Stephen Hopkins

Stephen Hopkins (March 7, 1707–July 13, 1785) was an American political leader from Rhode Island who signed the Declaration of Independence. He served as the Chief Justice and Governor of colonial Rhode Island and was a Delegate to the Colonial Congress in Albany in 1754 and to the Continental Congress from 1774 to 1776. Image File history File linksMetadata Stephen_Hopkins. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Stephen_Hopkins. ... March 7 is the 66th day of the year (67th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events January 1 - John V is crowned King of Portugal March 26 - The Acts of Union becomes law, making the separate Kingdoms of England and Scotland into one country, the Kingdom of Great Britain. ... is the 194th day of the year (195th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1785 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Official language(s) English Capital Providence Largest city Providence Area  Ranked 50th  - Total 1,214* [1] sq mi (3,144* km²)  - Width 37 miles (60 km)  - Length 48 miles (77 km)  - % water 32. ... The United States Declaration of Independence was an act of the Second Continental Congress, adopted on July 4, 1776, which declared that the Thirteen Colonies were independent of the Kingdom of Great Britain. ... The Albany Congress was a meeting of representatives of seven of the British North American colonies in 1754 (specifically, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island). ... 1754 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... POOP HS;JHGF;JADHGJHASGHASJHGJSAHGJWJITHADHSGJHDASJLGFNKRA The Continental Congress was the first national government of the United States. ... Chesma Column in Tsarskoe Selo, commemorating the end of the Russo-Turkish War. ... Year 1776 (MDCCLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Thursday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ...

Hopkins was born in Providence, Rhode Island, the son of William and Ruth (Wilkinson) Hopkins. Hopkins' younger brother, Esek Hopkins, later became the first leader of the United States Navy. He grew up on a farm in Scituate, Rhode Island and attended a public school. He moved back to Providence in 1742 and worked as a foundryman, merchant, ship owner, and surveyor. Nickname: Location in Rhode Island Coordinates: Country United States State Rhode Island County Providence Government  - Mayor David N. Cicilline (D) Area  - City  20. ... French portrait of Commodore Esek Hopkins Esek Hopkins (26 April 1718 – 26 February 1802), was Commander in Chief of the Fleet throughout the American Revolutionary War. ... {{ USN redirects here. ... Image:RI towns Scituate. ... // Events January 24 - Charles VII Albert becomes Holy Roman Emperor. ... A foundry is a factory which produces castings of metal, both ferrous and non-ferrous. ... Merchants function as professionals who deal with trade, dealing in commodities that they do not produce themselves, in order to produce profit. ... Surveyor at work with a leveling instrument. ...

Early political career

When Scituate Township separated from Providence in 1731, Hopkins plunged into politics. During the next decade, he held the following elective or appointive offices: moderator of the first town meeting of Scituate, town clerk, president of the town council, town solicitor, justice of the peace, justice and clerk of the Providence County Court of Common Pleas (in 1733, he became Chief Justice of that court). Events 10 Downing Street becomes the official residence of the United Kingdoms Prime Minister when Robert Walpole moves in. ...

He served in Rhode Island's colonial assembly (1732-1752, 1770-1775) and was its Speaker from 1738 to 1744, and again in 1749. In 1754, he represented Rhode Island at the Albany Congress in New York, where he and others considered Benjamin Franklin's early plan for uniting the colonies and arranging an alliance with the Indians, in view of the impending war with France. He was elected Governor of Rhode Island nine times (1755-1756, 1758-1761, 1763-1764, and 1767). Events February 23 - First performance of Handels Orlando, in London June 9 - James Oglethorpe is granted a royal charter for the colony of Georgia. ... 1752 was a leap year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Battle of Chesma, by Ivan Aivazovsky. ... Year 1775 (MDCCLXXV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... Events February 4 - Court Jew Joseph Suss Oppenheimer is executed in Württenberg April 15 - Premiere in London of Serse, an Italian opera by George Frideric Handel. ... // Events The third French and Indian War, known as King Georges War, breaks out at Port Royal, Nova Scotia The First Saudi State founded by Mohammed Ibn Saud Prague occupied by Prussian armies Ongoing events War of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748) Births January 10 - Thomas Mifflin, fifth President... Events While in debtors prison, John Cleland writes Fanny Hill (Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure). ... 1754 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The Albany Congress was a meeting of representatives of seven of the British North American colonies in 1754 (specifically, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island). ... Benjamin Franklin (January 17 [O.S. January 6] 1706 – April 17, 1790) was one of the most well known Founding Fathers of the United States. ... 1755 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1756 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1758 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1761 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1763 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... 1764 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1767 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

Founding a new nation

Hopkins spoke out against British tyranny long before the revolutionary period. In 1764 he published a pamphlet "The Rights of the Colonies Examined" whose broad distribution and criticism of taxation and Parliament built his reputation as a revolutionary leader. 1764 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... The English parliament in front of the King, c. ...

