexington to capture Samuel Adams and John Hancock. Warren sends three-midnight riders, including Paul Revere, to warn that the "British are coming." Reaching Lexington, Paul warns Hancock and Adams of the incoming troops and suggests they flee before the British reach Lexington. Since Hancock held the status of colonel in the Massachusetts militia, he decided to fight. Adams and Revere convinced him otherwise, stating that his service as a politician was more valuable than risking his life on the battlefield. Soon after their escape, the first shots were fired at Lexington and Concord, officially starting the Revolutionary War.
Continental Congress and the Declaration of Independence
With the war underway, Hancock made his way to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia with the other Massachusetts delegates. On May 24, 1775, he was unanimously elected President of the Continental Congress, succeeding Peyton Randolph after Henry Middleton declined the nomination. After the first battle, Hancock returned to Philadelphia, where he was elected president of the Second Continental Congress. In 1776, Hancock oversaw the creation of the Declaration of Independence. Produced by the 'Committee of Five," the Declaration of Independence, the document declared the colonies separate and independent from Great Britain. On July 4, 1776, John Hancock was the first to sign the document with a large cursive signature, stating, "There, John Bull (England) can read my name without spectacles; he may double his reward." Hancock continued to serve as president of the congress until 1777 when he left and took the position as governor of Massachusetts, where he served until 1785. Hancock was a member of the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention of 1780 and in the same year was elected governor of the state. He served in Congress under the Articles of Confederation in 1785-86 and then returned to the governorship. He presided over the Massachusetts Convention of 1788 that ratified the federal Constitution, although he had been unfriendly at first toward the document.
Later Life and Legacy
After the American Revolution, Hancock's reputation flourished due to his philanthropy during and after the war. After he retired from public life in 1786, Hancock's health began to fail rapidly. The state of Massachusetts continued to elect him to conventions and constitutional ratifying committees despite his ill health. John Hancock, patriot, signer of the Declaration of Independence, and first governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, was born in Braintree, Massachusetts, in 1736/7, the son of the Reverend John Hancock and his wife Mary Hawke.
Lexington cherishes and honors Hancock’s contributions to the American Revolution through several local monuments, plaques, and annual events. From the annual John Hancock Commemoration Day to the grand statue standing tall in the town square, Lexington continues to reverberate with Hancock’s spirit.
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