(1722-1803)

Who Was Samuel Adams?

A strong opponent of British taxation, Samuel Adams helped formulate resistance to the Stamp Act and played a vital role in organizing the Boston Tea Party. He was a second cousin of U.S. President John Adams, with whom he urged a final break from Great Britain, and a signee of the U.S. Declaration of Independence.

Early Life

Samuel Adams was born on September 27, 1722, in Boston, Massachusetts. Adams graduated from Harvard College in 1740, and would soon be known as a Patriot and one of the United States' Founding Fathers.

Political Career

A strong opponent of British taxation, Adams helped organize resistance in Boston to Britain's Stamp Act of 1765. He also played a vital role in organizing the Boston Tea Party — an act of opposition to the Tea Act of 1773 — among various other political efforts.

Adams served as a legislator of Massachusetts from 1765 to 1774. Among his accomplishments, he founded Boston's Committee of Correspondence, which — like similar entities in other towns across the Colonies — proved a powerful tool for communication and coordination during the American Revolutionary War.

Following his run with the state legislature, Adams served as a Massachusetts delegate to the Continental Congress until 1781. In that role, he urged a final break from Great Britain and signed America's Declaration of Independence alongside his second cousin, future U.S. President John Adams.

Later Years and Death

Adams became a Democratic-Republican (following Thomas Jefferson) when formal American political parties were created in the 1790s. His final political post was as Massachusetts governor from 1794 through 1797. Adams died on October 2, 1803, in his hometown of Boston.

QUICK FACTS

Name: Samuel Adams
Birth Year: 1722
Birth date: September 27, 1722
Birth State: Massachusetts
Birth City: Boston
Birth Country: United States
Gender: Male
Best Known For: American Founding Father Samuel Adams helped organize the Boston Tea Party and signed the U.S. Declaration of Independence.
Astrological Sign: Libra
Schools

Harvard College

Death Year: 1803
Death date: October 2, 1803
Death State: Massachusetts
Death City: Boston
Death Country: United States

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CITATION INFORMATION

Article Title: Samuel Adams Biography
Author: Biography.com Editors
Website Name: The Biography.com website
Url: https://www.biography.com/political-figures/samuel-adams
Access Date:
Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
Last Updated: September 30, 2022
Original Published Date: April 2, 2014