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That was an odd left turn. Neither John Hancock nor John Adams were involved in any way with the Boston Tea Party, in fact I believe John Adams was not a big fan of mob actions in general. I'm talking about the intent of the actual people involved in the act. Regardless, while you're certainly correct that many of our 'founding fathers' were wealthy, many of them were well aware of the dangers of not just government power, but also power of more private varieties.
Thomas Jefferson, likely the most quoted founding father by lefties like myself, specifically warned of the danger posed by an “aristocracy of our moneyed corporations” (in an 1816 letter to George Logan). He wasn't just distrustful of power concentrated in government, but in corporations as well, which is of note to this discussion. John Adams, the admittedly rich man, was quoted saying, "All the perplexities, confusion and distress in America arise not from defects in the Constitution or Confederation, not from a want of honor or virtue so much as from downright ignorance of the nature of coin, credit and circulation.” at the Constitutional Convention. Abraham Lincoln, the liberal Republican, said, "...corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money powers of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until the wealth is aggregated in the hands of a few, and the Republic is destroyed." in a letter to Col. William F. Elkins.
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