In 1773, he freed his slaves, and the following year, while serving in the Rhode Island Assembly in 1774, he introduced a bill that prohibited the importation of slaves into the colony. This became one of the first anti-slavery laws in the new United States. 1773 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Chesma Column in Tsarskoe Selo, commemorating the end of the Russo-Turkish War. ...

John Trumbull's Declaration of Independence. Stephen Hopkins clearly visible in the rear, wearing a hat. Hopkins and his hat stand out even more in the painting's depiction on the two-dollar bill.

He led the colony's delegation to the Continental Congress later in 1774, along with Samuel Ward , and was a proud signer of the Declaration of Independence. He recorded his name with a trembling right hand, which he had to guide with his left. Hopkins had Cerebral Palsy, and was noted to have said, as he signed the Declaration, "My hand trembles, my heart does not." Hopkins is easily distinguishable in John Trumbull's famous painting of the event, as the gentleman standing in the back wearing a hat. Image File history File links Declaration_independence. ... Image File history File links Declaration_independence. ... John Trumbull, 1756–1843 John Trumbull (June 6, 1756 – November 10, 1843) was a famous American artist from the time of the American Revolutionary War. ... Face of the Series 1995 $2 bill Back of the Series 1995 $2 bill The United States two dollar bill ($2) is a current denomination of U.S. currency. ... Samuel Ward (May 25, 1725 – March 26, 1776) was an American farmer, shop keeper, and statesman from Westerly, Rhode Island. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... John Trumbull, 1756–1843 John Trumbull (June 6, 1756 – November 10, 1843) was a famous American artist from the time of the American Revolutionary War. ... John Trumbulls Declaration of Independence is an iconic 12- by 18-foot painting in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda depicting the presentation of the draft of the Declaration to Congress. ...

Hopkins' knowledge of the shipping business made him particularly useful as a member of the naval committee established by Congress to purchase, outfit, man and operate the first ships of the new Continental navy. Through his participation on that committee, Hopkins was instrumental in framing naval legislation and drafting the rules and regulations necessary to govern the fledgling organization during the American War for Independence. The first American naval squadron was launched on February 18, 1776. The American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), also known as the American War of Independence, was a war fought primarily between Great Britain and revolutionaries within thirteen of her North American colonies. ... February 18 is the 49th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1776 (MDCCLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Thursday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ...

In September 1776, his poor health forced him to resign from the Continental Congress and return to his home in Rhode Island. From 1777 to 1779, Hopkins remained an active member of Rhode Island's general assembly. Year 1776 (MDCCLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Thursday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... Year 1777 (MDCCLXXVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... 1779 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

Legacy

Hopkins helped to found a subscription library, the Providence Library Company, in 1753, and was a member of the Philosophical Society of Newport. Although largely self educated, Hopkins served as chancellor of Rhode Island College (now Brown University) from 1764 to 1785. His house is a minor historical site, located just off the main quad at Brown. 1753 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Newport is a city in Newport County, Rhode Island, about 30 miles (48 km) south of Providence. ... Brown University is a private university located in Providence, Rhode Island. ... 1764 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1785 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...

Stephen Hopkins died at his home in Providence on July 13, 1785 at the age of 78, and is interred in the North Burial Ground there. The town of Hopkinton, Rhode Island was later named after him. is the 194th day of the year (195th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1785 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... The North Burial Ground is a 110-acre cemetery in Providence, Rhode Island, dating to 1700. ... Hopkinton is a town located in Washington County, Rhode Island. ...

The SS Stephen Hopkins, a liberty ship named in his honor, was the first U.S. ship to sink a German surface warship in World War II. The SS Stephen Hopkins was a United States Merchant Marine Liberty ship that served in World War II. She was the first US ship to sink a German surface combatant during the war. ... The Liberty ships were cargo ships built in the United States during World War II. They were cheap and quick to build, and came to symbolize U.S. wartime industrial output. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

In fiction

In the musical 1776, which tells the story of the drafting and signing of the Declaration of Independence, Stephen Hopkins is a main character played by veteran character actor Roy Poole. He is depicted as a well-meaning, but cantankerous, maverick politician and drunkard, whose force of personality helps keep the Continental Congress together. When asked for his vote on opening debate on Virginia's resolution on independence, the representative from Rhode Island to the Continential Congress declares: "I’ve never seen, heard, nor smelled an issue that was so dangerous it couldn’t be talked about. Hell yes, I’m for debating anything!" 1776 is the title of a 1969 Broadway musical and its 1972 film adaptation. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

United States Founding Fathers

• Stephen Hopkins' Biography by Rev. Charles A. Goodrich (1856) at ColonialHall.com
• Stephen Hopkins' Biography by Stanley L. Klos (ed.) at FamousAmericans.net
• Stephen Hopkins' Congressional Biography
• The Declaration of Independence from ushistory.org