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At the start of the American Revolution the British government offered blanket amnesty to any of the leaders of the rebellion who would renounce the cause and swear allegiance to the Crown.  There were only two exceptions.  The first was John Hancock — whose flamboyant attestation on the Declaration of Independence eventually became a synonym for “signature.”  See if you can guess who the other was — before you get to the end of this brief biography of the man King George called: “The Grand Incendiary.”

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