1785 ISAIAH THOMAS newspaper JOHN HANCOCK RESIGNS as GOVERNOR of MASSACHUSETTS

Description: 1785 DAMAGED ISAIAH THOMAS Massachusetts Spy newspaper with an inside page printing of JOHN HANCOCK's RESIGNNATION as GOVERNOR of MASSACHUSETTS due to ill health - #2B-003 Please visit our ebay store for printed on the front page other FANTASTIC Americana, Antiquarian Books and Ephemera. SEE PHOTO-----ORIGINAL DAMAGED NEWSPAPER, the Massachusetts Spy (Boston, MA) dated march 10, 1785*, with fantastic John Hancock and pre-U.S. Massachusetts history! This issue contains letters from Both Hancock and Lt. Governor Thomas Cushing related to Hancock's resignation, with both letters signed in block type by their authors. Perfect for framing and display! This issue is damaged heavily and is missing most of pages 3 and 4. Unfortunately a chunk of that damage does affect the Hancock resignation, though all the text is present. After much delay, the Massachusetts Constitution finally went into effect in October 1780. To no one's surprise, Hancock was elected Governor of Massachusetts in a landslide, garnering over 90% of the vote. In the absence of formal party politics, the contest was one of personality, popularity, and patriotism. Hancock was immensely popular and unquestionably patriotic given his personal sacrifices and his leadership of the Second Continental Congress. Bowdoin, his principal opponent, was cast by Hancock's supporters as unpatriotic, citing among other things his refusal (which was due to poor health) to serve in the First Continental Congress. Bowdoin's supporters, who were principally well-off commercial interests from Massachusetts coastal communities, cast Hancock as a foppish demagogue who pandered to the populace.Hancock governed Massachusetts through the end of the Revolutionary War and into an economically troubled postwar period, repeatedly winning re-election by wide margins. Hancock took a hands-off approach to governing, avoiding controversial issues as much as possible. According to William Fowler, Hancock "never really led" and "never used his strength to deal with the critical issues confronting the commonwealth." Hancock governed until his surprise resignation on January 29, 1785. Hancock cited his failing health as the reason, but he may have become aware of growing unrest in the countryside and wanted to get out of office before the trouble came.Hancock's critics sometimes believed that he used claims of illness to avoid difficult political situations. Historian James Truslow Adams writes that Hancock's "two chief resources were his money and his gout, the first always used to gain popularity, and the second to prevent his losing it". The turmoil that Hancock avoided ultimately blossomed as Shays' Rebellion, which Hancock's successor Bowdoin had to deal with. After the uprising, Hancock was re-elected in 1787, and he promptly pardoned all the rebels. The next year, a controversy arose when three free blacks were kidnapped from Boston and sent to work as slaves in the French colony of Martinique in the West Indies. Governor Hancock wrote to the governors of the islands on their behalf. As a result, the three men were released and returned to Massachusetts. Hancock was re-elected to annual terms as governor for the remainder of his life.When he had resigned as governor in 1785, Hancock was again elected as a delegate to Congress, known as the Confederation Congress after the ratification of the Articles of Confederation in 1781. Fair Condition. DAMAGED!! This listing includes the complete entire original newspaper. VINTAGE BOOKS AND FINE ART stands behind all of the items that we sell with a no questions asked, money back guarantee. Every item we sell is original printed on the date indicated at the beginning of its description, unless clearly stated as a reproduction in the header AND text body. U.S. buyers pay calculated priority postage which includes waterproof plastic and a heavy cardboard flat to protect your purchase from damage in the mail. International postage is quoted when we are informed as to where the package is to be sent. We do combine postage (to reduce postage costs) for multiple purchases sent in the same package. We accept payment by PAYPAL. We ship packages daily. This is truly a piece OF HISTORY that YOU CAN OWN! Powered by SixBit's eCommerce Solution

Price: 85 USD

Location: Oxford, Maryland

End Time: 2024-11-18T16:39:20.000Z

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