The Lives and Times of Our Founding Fathers - 3
In this post: Robert Morris, Richard Henry Lee, John Hancock
Founding Fathers Series
Step into history like never before.
Starting today and on a daily basis (Mon thru Fri), we will be posting 2 to 3 videos, about 5 minutes worth of videos, presenting the signers of the Declaration of Independence and the ladies of the American Revolution come alive through vivid, first-person storytelling.
This Series will be tagged on the right column of our blog as Founding Father Series
You may not know some, that does not devalue the contributions they provided in the founding of our country.
Their courage, sacrifice, and triumph unfold in gripping moments that shaped America’s founding.
Robert Morris
Robert Morris Jr. (1734-1806) was a British-born American merchant, investor, and politician, recognized as a Founding Father of the United States and widely known as the “Financier of the American Revolution.” Born in Liverpool, England, in 1734, Morris was raised by his grandmother while his father worked in the colonies as a tobacco trader. At age 14, he moved to Philadelphia and began an apprenticeship at a mercantile firm, quickly becoming a partner and building his wealth and reputation. He served in the Pennsylvania legislature, the Second Continental Congress, and the United States Senate. Morris signed three of the four major state papers of the United States: the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the U.S. Constitution. His image appeared on U.S. currency, including $1,000 bills and $10 silver certificates.
Morris’s financial contributions were crucial to the American colonies’ effort to achieve independence. As a financier, he opposed Britain’s taxation on American goods and commerce, joining merchants to protest the Stamp Act in 1765. During the Revolutionary War, Morris assisted with the financial logistics, often using his personal capital and credit as a merchant to secure necessary funds and supplies for the war effort. From 1781 to 1784, he held the position of Superintendent of Finance and also served as Agent of Marine, controlling the Continental Navy. He was instrumental in providing resources for the Yorktown campaign and supported the American Army after the war until its disbandment in 1783. Morris also played a key role in the establishment of the Bank of North America, the first incorporated national bank, which brought stability to the colonial economy and helped finance the war.
Despite his significant contributions, Morris faced financial difficulties later in life due to land speculation and an ill-advised partnership. He became severely overextended financially and was imprisoned for debt from 1798 until his release in 1801, following the passage of a federal bankruptcy law. He remained financially destitute. Historians sometimes suggest he is not as widely recognized as he should be, considering his substantial role in financing the American Revolution and shaping the U.S. financial system.
Richard Henry Lee
Richard Henry Lee was an American statesman and Founding Father from Virginia, born on January 20, 1732, at Stratford Hall in Westmoreland County. He was the fourth of eight surviving children of Thomas Lee and Hannah Harrison Ludwell Lee. His father, Thomas Lee, was a successful planter and land speculator who became acting governor of Virginia. Lee received his formal education at Wakefield Academy in Yorkshire, England, returning to Virginia in 1752 after the death of both his parents in 1750. He was tall and slim with reddish hair and was known for his oratorical skills.
Lee’s political career began in 1757 when he was appointed justice of the peace for Westmoreland County. In 1758, he was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses, where he served until 1775. Throughout the American Revolutionary War, he was a key political figure and an ally of Patrick Henry and Samuel Adams. On June 7, 1776, Lee introduced the Lee Resolution in the Second Continental Congress, which called for the colonies’ independence from Great Britain. This motion stated that “these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States.” The resolution’s words were later echoed in the Declaration of Independence, which he signed. He also served a one-year term as president of the Continental Congress.
Lee was a strong opponent of arbitrary British policies, including the Stamp Act and the Townshend Acts. With Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson, he originated a plan for intercolonial committees of correspondence in March 1773. Despite his role in leading the charge for independence, Lee declined to participate in the Constitutional Convention and opposed the document it produced, fearing it would lead to governmental overreach. He believed a strong national government would diminish the rights and power of individual states. After the Constitution’s ratification, he served as a United States Senator from Virginia until he resigned in 1792 due to declining health. Lee died on June 19, 1794, at the age of 62, at his home in Chantilly, Virginia.
John Hancock
John Hancock, an American Founding Father, merchant, statesman, and prominent Patriot of the American Revolution, was born on January 23, 1737, in Braintree, Massachusetts. His father, Reverend John Hancock Jr., died when John was seven years old, leading him to be raised by his wealthy uncle, Thomas Hancock, and his aunt Lydia. Thomas Hancock was a successful Boston merchant who owned the House of Hancock, a business that imported European goods and engaged in domestic trade. John Hancock attended Harvard College, graduating in 1754, and subsequently joined his uncle’s business. Upon his uncle’s death in 1764, John Hancock inherited the lucrative shipping business, his manor house, and extensive land, becoming a wealthy man. He was also a childhood friend of John Adams, whose father had been baptized by Hancock’s father.
Hancock became a central figure in the growing Revolutionary movement, leveraging his wealth and popularity in Massachusetts. He led a boycott of English goods after the British Parliament imposed high taxes on the colonies. British officials accused him of smuggling illegal products, confiscating his fleet of ships. He served as a delegate to the Continental Congress and was the longest-serving president of the Continental Congress, holding the position from May 1775 to October 1777. Hancock is primarily known for his large and prominent signature on the Declaration of Independence, which he signed first as president of the Continental Congress. This act was a significant risk, as his signature served as evidence of treason if the American Revolution had failed. British General Thomas Gage viewed Hancock and Samuel Adams as the greatest threats to British power, and orders were issued for their arrest in 1775. Hancock later served as governor of Massachusetts.