SAMUEL ADAMS

Boston, Massachusetts
September 27, 1722−October 2, 1803
Liberty, Not Beer

Samuel Adams was a master politician—literally. He earned a master of arts degree from Harvard at age twenty-one and ultimately worked as a tax collector. Because he was a disaster as a businessman, he had to do something in the public realm. Using his political skills, he occupied seats in the Massachusetts Assembly and in the First and Second Continental Congresses. He was a signer of the Declaration of Independence, a delegate to the Massachusetts state constitutional convention in 1781, and lieutenant governor and governor of Massachusetts. He never made good beer, though.

Starting Out

Like many young men of his era, Adams struggled trying to find an occupation that suited him. It was difficult for him to find a lasting job because he was obsessed with politics and colonial independence.

A growing number of colonists were distraught with British taxation policies leading up to the Revolutionary War. Adams was among them; he considered the policies taxation without representation. Ironically, he was a tax collector.

The Boston Town Meeting elected Samuel Adams as a tax collector in 1756, but he made a mess of that job. He frequently failed to collect taxes owed. By 1764, his accounts were short more than £8,000, and he was out of the job. Eventually, Adams and some of his friends paid part of the missing funds and the town meeting wrote off the rest.

REVOLUTIONARY REVELATIONS

Samuel Adams’s father was a merchant and brewer. Young Samuel worked for a while at the family brewery, but he did not have the head for it—or for business in general.

Have Faith in Samuel

Samuel Adams did not become an active opponent of British taxation policies until 1763, when the citizens of Boston formed a committee to let the king and Parliament know how they felt about the new levies. They appointed Samuel Adams to the committee, putting him in the ironic position of protesting British-imposed taxes while he was collecting them. Nevertheless, he accepted the honor with relish and developed some pointed rebukes to the British, such as this one: “If our trade may be taxed, why not our lands? Why not the produce of our lands, and every thing we possess, or use? This we conceive annihilates our charter rights to govern and tax ourselves.”

FEDERAL FACTS

Samuel Adams’s 1743 master’s thesis was based on this question: “Whether it be lawful to resist the supreme magistrate, if the commonwealth cannot be otherwise preserved?”

He pursued the answer for the next thirty-three years, answering it with finality when he signed the Declaration of Independence.

Adams’s eloquent arguments raised his stature in the citizens’ eyes. They looked at him as their protester-in-chief, and he justified their faith in him. As he grew bolder in his attacks on the British, the people of Boston rewarded him by electing him to the Massachusetts General Court in 1765. That gave him a broad forum from which to lead the protests. He became almost a one-person legislature. He was appointed Clerk of the Court, which gave him the opportunity to attend every committee meeting, write the reports, and exert his influence on virtually anything the legislature did. He also produced numerous political essays for consumption outside the court, urging citizens to make their voices heard.

FEDERAL FACTS

While Samuel Adams was a member of the Massachusetts General Court, he suggested that the colonies set up a meeting in New York to discuss their grievances. It took ten years for the idea to take hold, but his idea led to the formation of the First Continental Congress.

The Boston Massacre in 1770 and the Tea Party in 1773 inflamed the increasingly restless people of Boston. After each event, Samuel Adams exhorted the people to continue their opposition to Britain. The Boston Town Meeting organized an economic boycott of British goods in May 1774. Samuel Adams was at the forefront of the plan. He set the example; they followed his leadership.

Thomas Jefferson credited Samuel Adams with being the linchpin of the Congress. He noted, “If there was any Palinurus (helmsman) to the Revolution, Samuel Adams was the man.” When the delegates lined up to sign the Declaration of Independence, Adams added his name to the list.

During the War

Adams continued working tirelessly for the United States during the Revolutionary War.

As was his custom, Adams worked with many committees to keep his hand in what was going on. One of his most important assignments was with the Board of War, to which he was appointed in 1777. His background came in handy in that function.

Quotations to Live (and Die) By!

“HE EATS LITTLE, DRINKS LITTLE, SLEEPS LITTLE, THINKS MUCH, AND IS MOST INDEFATIGABLE IN THE PURSUIT OF HIS OBJECT. IT WAS THIS MAN, WHO BY HIS SUPERIOR APPLICATION, MANAGED AT ONCE THE FACTIONS IN CONGRESS AT PHILADELPHIA, AND THE FACTIONS OF NEW ENGLAND.

—JOSEPH GALLOWAY

The Board of War’s role was to oversee the Continental Army’s administration and make recommendations to Congress on how to improve its operations. Adams had many ideas, such as paying bonuses to soldiers to induce them to reenlist and confiscating the property of Tories. He could not tolerate Tories during or after the war. Adams believed they would destroy the new government the Americans had worked so hard to form.

Quotations to Live (and Die) By!

“ALL MIGHT BE FREE IF THEY VALUED FREEDOM, AND DEFENDED IT AS THEY SHOULD.”

—SAMUEL ADAMS

Adams stayed in Congress until 1781. Finally, he resigned and went home to resume his political career in Massachusetts.

Welcome Home, Governor

The people of Massachusetts welcomed Adams with open arms, and immediately elected him to the state Senate. He served as president of the body from 1782−85 and 1787−88. There were two more offices ahead for him: lieutenant governor and governor.

Samuel Adams served as lieutenant governor of Massachusetts from 1789−93, became acting governor in 1793 after John Hancock died in office, and was elected governor from 1794−97.

Ironically, Adams was not pleased with the federal government that emerged after the fight for independence ended. He was especially unhappy with the U.S. Constitution, primarily because of the strong central government it proposed and the lack of rights it afforded individuals. Once he was satisfied that a Bill of Rights would be included, he voted for the document at the Massachusetts ratifying convention. His support turned the tide in the state. (Massachusetts narrowly ratified the U.S. Constitution on a vote of 187−168.)

Quotations to Live (and Die) By!

“I CONFESS, AS I ENTER THE BUILDING I STUMBLE AT THE THRESHOLD. I MEET WITH A NATIONAL GOVERNMENT, INSTEAD OF A FEDERAL UNION OF STATES.”

—SAMUEL ADAMS TO RICHARD HENRY LEE, 1787

Adams retired from politics after his final term as governor ended in 1797. The man Thomas Jefferson called “the Father of the Revolution” left behind an unparalleled record of achievements—even though he had never mastered the art of brewing beer.