Jocelyndixon is hosting a contest on her weblog. The question is: "Of the signers of the Declaration Of Independence, which do you most admire and why?" Be sure to drop by and take a look! Here is my entry to the contest.

I have always liked John Hancock for his boldness even though I did not know much about him. Last night, though I did some serious research on his life and was even more moved by his story.

John Hancock was a wealthy merchant living in Boston. He went to college at Harvard and, therefore, received a good education. In his early life he had no particular opposition to the British but when he heard of the Stamp Act, he became enraged at the injustice. The Stamp Act was a tax on the American colonies that had been decided upon without their consent. Like many others, John did not feel that this was fair. After the Stamp Act came out, he worked wholeheartedly to abolish it. He lost much of his wealth and estate because of his opposition to the king. Several of his ships were burned as well by the British loyalists but he refused to give up fighting for freedom. John Hancock is famous today for signing the Declaration Of Independence first and in the largest handwriting. This put him in great danger as his name could be easily seen and recognized. John did not care. When questioned about his bold actions, John responded, “I write so that George III may read without his spectacles and thus double his price for five hundred pounds on my head. Let Boston burn and John Hancock become a beggar!”

I admire John Hancock because he was not afraid to stand up for what he believed even though he knew that it might cost him his life. He was willing to give up all of his riches for this cause.

Frodo