Look at the American Declaration of Independence and what's the first thing you notice?

The answer is probably the signature of John Hancock.

Who was this man? Why did he sign his name with such a flourish?

And what role did he play in the struggle for independence?

The answers will tell us much not only about Hancock, but about the founding of the

United States. John Hancock was born January 23, 1737. As happened to so many of his contemporaries,

his life changed dramatically when his father, a minister, died. John was just seven years old.

His uncle, Thomas, a prosperous Boston merchant,

adopted him. Thomas and his wife did not have children of their own. They promised John's mother

that they would provide the boy with the best education money could buy. They kept their promise.

John went to a top prep school and then to Harvard, but the best education he received wasn't in the halls of academia.

It was from the uncle he came to love as a father.

Thomas Hancock took John with him to business meetings, carefully coaching him on the ins and outs of trade.

Who could be trusted and who couldn't?

Which ship captains were reliable and which weren't.

What goods brought the most profit

and what goods drew in the most customers. Thanks to his uncle's tutelage, John was prepared

to take over the House of Hancock when Thomas died in 1764. At 27, John was suddenly one of the

leading merchants in the Northeast. But he couldn't have come into the

business at a worse time. The American economy was suffering a depression following the end of

the French and Indian War. Supplying British troops had been good business, and now that business

was gone. Only by careful management, around-the-clock work ethic, and some prudent investments,

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