Samuel adams was a political leader who played a vital role in moving. He was a leader in the events leading up to the american revolution, helped to found the sons of. Father of the american revolution, winner of the fraunces tavern award, and coauthor of uncommon. Samuel adams grave marker in the granary burying ground. Samuel adams, american statesman and, according to historian joseph j.
His father, whose christian name was also samuel, was a wealthy and prominent citizen of boston, who took an active part in the politics of the town, and was a member of the caulkers club. Samuel adams 17221803 a lifelong resident of boston, was considered by many to be the father of the american revolution. He influence was so great that he was one of only two founding fathers the king of england said he would not pardon for his leadership in the american revolution. Samuel adams, however, was the most important figure in the early independence movement and quite rightfully deserves the title father of the american revolution. While puls thesis that sam adams played a vital role in bringing about the revolution from a philosophical and public relations standpoint is fundamentally sound and deserves. Father of the american revolution and american liberty. Born to a life of modest privilege, he studied at the exclusive boston latin school before graduating to harvard college, the training school of all upper class boys, at the age of fourteen. Palgrave macmillan, 2006 franklin, jefferson, washington, hamilton and john adams have all been subjects of recent popular biographies, but not all members of the founding generation have received equal treatment. Spreading the slogan no taxation without representation, sam adams instigated the stamp act riots in 1765. Adams suffered from what is now believed to have been essential tremor, a movement disorder that, in the final decade of his life, rendered him unable to write. He was a politician in colonial massachusetts, a leader of the movement that became the american revolution, and one of the architects of the principles of american republicanism that shaped the political culture of the united states.
Samuel adams was a bostonborn political leader who played a vital role in moving colonial america to its decisive break with britain during the american revolution. A story of race, patriotism and glory in the final battles of the civil war. He was a politician and a key leader of the movement that resulted in the american revolution and independence from great britain. We are in sore need of a good modern biography of sam adams. Most people only know the name samuel adams as a brand of beer, but the samuel adams of the revolution was not much of a brewery. This statue of samuel adams was given to the national statuary hall collection by massachusetts in 1876.
Samuel adams, with the exception of benedict arnold, is possibly the most controversial biography of the revolution. Upon his death, he would be labeled the father of the american revolution. He was later lieutenant governor 178993 and governor 179497 of massachusetts. Adams helped gather support in the american colonies to rebel against great britain. Ellis, the lenin of the american revolution, was born in boston, massachusetts, in 1722. Samuel adams, politician of the american revolution, leader of the massachusetts radicals, who was a delegate to the continental congress and signer of the declaration of independence. He is one of the most influential players in the revolution, taking part in many of its most famous incidents, and was a leading voice in the movement for independence. Samuel adams, born september 27 september 16, old style, 1722, boston, massachusetts u. This would mark the end of the samuel adams biography. Some go so far as to say he was a terrorist and some revere him has one of the greatest founding fathers. He died at the age of 81 on october 2, 1803, and was interred at the granary burying ground in boston. Adams served as a member of the continental congress from 1774 to 1781, where he voted for and signed the declaration of independence. Samuel adams was an american statesman, political philosopher, and one of the founding fathers of the united states. Samuel adams is sometimes called the father of the american revolution because of his early stand against the tyranny of great britain and his speeches and writings that drew many american colonists into the fight for freedom.
Samuel adams the american revolution from our perspective. September 16 1722 october 2, 1803 was a statesman, political philosopher, and one of the founding fathers of the united states. Samuel adams 17221803 september 27 marks 292 years since the birth of one of americas most prominent founding fathers. American founding father samuel adams helped organize the boston tea party. News, opinion and commentary general interest politicians biography united states history revolution. Mark puls, samuel adams, father of the american revolution. Sam adams became enraged when the british parliament passed the sugar act of 1764, the stamp act in 1765, and the townshend duties in 1767. Father of the american revolution, winner of the fraunces tavern museum book award, and coauthor of uncommon valor. Samuel adams facts the father of the american revolution. Puls has worked as a journalist for the detroit news. Samuel adams, politician of the american revolution, leader of the massachusetts radicals, who was a delegate to the continental congress and signer of the.
