Samuel Adams and His Effect on American Revolution - Assignment Example

Running head: SAMUEL ADAMS AND HIS EFFECT ON AMERICAN REVOLUTION The Early Life of Samuel Adams Samuel Adams was a tax collector, Son of Liberty, maltster, essayist, and leader of the Continental Congress, signer of the Declaration of Independence and Articles of Confederation and a great influence over Massachusetts public life in the early years. He was born in Boston. He was the son of affluent parents Mary Fifield Adams and Deacon Samuel Adams. Samuel led a Puritan life; worked hard, dressed simply and was strong in his faith. He went to Harvard where he studied religion and law but neither of the two satisfied him. On the other hand, he studied Greek, science, Latin, Hebrew, writing and Mathematics. This philosophy studies included John Locke works, a philosopher who endorsed the ideas that all men were equal politically and they had three basic rights: property, life and liberty; and the government had no right of taxing the individuals without their consensus1. John Locke stated that individuals needed to resist the government at all costs. Samuel Adams shared the politics interests of his father and was inclined by the political talk he heard at the Caucus Club2. Due to the result of a decision made by the parliament that nearly caused a financial ruin to his father, Samuel had a long bad hostility to the Crown officers. Generally, the whole colonial atmosphere, especially in Boston, was increasing to the British opposition when Samuel Adams was young. Behind him, Samuel Adams had tradition of more than 100 years of class struggles3. The past century had been marked with colonial revolt instances against the British colonials, whereby many colonies were given specific rights, like control over local affairs only. On the other hand, these colonial struggles were seen to be class struggles. In America, the British rule could not be removed easily. This rule encouraged some classes of people to be oppressed by others making the British struggle to turn out to be a class struggle. Different biographers asserted that Samuel Adams did not have any private business in his manhood. They went on to assert that when such men who have no private business make their business to clash with the dictatorship of a reactionary government and work towards overthrowing the government, those people are referred to as professional revolutionist4. This is what Samuel Adams turned out to be: the first revolutionist in the history of America. In 1746, Samuel Adams was voted in as Boston Market’s clerk for a two year term. This was his first public office at the age of twenty four. In 1753, Samuel was elected as a garbage collector and a town assessor. He remained in these posts till 1756 when he was chosen a tax collector. He remained with this job up to 1765, when the struggle broke out. Due to this struggle, Samuel moved to the Boston Seat as part of the four members who represented Boston town. In 1765, when Samuel left the tax collector office, his accounts revealed a crime of 7000 pounds5. Many historians have asserted that Adams involved himself in one of the worst scandals involved to the name of whichever Declaration of Independence signer. There were a lot of efforts that took place in the revolutionary times to mark Samuel Adams with a larceny charge. In the well recognized character of Samuel, this campaign never succeeded. His standing for firm personal honesty and his great selflessness and continuous poverty was unbelievable that he stole some money. Samuel Adams stated that he had not collected these taxes at any point, and the money did not pass through his hands. Samuel’s close individual relations with the same Boston individuals whom he was required to collect taxes and his unconcerned way in the world of business needs to be accounted for, and it is most likely that Samuel Adams was the type of tax collector every individual would want to deal with. The individuals in Boston did not want anyone to be a tax collector other than Samuel Adams. Samuel Adams struggles His first struggles started in the 1764 Sugar Act with a chain of British royal governors. Later, Samuel led the conflict against Townshend Acts, Declaratory Act, Navigation Act and Stamp Act among others. He stated that these acts were British dictatorship. At the central of Samuel’s political campaigning was the independence in America. Individuals referred to him as the father of America Revolution6. Samuel Adam did everything to make sure that every place rebelled against the British rule. On the other hand, he had the knowledge of the rule of setting his opposition in the wrong and making him stay there. In addition, he wrote many editorials under more than different hundred names and used them in supporting his own opinions. The moment the British troops were placed in Boston by the King to crush the rising number of public disturbances, Samuel Adams published stories that accused these soldiers of conducting activities they never did, such as terrorizing women and beating up boys. Every opposition move used by Samuel Adam was to his own gain. He wrote letters to the parliament accusing the Royal Governor for the conflict in Boston. This led to the Royal Governor being recalled to England. After the King Street fight commonly referred to the Boston Massacre that happened in March 5, 1770, Samuel Adams enthusiastically took credit for the removal of British troops from Boston. He grieved over when commerce with England resumed again. In 1772, Samuel Adams requested the Congress to create a Correspondence Committee for the purpose of stating down the individuals rights. Due to Samuel’s effort, the request was granted by the legislature with instructions given to state the colonists’ rights as Christians, as subjects and as men; and to communicate the same to different towns. The state of the Colonists Rights was adopted by the General court. After a year, the Tea Act was passed by the Parliament. Due to this, Samuel Adams retorted by