Samuel Adams
Samuel Adams was the second Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts – or the state of Massachusetts. Adams has been described as a plain, modest, organized, and virtuous man. The propaganda he produced was focused heavily on the British and Adams was able to persuade people to follow him and his causes. He graduated from Harvard University and briefly studied law. After university, he attempted several business ventures that ultimately failed. This was the pattern of his life until he found his niche in politics. He began in local politics – leading town meetings and protesting the British – and worked his way up to becoming the state’s governor in 1794.
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Early Political Career
Adams’ first involvement in politics was denouncing the Sugar Act. This made him one of the first colonists to protest the British practice of “taxation without representation”. He was also one of the instigators of the Stamp Act riots in Boston on August 14 and 26, 1764. The riots were in response to the new British tax requiring all colonial publications, business and legal documents to be printed on taxed paper. The taxed paper was
Samuel Adams headstone located in the Granary Burial Ground in Boston, Massachusetts
stamped to show proof of payment. It was one of the first taxes imposed directly onto the American colonies. On August 14th, the rioters bore two effigies representing the government officials tasked with enforcing the Stamp Act: Province Secretary Andrew Oliver and Royal Governor Francis Bernard. The officials could not call on the militia to stop the riot because many militia members were participating in the riot. Andrew Oliver renounced his position as the Stamp Act commissioner. On August 26, the rioters turned their rage on Lieutenant Governor Thomas Hutchinson. They burned down his house when they realized that Hutchinson had fled. These riots sparked action in other colonies, ultimately leading to the renunciation of the Stamp Act before it had officially been implemented.
Samuel Adams’ early protests were just the beginning of his opposition of the British. He was elected and served in the Massachusetts General Court in Boston until 1766 and he assumed leadership of the Massachusetts radicals in 1769. He protested the authority of British parliament in the colonies and began his push for independence from Britain.
Image from www.samueladams.com/ via Google Images.
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Revolutionary Politics
Following the Boston Massacre in 1770, Adams lead a town meeting in Boston. He called for and ultimately secured the removal of the British troops that had been occupying Boston since 1768.
After the Townshend Duties – taxes imposed on the colonies – were repealed, Adams began losing his following. While other politicians remained inactive, he revived former issues and found new ones to keep his following.
Adams was one of the major planners of the Boston Tea Party. He insisted that delegates to the Continental Congress – of which he was a member – stand a firm stance against the British. He is often credited as being the founder of the Sons of Liberty, the group that carried out the plan for the tea party. While Adams planned the Boston Tea Party, he did not actually participate. But this act of opposition against the British was the catalyst that began the Revolutionary War in Massachusetts.
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Post-War Life
Samuel Adams was a member of the Continental Congress until 1781. Him and his cousin John Adams were some of the first leaders to call for a permanent separation from the British. He signed the Declaration of Independence and was a major influence on the newly formed Congress.
Adams also sat in the convention that ratified the Federal Constitution of Massachusetts. Initially, Adams was opposed to the constitution. He feared that it would put too much power in the federal government. After the Federalists promised to support future amendments to the constitution – including a bill of rights – Adams abandoned his opposing position.