But those accusations tend to obscure his nature as an astute political thinker and a tireless activist. Samuel adams september 16, 1722october 2, 1803 played an important philosophical and activist role in early advocating the independence of the north american british colonies, and the eventual founding of the new united states. Mark puls a genius at devising civil protests and political maneuvers, samuel adams forced britain into coercive military measures that ultimately led to americas irreversible split from the empire. Now that mcculloughs john adams 2001 and chernows alexander. This list of samuel adams facts contains basic things such as birth and death dates, marriage dates. Mark puls brief less than 250 pages of text biography shows how important adams was. Facts about samuel adams and the american revolution. In 1740, he helped create a land bank, in massachusetts bay colony, using paper money to. Father of the american revolution, winner of the fraunces tavern award, and coauthor of uncommon valor. Besides george washington and benjamin franklin, probably one of the most famous names associated with the american revolution is samuel adams. Sam adams father of american revolution once people.
Father of the american revolution 2006, palgrave macmillan comes nowhere close to filling the bill. Samuel adams is a controversial figure in american history. His father, samuel deacon adams, was a political leader, a staunch puritan, and a wealthy merchant. Never president like his cousin john, not a military leader like george washington, samuel adams seems to have become simply the other adams the one who was believed to incite to action a gang of semiruffians known as the sons of liberty. Known as the father of the american revolution and the firebrand of the revolution, sam adams was arguably the most effective verbal rabblerouser in american history. He is more than just the namesake of an american beer, too.
Samuel adams was a founding father of the united states and a political theorist who protested british taxation without representation, uniting the american colonies in. Samuel adams is perhaps the most unheralded and overshadowed of the founding fathers, yet without him there would have been no american revolution. Bostons republican newspaper, the independent chronicle, eulogized him as the. Samuel adams grew up in the city of boston in the colony of massachusetts. A brief, sharply focused biography of the mastermind behind the american colonies break with england, and the drive for independence. He helped develop the philosophical concept of the necessity of legal nonviolent citizen resistance in a free society. Samuel adams is perhaps the most unheralded and overshadowed of the founding fathers, yet. Adams was a master at political intrigue, backroom dealing, convincing people to join his cause, to rally in the streets, and to always push for freedom and liberty. Spreading the slogan no taxation without representation, sam adams instigated the stamp act riots in. The second cousin of president john adams, sam adams helped organize opposition to british taxation, including the boston tea party. Samuel adams simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. September 16 1722 october 2, 1803 was an american statesman, political philosopher, and one of the founding fathers of the united states.
He is sometimes called the father of the american revolution because he was one of the first who was against the british taxes he was one of the leaders of the sons of liberty he was a very important man in. Sam adams 17221803whom most americans know principally as that jolly guy on the beer bottleswas a major arc. Founder samuel adams of massachusetts founding father quotes. He was a proponent of freedom, liberty and independence. The man known as the father of the american revolution was the. He was a politician in colonial massachusetts, a leader of the movement that became the american revolution, and one of.
Adams was one of the architects of what eventually became american republicanism, shaping the political culture of america. He believed that since the colonist were not represented in parliament that. Samuel adams, born september 27, 1722, was known as the father of the american revolution. Adams father, also named samuel, frequently used his position as preacher to organize large numbers of associates into groups to lobby local boston politicians and officials on specific issues, with young sam frequently accompanying him. Synopsis samuel adams was born on september 27, 1722, in boston. Adams helped organize the sons of liberty, signed the declaration of. Samuel learned a lot about politics, the rights of. Bostons republican newspaper, the independent chronicle, eulogized him as the father of the american revolution. Was the american revolution an act of rebellion against god and the bible. As a politician in colonial massachusetts, adams was a leader. American founding father samuel adams helped organize the boston tea party and signed the u. Samuel adams was the father of the american revolution and the reason our nation began. Adams was born in boston, brought up in a religious and politically acti.
The argument of this brisk biography is summed up by the subtitle. A story of race, patriotism and glory in the final battles of the civil war with pulitzer prize winning journalist melvin claxton. Samuel adams 17221803 samuel adams was an early and exceptionally influential leader of bostonians from resistance to outright conflict with the british government in the 1760s and 1770s. He was a second cousin to his fellow founding father, president john adams.
1552 138 563 761 1007 79 110 190 392 870 1331 917 726 775 495 77 733 66 684 969 1154 835 893 1598 567 1168 743 874 1117 1241 798 334 916 965 762 1326