starting up the Boston Tea Party7. After two years of this event, there were shots all over Lexington Green. Samuel Adams became happy as the independence fight had already started. He made himself available in the liberty cause. On September 5, 1774, he went on to participate as a chosen delegate to the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia8. In May 1775, during the beginning of the Second Continental Congress, Samuel Adams was present. He supported the motion of declaring the colonies as self-governing states in June 1776. In July 1776, Samuel Adams signed the Independence Declaration, and later signed the Perpetual Union and Confederation Articles. Samuel Adams always had faith that America would overcome the British colonialists and win the war. At a particular point, he went before the Congress and asserted that if individuals wore long faces; these long faces would be fashionable9. The people’s eyes are upon the leaders and their feelings tone is controlled by the leaders’ feelings. Samuel Adams served in the Congress till 1781 whereby he went back to Boston and served as the Senate President. Later, he served as John Hancock’s Lieutenant Governor. He was present in the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention in 1788 whereby he discussed the Constitution ratification. In addition, Samuel Adam was an anti-federalist even though he voted for the constitution as his constituents wanted the constitution. After Hancock died in 1793, Samuel Adams was elected the Governor and was one of the oldest governors in Massachusetts. The Revolution The American Revolution of early 1760s started with a renewed sense of hope and aspiration as the Americans realized it is time to freedom from their colonial master was within reach. The revolution was initiated with hope and aspiration by great orators and sentimentalists. The momentum was however maintained by great leaders who held on to cause of the revolution; determined to see it through10. The Americans were unhappy with the new taxes imposed on them; as well as seizure of the ships owned by Americans by their colonial master. The immediate response of the Americans was to form groupings to protest what they felt was unfair treatment from Britain. Many of those unhappy with their colonial masters were poor and had no voting rights in town meetings. This is because only property owners could vote. As the revolution although the poor had no voting rights they attended these meetings just to vent their anger; while those with voting rights avoided these meetings. At the start of the revolution about 1500 people attend town meetings, and at the height of the revolution there was a record attendance of about 7000 people11. Later the parliament opened its doors to the public to sit and follow the proceedings of the house even though the public could not vote. This denial to voice their sentiments made them result to organized but informal groupings like the Sons of Liberty. These meetings were for the common men to discuss the issues and challenges that they faced not only with their colonial masters but also with the rich who had the voting rights12. The new found forums were breeding ground for upcoming politicians and revolutionists. Notable were James Otis and Sam Adams. James Otis was an up and coming lawyer who quit a lucrative government position as a crown advocate in order to join the opposition. He spoke with such clarity and passion when the British asserted their right to search and seize sailing vessels that he gained massive followings. It is not surprising that Otis became floor leader of the minority bloc of the General Court (legislature). As Otis grew in popularity his passion and convictions feigned13. This is because his narratives were based on what would excite the masses. He had no real opinions and stand on the issues of the day. Most of the time he advocated by compromise between the American revolutionist and their colonial master. When the excitement of the revolution had died out and the real issues started coming out, James Otis could not hold it down. This made people not value his opinions and he lost his position as a voice for the people. Conclusion As the revolution continued there was also a general cognizance among the people that a stand was more important than good oratory skills. This is what brought Sam Adams into the forefront of the revolution14. Sam Adams was not as vocal and visible as James Otis; he was neither a legislator nor a politician. He nevertheless guided the work of the minority action through the Caucus Club and through personal discussions. Sam Adams remained steadfast to the cause and wrote many of the resolutions of the oppositionists’ columns of the Boston Gazette and other radical papers. He was elected at a town meeting to fill a vacancy in the Boston representation to the General Court15. Within a short time, he was clerk of the legislature and also presided over most town meetings as moderator. This trend was experienced around the world as nations revolted against their colonial masters. At the very onset of the revolution the orators and sentimentalists took the forefront to get the masses excited about the possibility of change but as the struggled continued it was the real reformists and policy makers who saw the fight to the end. References Alexander, John K. Samuels Adams: The Life of an American Revolutionary. Latham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2011. Print Canfield, Cass. Samuel Adams Revolution, 1765-1776. New York: Harper and Row, 1976. Print Puls, Mark. Samuel Adams: Father of the American Revolution. New York: Palgrave Macmillian, 2006. Print Ramsbey, Thomas. " The Sons Of Liberty: The Early Inter-Colonial Organization" International Review Of Modern Sociology, Vol.17,No.2 (Autumn 1987): 313-335 Stroll, Ira. "Samuel Adams: A Life" The Revolutionist (December 2008):60-68 Walsh, Richard. " Charlestons Son Of Liberty: A Study Of The Artisans, 1763-1789" The Annals Of The American Academy( May 1990):180-188 Read More