Biography: Discovering the Past of Samuel Adams

On a chilly day in Boston, Massachusetts, the greatest American that has ever lived was born. Who? Samuel Adams, of course! He was born on September 27, 1722, at a little place called Purchase Street. His mother was a lovely woman named Mary Fifield Adams, who had 12 children. Therefore, Samuel had 11 siblings! Although, his mother was not the only one who had to run the full house, his father, also named Samuel Adams, was a successful and thriving merchant who was very proud of his brewery. Sometimes Samuel's father participated in politics. ("Adams, Samuel (1722-1803)." Student Resource Center- Gold. Gale, 2003. Web. 24 Feb. 2010. )

For 8 years of his childhood, Samuel attended Boston Grammar School, taking courses such as Greek, Latin, math, and grammar. On top of studying vigorously in school, Samuel was surrounded by church and ministry. His father was a deacon in the Old South Church, and one of the founding fathers of Boston’s New South Church, where Samuel’s future father-in-law was a minister. ("Adams, Samuel (1722-1803)." Student Resource Center- Gold. Gale, 2003. Web. 24 Feb. 2010.)

In the grand year of 1736, Samuel enrolled for Harvard College, and added the classes of physics, logic, and philosophy to his course plan. In addition, he actually returned three years later to earn his Master’s Degree. Samuel graduated from Harvard College in the year of 1740, and received an M.A. degree in 1743. After that, Samuel chose the career of private business. ("Adams, Samuel (1722-1803)." Student Resource Center- Gold. Gale, 2003. Web. 24 Feb. 2010.)

Samuel was horribly irresponsible when it came to the topic of finance. It was evident that he could not take a financial career path, so he borrowed 1,000 pounds from his father, who, once again, was very wealthy (Samuel’s father could basically take a bath in a tub full of money…), in order to accomplish his dream of creating his own business. Soon after, Sam let a friend borrow that same 1,000 pounds, and yup, you guessed it, that specific friend never paid him back! In 1764, Samuel failed as a private business owner and fell into large debt, but we’ll get to that in about 18 years… ("Adams, Samuel (1722-1803)." Student Resource Center- Gold. Gale, 2003. Web. 24 Feb. 2010.)

Unfortunately, Samuel’s father passed away in 1748, when Samuel was only 26. This was a golden opportunity and allowed him to take control of the brewery. About the same time, Samuel became a part of the “Whipping Post Club”, a political group. This marked the beginning of a brand new career for Sam, writing articles in the Whipping Post Club’s public application, the Independent Advertiser. This was around the time period in which Samuel met and married his first wife, the astounding Elizabeth Checkly. Samuel and Elizabeth later had two children, Samuel III and Hannah Adams. Aren’t you surprised they did not have like 20 kids? Well, you’ll find out why very soon, just keep reading! ("Adams, Samuel (1722-1803)." Student Resource Center- Gold. Gale, 2003. Web. 24 Feb. 2010.)

Between the years of 1756 of 1764, Adams started working as a tax collector in Boston, and owed 8,000 pounds back in taxes! Obviously, Samuel had an outstanding number of jobs, but it does not stop there! He also worked at the Massachusetts Country Party, and earned a powerful position in the Caucus Club of Boston. ("Samuel Adams." Biography Resource Center. Gale, 2010. Web. 24 Feb. 2010. )

Still wondering what happened to the love of Samuel and Elizabeth? Well, in 1757, Elizabeth Checkly passed away, but little did Samuel Adams know that his life would soon take a drastic turn. He had spent so much time searching for that right job, from working in a brewery to writing articles, but the events that truly sparked a desire in Samuel’s heart had not even taken place yet… ("Samuel Adams." Biography Resource Center. Gale, 2010. Web. 24 Feb. 2010.)

In the crazy year of 1765, the townspeople elected Samuel Adams to fill a position in the Colonial Legislator. Turned out that after only 9 years, he was the “top dog” in the Massachusetts House of Representatives! ("Adams, Samuel (1722-1803)." Student Resource Center- Gold. Gale, 2003. Web. 24 Feb. 2010.)

The year that took a turn for the worst, or in my opinion the best, was 1770, because it proved that Samuel is beyond doubt the greatest American. There were many “redcoats”, or British soldiers stationed in Boston. An event took place where the soldiers fired at a rowdy group of Bostonians, causing seven people to die. Samuel would not accept this. Sam knew in his heart that the relationship between the colonies and their mother country (England), had to be stopped. Actually, he used this event to demonstrate the effect of Britain’s tyranny on the Colonies and called for a gathering in Boston. At this meeting Adams gave a very powerful speech that motivated a majority of colonists. Afterward, with John Hancock by his side, he led a delegation to the town council in order to protest to the Massachusetts governor, Thomas Hutchinson, that the “dangerous, ruinous and fatal effects of standing armies in populous cities in times of peace” were uncalled for. ("Adams, Samuel (1722-1803)." Student Resource Center- Gold. Gale, 2003. Web. 24 Feb. 2010.)

Adams conjured up the brilliant “Committees of Correspondence”, which allowed letters to be transferred from one site to another in attempt to prevent communication blocks and to keep Massachusetts from being secluded. In fact, this idea proved to be a real success, ergo verifying the genius within Samuel Adams! This took place in 1772. ("Adams, Samuel (1722-1803)." Student Resource Center- Gold. Gale, 2003. Web. 24 Feb. 2010.)

December 16th, 1773, was the well-known date of the Boston Tea Party. Samuel Adams had a lot to do with this event, and led the Sons of Liberty to protesting England by dumping loads of tea into the Boston Harbor. This was only one of the many events that Samuel Adams took part in, in order to split the bond between America and England. ("Samuel Adams." Biography Resource Center. Gale, 2010. Web. 24 Feb. 2010. )

Samuel’s hard work and effort paid off! Many colonists agreed with him when it came to Great Britain. In the 1770’s, Samuel even represented Massachusetts in the First and Second Continental Congress. This allowed him to write part of the Articles of Confederation, as well as sign the actual Declaration of Independence! ("Adams, Samuel (1722-1803)." Student Resource Center- Gold. Gale, 2003. Web. 24 Feb. 2010.) ("Declaration of Independence" Student Resource Center- Gold. Gale, 2008. Web. 1 Mar. 2010.)

This was not the end of Samuel’s life, though, he was also the lieutenant governor for Massachusetts from 1789 to 1793, and soon became the official governor of Massachusetts. After retiring in the year of 1797, Samuel returned home and spent a few years living out the rest of his life until he passed away on October 2, 1803, at the age of 81. ("Adams, Samuel (1722-1803)." Student Resource Center- Gold. Gale, 2003. Web. 24 Feb. 2010.) and ("Samuel Adams." Biography Resource Center. Gale, 2010. Web. 24 Feb. 2010. )

All in all, where would we be today if Samuel Adams never lived? Would we still have the rights that we do, or would we continue to be controlled by Britain? Although he was just one of the people to sign the Declaration of Independence, his signature meant so much to America, and it stood for the freedom that all Americans deserved. Who was there for those Americans to fight through battles and give support?

Samuel Adams.