Topic: Celebrating 250: Why John Hancock Signed First
When: Tuesday 1/27/2026 at 2:00 pm ET
Join us for this week’s episode: Celebrating 250: Why John Hancock Signed First. Explore the bold personality and patriotic conviction behind Hancock’s iconic signature on the Declaration of Independence. Learn what’s behind the signature large enough for King George III to see. From his leadership in the fight for liberty to inspiring generations of patriots, we’ll uncover why Hancock’s leadership continues to impact Americans today. Celebrate history, courage, and the spirit of a nation turning 250!
Constitutional Chats are hosted by Janine Turner, Cathy Gillespie, student ambassadors, and experts who join us weekly to discuss hot-topic issues! The audience is not on camera, but you may ask questions!
Meet the Guest
Robert Allison
Robert J. Allison, a professor of history at Suffolk University, also teaches in the Harvard Extension School. He has written a series of short books about the American Revolution, on the histories of Boston and of Cape Cod, as well as longer works on the Barbary Wars and Naval hero Stephen Decatur. He edited an edition of The Interesting Narrative of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African. Allison created two classes for The Teaching Company’s series “The Great Courses,” on colonial America (“Before 1776: Life in the American Colonies) and “The Age of Benjamin Franklin,” drawn from his teaching which has covered all phases of American history, though his primary focus is the American Revolution and the early American republic. He is president of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts (https://www.colonialsociety.org/), a scholarly organization which publishes primary documents on early American history, a life-trustee of the USS CONSTITUTION Museum, and as chair of Revolution 250 Allison hosts its weekly podcast, (https://www.buzzsprout.com/1336051) a series of conversations on the Revolution with historians, museum curators, and re-enactors.


