Hancock’s words evoke the brave Ukrainians

John Hancock, painted by John Singleton Copley in 1770-1772.

Paul Revere's 1768 engraving of British troops arriving in Boston was reprinted throughout the colonies

"There is a heartfelt satisfaction in reflecting on our exertions for the public weal, which all the sufferings an enraged tyrant can inflict will never take away; which the ingratitude and reproaches of those whom we have saved from ruin cannot rob us of. The virtuous asserter of the rights of mankind merits a reward, which even a want of success in his endeavors to save his country, the heaviest misfortune which can befall a genuine patriot, cannot entirely prevent him from receiving."

— John Hancock ( 17370-1793), an American Founding Father, merchant, statesman and prominent Patriot of the American Revolution.

He was president of the Second Continental Congress and the first and third governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He is remembered for his large and stylish signature on the Declaration of Independence, so much so that the term “John Hancock’’ or “Hancock” is a nickname in the United States for one's signature.

Hancock's memorial in Boston's Granary Burying Ground, dedicated in 1896

St. Vladimir's Cathedral, a Ukrainian Catholic cathedral in Stamford, Conn. It is the seat for the Eparchy of Stamford. The parish was established in 1916, and the simple brick Romanesque Revival-inspired church building was completed in 1957. There are many Ukrainian-Americans in New England.

Distribution of Ukrainian-Americans, as a percentage of the population, according to the 2000 census. The red spots have densest population of this group.