Samuel Adams
1722–1803Samuel Adams was the cousin of John Adams andone of the most eminent of American patriots and orators. He was born in Boston in 1722, like his cousin, he went to Harvard and graduated from there in 1740. He early distinguished himself as a political writer of great ability. He was in 1765 elected from Boston a member of the General Assembly of Massachusetts, to which position he was successively re-elected for nine years. He was one of the first men of prominence who favored American independence. On account of the prominent part he took in organizing measures of resistance to the British Government, he was one of the two popular leaders who were excepted from the general pardon offered in June, 1775. Elected in 1774 to the Continental Congress, he was in 1776 one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and afterward served as State Senator, member of the Convention which ratified the Federal Constitution, Lieutenant-Governor and Governor of his native State. As an orator he was ardent, luminous, and eloquent. He died in Boston on October 2, 1803.
--Adapted from The Dictionary of Biography by Charles Morris
Key events during the life of Samuel Adams:
| Birth of Samuel Adams. | |
| Graduated from Havard. | |
| Distinguished himself as a political writer. | |
| Elected member of the General Assembly of Massachusetts, kept position for nearly ten years. | |
| Elected to the Continental Congress. | |
| Signed the Declaration of Independence. | |
| Served subsequently as a State Senator, Lieutenant-Governor, and finally Governor of Massachusetts. | |
| Death of Samuel Adams. |
Other Resources
| The Boston Tea Party in | Story of the Thirteen Colonies by H. A. Guerber |
| Samuel Adams in | Heroes of Progress in America by Charles Morris |
| Samuel Adams in | Builders of Our Country: Book II by Gertrude van Duyn Southworth |
Image Links | ||
|---|---|---|
 Adams before the Governor in Builders of Our Country: Book II |
 Samuel Adams in Builders of Our Country: Book II |
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| Second President of the United States. Worked tirelessly to help establish the republic on steady footing. | |
| Abigail Adams | Wife of John Adams and mother of John Quincy Adams. |