Samuel Adams,
September 27th, 1722.
Oh, America! Land of the free and home of the brave, where they sell you a dream, but everyone's desperate and the food tastes of sugar! It's a fine place, with lots of things to recommend it, but it's far too big and unwieldy a size for a sensible country, and the weather is wholly unreasonable and refuses to behave. Much like, of course, the inhabitants.
The denizens of the United States are a constant thorn in the side of all sensible approaches to an ordered and civilised society, what with their refusal to measure things correctly, use the word 'trousers' as all proper countries do, and drink beer in big-boy measurements.
Add to that a propensity for trying to solve issues by shooting at them when the sensible option would dictate anything but prolonged gunfire as a solution, married to a refusal to shoot at things that do require an urgent and sustained period of violence, like the Nazis between 1939 and 1941, and it's little wonder then that the rest of the world eyes the Major Colonies with some suspicion.
On the plus side, they did take their time to write down a series of rules by which they could all live in their new and rather too gaudy country, which espoused some fine ideas. That they only did so after deciding to steal some tea and then throw it in the sea, in what can only be described as a rather childish attempt at getting their own way is symptomatic of the American approach to problem-solving - ruin your own shit to make a point. See people blowing Harley Davidson motorcycles and Child Rock shooting at his beer because of the wokes.
Anyway, it turns out that America exists mostly because France recognised it as a nation, which is typical of the perfidious Gallic mushroom gatherers on the incorrect side of the English Channel. It's not called the French Channel, is it, mes amis!? This resulted in war, which was going fine until Britain got bored and decided to go home and take it out on the French, instead. It was their fault, after all.
It also turns out that America exists because of the 'Founding Fathers'. Britain doesn't have 'Founding Fathers' because nobody found it. Everyone always knew where it was. In the correct place on the map, right in the middle.
And today is the birthday of one of these Ungrateful Colonial Tea Thieves, a chap by the name of 'Adams.' Sounds like a wrong 'un to me!
Samuel Adams, born on September 27, 1722, in Boston, Massachusetts, was one of the most influential figures in the American Revolution and the early formation of the United States. His legacy as a leader in the movement for American independence is well-established, with Adams often hailed as the "Father of the American Revolution." His passionate commitment to the cause of liberty, his political acumen, and his ability to mobilize public opinion placed him at the forefront of the revolutionary movement. However, his influence extended beyond just the Revolution itself; his work laid the groundwork for the values that would define the new American Republic.
Adams was born into a prosperous family. His father, Samuel Adams Sr., was a successful brewer and active in local politics. This upbringing exposed young Samuel to political discussions from an early age, shaping his worldview and his staunch belief in the rights of the colonies. Adams attended Harvard College, where he earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees, focusing on political theory. His academic background gave him a deep understanding of the philosophical arguments for liberty, self-governance, and the dangers of tyranny, ideas that would later fuel his revolutionary fervour.
Adams' early foray into politics came as Boston became increasingly resentful of British rule. In the 1760s, the British government began imposing a series of taxes and regulations on the American colonies, most notably the Stamp Act of 1765 and the Townshend Acts of 1767. These measures were seen as oppressive, as they were enacted without colonial representation in the British Parliament, violating the long-standing principle of "no taxation without representation." Adams, already a vocal critic of British policies, seized upon these taxes as a rallying point for resistance. He saw them not just as an economic burden but as a threat to the colonies’ rights and liberties.
Adams’ most significant contribution during this period was his ability to organize and mobilize public opinion. In 1764, he began writing for the Boston Gazette, penning a series of articles that denounced British tyranny and urged resistance. He became a master of political propaganda, framing the conflict between the colonies and Britain as a struggle between liberty and tyranny. Adams was also instrumental in forming the Committees of Correspondence, a network of communication among the colonies that allowed them to coordinate their responses to British actions. This was a crucial step toward colonial unity, as it allowed the disparate colonies to act in concert against their common enemy.
