Matters grew worse with the British, following the Townshend Act and the Navigation Acts, and John was specifically targetted. John loved the luxury of his wealth, and fancy clothes. They later parted ways over what Adams saw as John’s vanity and conceit. ![]() Many believe Sam Adams to have been the mastermind of the revolution, and he was initially a supporter and mentor to John Hancock III. Dorothy outlived him by thirty-seven years, marrying Captain James Scott in 1796. John and Dorothy had two children but both died in youth, his daughter as an infant, and his son in an ice skating accident. I shall go to my father tomorrow.” They married the same year, August 1. Hancock, that I am not under your control yet. Fearful for her safety, John attempted to forbid her to travel back to Braintree, to which Dorothy replied, ” “Recollect Mr. when the Shot Heard Round the World was fired. She was not afraid to have her own opinions. Dorothy was beautiful, well-spoken and intelligent. In 1775, John courted and won the engagement of Dorothy Quincy, from his home village of Braintree. The soldiers were arrested, but later acquitted.įollowing this incident, John was asked to give an address, where he said, ” “The town of Boston, ever faithful to the British crown, has been invested by a British fleet the troops of George the third have crossed the Atlantic, not to engage an enemy, but to assist a band of traitors in trampling on the rights and liberties of his most loyal subjects those rights and liberties, which, as a father, he ought ever to regard, and as a king, he is bound in honour to defend from violation, even at the risk of his own life. ![]() The British returned musket fire, and killed five, wounded six. On March 5, 1770, a group of citizens bombarded British regulars with snowballs. Using this and other incidents as a pretext, the British landed several regiments of troops, and boarded them throughout the city, causing even greater tension. John is not known to have instigated these attacks, but as his boat was at the center of the controversy, it contributed to his popularity and appeal among those advocating against the British. The city was outraged, and attacked customs officers, damaged boats and generally made an uproar. In that year, one of his ships entered Boston Harbor without paying the required tariffs, was seized, and placed under guard of the HMS Romney. In May 1766, John was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives, partly on the strength of his opposition to British tariffs.īy 1768, John distinguished himself among his peers, and became one of Boston’s leading citizens. He denounced the Stamp and Sugar Acts as invasions of liberty. John allegedly was not above smuggling goods past the British customs, though proof is lacking. In 1765, John was elected one of five Boston selectmen, just as the infamous Stamp Act was passed. “Sensible of the importance of Christian piety and virtue to the order and happiness of a state, I cannot but earnestly commend to you every measure for their support and encouragement … Manners, by which not only the freedom, but the very existence of the republics, are greatly affected, depend much upon the public institutions of religion and the good education of youth in both these instances our fathers laid wise foundations, for which their posterity have had reason to bless their memory.” John Hancock III Nonetheless, he was a Mason, like many of the rich and powerful in Boston. ![]() His uncle died, leaving him the entire merchant enterprise, and a vast fortune.įor many lesser men, such sudden wealth might have spelled ruin, but John, tempered by his Christian upbringing and principles, was equal to the challenge. He entered the counting house of his uncle and patron, and learned the ways of business for four years, then spent an equal amount of time in England, making connections and becoming acquainted with the world of the powerful there. John was an average scholar, inclined to spend time with friends as much as studying, and gave no hint of particular ambition or excellence. John attended Boston Latin and Harvard, where his uncle was well known as a patron and benefactor, graduating in 1754. However, his father died when he was six, and he was sent to live with an uncle, Thomas Hancock, the richest merchant of the day in Boston. As a boy, John was a companion of John Adams. His parents were John Hancock Jr., a soldier and clergyman, and the widow Mary Hawke Thaxter. John Hancock III, whose signature is probably the most famous on the Declaration due to its size, (Janu– Octo) was born in Braintree, Ma., in an area that is now in the city of Quincy. Continuing series on the Signers of the Declaration of Independence
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |