John Hancock was possibly one of the most talked about names during the American Revolution, between his vast knowledge and motivation; it was hard not to hear about him. John Hancock was born on January 23, 1737 in present day Quincy. His father, also named John Hancock was a clergyman but, died when John was just a child. He and his family moved to Lexington to live with other family for a period of time until John was sent to live with his aunt and uncle who adopted him. His uncle was a wealthy merchant and owned a shipping business. John attended Harvard College and graduated in 1754. After traveling to London, John Hancock returned home to the colonies to find his uncle’s health failing. In 1764, his uncle died and John took over the family estate and his uncle’s business. In the 1760s, John won two consecutive political positions, managing Boston trade at first and then moving up to the colonial legislature. During this time the colonies and the British were arguing about parliamentary taxes, restrictions and rules. Hancock became extremely involved in …show more content…
Boston became violent once again when the Tea Act of 1773 was passed. Although Hancock did not participate in the Tea Party directly, but he encouraged citizens to participate by saying “let every man do what is right in his own eyes”. Hancock helped organize protests in affiliation with legislator Samuel Adams. In 1774, Hancock was elected part of both the Provincial Congress of Massachusetts and the Continental Congress. Once Peyton Randolph abdicated the position of Continental Congress President, Hancock took over as the second president. In April of 1775, British authorities were looking to arrest both Hancock and Adams so they went into hiding at Hancock’s house in Lexington. After finding out the British’s plans to seize the two men Paul Revere embarked on his Midnight Ride to warn the men and caution