John Hancock

In John Hancock, Randall restores one of the American Revolution’s most recognizable yet overlooked figures to his rightful place in history. A contemporary of the likes of Adams and Washington, Hancock rose from modest beginnings to become a powerful merchant, president of the Continental Congress, and Massachusetts’s first governor. Tracing the major moments of the Revolution, from the Boston Tea Party to the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Randall reveals the underappreciated influence that Hancock had on the nation’s founding. Drawing on extensive research, this book offers a nuanced portrait of a complex leader, finally reclaiming Hancock’s long-overshadowed legacy.