
John Hancock's bold and elegant signature on the Declaration of Independence is so famous that his name became a synonym for a signature.
Put your John Hancock right there!
But in many ways, it's one of the least significant things about his life. Hancock bore the title of president years before there were American presidents, when he became head of the Continental Congress. He was so reviled by the British and venerated by the Americans that they both called him King Hancock.
He walked a narrow and perilous line between rebellion and conformity with British rule. But at a host of key moments in the years leading up to the revolution, Hancock wound up picking the side that would ultimately win — and he helped build not only the revolution, but the state of Massachusetts, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
My guest on episode four of the Now It’s History podcast is the author of King Hancock: The Radical Influence of a Moderate Founding Father, a critically acclaimed biography of John Hancock.
Brooke Barbier is a public historian who received her PhD in American History from Boston College and taught for six years in college. She grew up on the West Coast but became fascinated with the history of the American Revolution, and that led her to Boston. Her first book was Boston in the American Revolution, a Town Versus an Empire.
King Hancock is Brooke's second book. But she is not only a history scholar. Eleven years ago, she founded Ye Olde Tavern Tours, which offers tours of Boston's historic sites and taverns. And you'll be happy to know that beer is included.

In this podcast, Brooke not only tells the story of John Hancock’s role in the fateful events that created the United State of America, but also explains why his role in history has relevance for our lives today.
With the 250th anniversary of the battles of Lexington and Concord coming next spring, it’s an especially appropriate time to examine the life of John Hancock.
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