Free Republic

The Declaration of Independence was written to be many things: a summary of our grievances with the King, an explanation of why we were taking up arms, an inspiration to our own citizenry, an introduction to foreign nations, a philosophical statement of what we Americans believe to be the proper relationship between a people and their government, a commitment to the Glorious Cause of liberty. And it closed with a powerful commitment – not only on behalf of the nation as a whole, but a firm commitment by the individual signers themselves. The final clause, right before the delegates’ signatures,...

John Hancock, one of the oldest and largest North American life insurers, will stop underwriting traditional life insurance and instead sell only interactive policies that track fitness and health data through wearable devices and smartphones, the company said on Wednesday. The move by the 156-year-old insurer, owned by Canada's Manulife Financial Corp, marks a major shift for the company, which unveiled its first interactive life insurance policy in 2015. It is now applying the model across all of its life coverage. Interactive life insurance, pioneered by John Hancock's partner the Vitality Group, is already well-established in South Africa and Britain...

•President Calvin Coolidge was born in Plymouth, Vt., on July 4, 1872. He is the only president born on July 4; however, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe all died on the Fourth of July. •One lucky Philadelphian purchased a $4 picture at a flea market. Behind the picture was an original 1776 printing of the Declaration of Independence. It was sold to TV producer Norman Lear for $8.1 million. •After the war, King George III rationalized that Washington would become a dictator and make the Americans yearn for royal rule. When he was told that Washington planned to...

The French and Indian War ended in 1763 with the French losing Canada and all their land east of the Mississippi River. King George III decided to leave troops in the American colonies in case of future French incursions or native uprisings. British troops were to be paid with taxes collected from the colonies: the Sugar Tax of 1764 the Stamp Tax of 1765 the Townshend Acts of 1767, taxing glass, paint and paper As the Colonies had no representative in Parliament, the cry arose, “No taxation without representation.” The king imposed Writs of Assistance in 1765 allowing British authorities...

It could never happen here, right? Boston – National Guard units seeking to confiscate a cache of recently banned assault weapons were ambushed by elements of a Para-military extremist faction. Military and law enforcement sources estimate that 72 were killed and more than 200 injured before government forces were compelled to withdraw. Speaking after the clash, the Massachusetts Governor declared that the extremist faction, which was made up of local citizens, has links to the radical right-wing tax protest movement. The Governor blamed the extremists for recent incidents of vandalism directed against internal revenue offices. The governor, who described the...

National Guard units seeking to confiscate a cache of recently banned assault weapons were ambushed by elements of a para-military extremist faction. Military and law enforcement sources estimate that 72 were killed and more than 200 injured before government forces were compelled to withdraw. Speaking after the clash, Massachusetts Governor Thomas Gage declared that the extremist faction, which was made up of local citizens, has links to the radical right-wing tax protest movement. Gage blamed the extremists for recent incidents of vandalism directed against internal revenue offices. The governor, who described the group's organizers as criminals, issued an executive order...

Ted Cruz's election manager's 'mocking' House of Cards style radio ad 'contributed' to suicide of Missouri governor candidate Tom Schweich, a Republican candidate for governor of Missouri, killed himself on February 26 last year at his home in Clayton, St Louis His political mentor, former Senator John Danforth, has said Ted Cruz's campaign manager Jeff Roe contributed to his death Roe took responsibility for an advert that criticized Schweich's appearance and said he looked like the deputy sheriff in The Andy Griffith Show Mr Danforth spoke to Schweich two days before his death and said he was upset about the...

(CBS) — The Chicago Fire Department is on the scene of the John Hancock Building battling a fire Saturday afternoon.

Today is the birthdate of John Hancock, patriot and statesman, who was president of the Continental Congress at the time of the passage of the Declaration of Independence and the first to sign (boldly) the Declaration, and later governor of Massachusetts. "There! His Majesty can now read my name without glasses. And he can double the reward on my head!" -Hancock, following his signing of the Declaration of Independence

Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence? For the record, here's a portrait of the men who pledged "our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor" for liberty many years ago. Fifty-six men from each of the original 13 colonies signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Nine of the signers were immigrants, two were brothers and two were cousins. One was an orphan. The average age of a signer was 45. Benjamin Franklin was the oldest delegate at 70. The youngest was Thomas Lynch Jr. of South Carolina...

