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Hancock did sign the Declaration, and he did it sign it that big. After all, we have the documentation to prove it. But he didn't sign it in front of a wh
Image via Wikipedia
Hancock was rich at a relatively young age – 26, to be exact. He inherited the fortune of a rich uncle and continued in his uncle's footsteps, as a merchant. He made lots and lots of money on shipping, both legal and illegal.
He chose to spend a lot of that money on causes dear to the hearts of Sam Adams, John Adams, and other American colonists looking to split from Mother England. Hancock it was who played a behind-the-scenes role in the Boston Tea Party and the Stamp Act Congress, which ultimately got the Stamp Act repealed.
A member of the Boston Assembly, Hancock was a delegate to the Continental Congress, the body that eventually approved of the Declaration. Hancock was so well respected that he was named president of the Continental Congress, which was ultimately how he came to be presented with the Declaration of Independence for signing.
And sign he did, but on a blank piece of parchment and in front of a minimal audience. The other men who signed the famous document did so in later days, over time.
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