Stephen Hopkins (politician)

Stephen Hopkins

Stephen Hopkins (* 7. March 1707 in Providence , Colony of Rhode Iceland , colony of the Kingdom of Great Britain , today USA ; † 13. July 1785 ibid) signed for Rhode Iceland , the United States Declaration of Independence , making it one of the founding fathers of the United States .

Hopkins was the only son of William and Ruth Hopkins, nee Wilkinson. He grew up on a farm in Scituate and attended public school. In 1742 he moved back to Providence and worked as a trader, ship owner and surveyor. Hopkins helped start the subscription library in 1754 and was a member of the Newport Philosophical Society . Although he was largely self-taught, Hopkins served as Chancellor of Rhode Island College (now Brown University ) from 1764 to 1785 . In 1764 he published the pamphlet “Investigation of the Rights of the Colonies”, whose widespread use and criticism of taxation and parliament established his reputation as a leader in the American independence movement . Hopkins suffered from cerebral palsy and was best known for his saying when signing the Declaration of Independence: "May my hands tremble, my heart will not."

Hopkins served from 1732 to 1752 and from 1770 to 1775 in the Colonial Parliament of Rhode Islands and from 1738 to 1744 and 1749 as its speaker. He represented Rhode Island in 1754 at the Albany Congress and was elected governor of the Colony of Rhode Island nine times (1755-1756, 1758-1761, 1763-1764 and 1767). During his tenure in the Rhode Island Parliament, Hopkins introduced a bill in 1774 banning the import of slaves into the colony. This became one of the first anti-slavery laws in America. He led the state delegation to the Continental Congress until September 1776 when his health forced him to leave his post. Hopkins died in his Providence home and was buried in the North Cemetery.

He was an elected member of the American Philosophical Society . The city of Hopkinton was named after him. The SS Stephen Hopkins , a Liberty freighter named in his honor, was the first US ship to sink a German surface ship during World War II .

Web links

Commons : Stephen Hopkins  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

• Stephen Hopkins in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• Stephen Hopkins in the database of Find a Grave (English)

Individual evidence

1. ^ Member History: Stephen Hopkins. American Philosophical Society, accessed October 3, 2018 .