John Hancock: A Neglected American Hero July 3rd, 2010 by Dr. Gary Scott Smith As we celebrate the Fourth of July this year, our attention will once again turn to such luminaries as George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Samuel Adams. However, another founder who made substantial contributions to American independence, John Hancock, is typically overlooked and underappreciated. Although he served as the first president of the Continental Congress, did more than any other man except Robert Morris to finance the American Revolution, presided over the Massachusetts convention that ratified the Constitution, and played a major role...

Jany. 16 [1776] Your letters of the 25 and 30 of December & 4th of January have been duly received and laid before Congress.By the enclosed resolutions you will perceive that the Congress, in providing for the defence of Canada, have directed that two batallions be formed out of the troops now serving there. This they did in testimony of their approbation of the services of those brave men, apprehending at the same time, that it would be agreeable both to the officers and men to have the honor of defending a country which their valour had rescued from slavery....

To: US Congress, US President I as a legal citizen of the United States of America, and my own sovereign state, and of voting age do hereby pledge to VOTE against any member of Congress who votes for any form of Nationalized Government Controlled Healthcare.. I as a citizen and signer of this petition do hereby declare that I do support: 1) Free and open debate on this very important issue (and against any action government or privately sponsored that restricts the 1st Amendment free-speech of any citizen either for or against nationalized healthcare) 2) Support in general the principles...

Last week Obama told the planet on his Dixie Chick America Sucks Euro-Tour that ol’ bigheaded America is not and has never been a Christian nation. I believe he said that right after he bowed and curtsied to the Saudi King and told the French that the US has been stuck-up meanies to their jealous and ungrateful Euro-socialist cousins. Damn you, Yankee doodle dandies. America’s not a Christian nation? Well, it’s not a Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim (yet) or Tai Chi nation. I know Barack is auguring for the USA to become an Obamanation, but heretofore from what I’ve read regarding...

Boston's John Hancock Tower, New England's tallest building, was sold Tuesday in a foreclosure auction held by an investor group for $660.6 million, half the price paid by real-estate private-equity firm Broadway Partners three years ago. The winning bidder was a partnership between Normandy Real Estate Partners and Five Mile Capital Partners, which holds the senior portion of $700 million in so-called mezzanine debt, or the part that fills the gap between the first mortgage and a borrower's equity. The partnership agreed to pay $20.1 million for the mezzanine debt and assume the first mortgage of $640.5 million. The Normandy-Five...

Boston’s tallest building, the John Hancock Tower, was sold at a foreclosure auction today in New York City for $660.6 million, according to the Boston Globe. The glass-clad landmark was purchased by a parternership between Normandy Real Estate Partners and Five Mile Capital Partners. The firms have been buying up the building’s debt since June, according to the Globe. The auction was over shortly after it began, with only one entity interested in purchasing the Hancock Tower. Bidding closed in less than 10 minutes, the paper reports. Normandy, which is based in Morristown, N.J., will take over management of the...

(Fourth in a series of ten) Most Americans don’t know there was another U.S. government before the Constitution was drafted. Simplified books and courses leave out the Articles of Confederation, the government of the United States for its first eleven years. There were several fatal defects in the Articles of Confederation, and one was its presidency. Concerned with the dangerous powers of the king of England and monarchies generally, the first dramers created a presidency which was too weak. The "President of the United States in Congress Assembled" was elected for a one-year term by Congress itself. That "President" had...

This weekend lets have a bit of culture and see what were import events that occurred on the 12th and 13th January in American history. The 12th January is the anniversary of the birth of John Hancock in 1737 For further information on John Hancock and links to other web sites click hereScroll down to John Hancock

There was an appalling lack of historical perspective in the House debate Friday night on the Murtha Resolution. It called for the immediate withdrawal of American troops from Iraq (to a safe haven from which they could return). What would have happened to the United States, had France held a similar debate in 1781? Let’s set the stage. The American Revolution was then four years old. French officers and soldiers under the leadership of General Lafayette, had fought along side General Washington. The French fleet under Admiral de Grasse had recently entered the conflict, and blocking the mouth of the...

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life,...