One of Adams’ key moments came during the lead-up to the Boston Massacre in 1770. Tensions between British soldiers and Boston citizens had been rising for months, and when the British opened fire on a crowd, killing five colonists, Adams saw an opportunity. He used the incident as a powerful propaganda tool, portraying the British as brutal oppressors and the colonists as innocent victims. While his account of the massacre was exaggerated, it helped to galvanize anti-British sentiment across the colonies and made Adams one of the most recognized leaders of the resistance.
As the conflict with Britain escalated, Adams played a leading role in organizing the Boston Tea Party in 1773. This protest, in which American colonists dumped British tea into Boston Harbor in response to the Tea Act, was one of the most direct challenges to British authority. Adams, along with the Sons of Liberty, orchestrated the event as a demonstration of the colonies’ refusal to accept what they saw as unjust taxation and domination. The Tea Party marked a point of no return in the conflict between Britain and its American colonies, leading directly to the imposition of the Coercive Acts by the British government and, ultimately, the outbreak of war.
When the American Revolution began in 1775, Adams continued to play a pivotal role. As a delegate to the Continental Congress, he was one of the most vocal advocates for independence. His speeches and writings helped to shift public opinion in favor of breaking away from Britain, and he worked tirelessly behind the scenes to convince other colonial leaders to support the cause. Adams was part of the committee that drafted the Declaration of Independence, although his contributions were more about building consensus than authoring the document itself.
Throughout the war, Adams remained steadfast in his commitment to the revolutionary cause. While many of his contemporaries wavered at various points, Adams was uncompromising. He saw the conflict not merely as a struggle for independence but as a moral crusade. He believed deeply that the American Revolution was a fight for human liberty, a struggle to establish a government based on the consent of the governed. This sense of mission helped him to endure the numerous setbacks that the revolutionary cause experienced, from military defeats to political infighting.
Following the successful conclusion of the American Revolution, Adams continued to be a major figure in the early political life of the United States. He was instrumental in shaping the government of Massachusetts, serving as the state’s governor from 1793 to 1797. During his time as governor, Adams focused on maintaining the ideals of the Revolution, particularly the defence of individual liberties and the need for a government that was accountable to the people.
Adams was also a key player in the debates over the ratification of the United States Constitution. Although he initially opposed the document, fearing that it gave too much power to the federal government at the expense of the states, he eventually supported it after the inclusion of the Bill of Rights, which he saw as essential for protecting individual freedoms. This episode reflects the complexity of Adams’ political views. While he was a radical revolutionary, he was also deeply suspicious of centralized authority, and his commitment to liberty often put him at odds with other leaders who favoured a stronger national government.
Adams’ later years were marked by a certain degree of political isolation. As the country became more divided between the Federalists, who favoured a strong central government, and the Democratic-Republicans, who advocated for states’ rights, Adams found himself increasingly aligned with the latter camp. However, his influence waned as figures like Thomas Jefferson and James Madison came to dominate the political scene. Despite this, Adams remained an important symbol of the Revolution and its ideals.
Samuel Adams died on October 2, 1803, at the age of 81. While he did not achieve the same level of fame or power as some of his contemporaries, such as George Washington or Thomas Jefferson, his contributions to the American Revolution were profound. He was a tireless advocate for liberty, a master of political organization, and one of the key figures in building the coalition that eventually led to American independence.
Adams’ legacy is one of unwavering commitment to the cause of freedom. His ability to inspire and mobilize others, his deep understanding of political philosophy, and his willingness to challenge the status quo made him one of the most important figures in American history. Today, he is remembered as a revolutionary icon, a man who helped to bring about one of the most significant political transformations in human history—the creation of a nation founded on the principles of liberty and self-governance.
Thanks for reading! To share this article, please click the button below. If you’d like to help us out by making a donation via Kofi, anything would be gratefully received! Click the donation button to help out. It accepts PayPal and all the usual sources. You’re welcome to read for free and to share as much as you like, but this is a full-time job now, so if anyone would like to help out, it would be really appreciated. There are paid subs, too, for which you get cool exclusive stuff (with more stuff coming soon!)
Hope you enjoyed the article. Thanks, everyone!