Paw Prints TidBits for July

The more I learn about the early American patriots, the more impressed I am with their courage and integrity. Some, like Nathan Hale, gave their lives in the fight to win independence for the colonies. Others, like John Adams, sacrificed their family life to guide the struggling nation. Many of the founding fathers had great flaws, some had great abilities, but all—from the anonymous foot soldier to the commander in chief—gave freely of their talent, time and treasure to launch this "experiment in democracy" that has become the country we live in today.

Our anecdote this month is about the first person to sign the Declaration of Independence, John Hancock, and the slideshow contains some images and facts about a few early American patriots. The sidebar has a joke (of course) and a quote to ponder. Happy birthday, America.

If you have any comments or suggestions, don't hesitate to contact us.

Anecdote of the Month

John Hancock (1737-93)

A n e c d o t e . . .

As president of the Continental Congress, Hancock was the first to sign the Declaration of Independence.

Having written his name in a fine, bold hand—the model for signatures from then on—he commented, "There, I guess King George will be able to read that."

B i o g r a p h i c a l . N o t e . . .

President of the Continental Congress, and the first person to sign the United States Declaration of Independence. According to legend, he signed his name largely and clearly to be sure King George III could read it, causing his name to become a slang term for "signature". However, other examples show that Hancock always wrote his signature this way so his "thumb-in-the-eye" comment to King George may be aprocryphal. Still, it makes for a good anecdote.

M o r e . I n f o r m a t i o n . . .

View the other signatures on the Declaration of Independence. Read short biographies of all 56 signatories to this famous document.