Sam Adams Essay, Research Paper
Every so often, a man of true passion is born. A man exceedingly dedicated
to his principles, and very firm in his beliefs. Samuel Adams was such a
man. Adams was a patriot, and one of the more influential men in the
colonies. However, even as a patriot, he did not support the Constitution.
How could such a patriot be an anti-federalist? Once again, it all comes
down to an issue of beliefs.
Samuel Adams was born on September 27, 1722. He was the son of a successful
merchant and malter. As a boy, he attended Boston Grammar School. In 1736
he decided to enter Harvard. It was here that he became active in colonial
politics. He joined such clubs as the Caucus Club, which was influential in
nominating candidates for local office. Here he became interested in
revolution. The subject for his Master of Arts thesis was “Whether it be
lawful to resist the Supreme Magistrate, if the Commonwealth cannot otherwise
be preserved.”(Brown 10). In 1740 he graduated and set off to help put an
end to England’s rule over the colonies. Every so often, a man of true
passion is born. A man exceedingly dedicated to his principles, and very
firm in his beliefs. Samuel Adams was such a man. Adams was a patriot, and
one of the more influential men in the colonies. However, even as a
patriot, he did not support the Constitution. How could such a patriot be an
anti-federalist? Once again, it all comes down to an issue of beliefs.
Samuel Adams was born on September 27, 1722. He was the son of a successful
merchant and malter. As a boy, he attended Boston Grammar School. In 1736
he decided to enter Harvard. It was here that he became active in colonial
politics. He joined such clubs as the Caucus Club, which was influential in
nominating candidates for local office. Here he became interested in
revolution. The subject for his Master of Arts thesis was “Whether it be
lawful to resist the Supreme Magistrate, if the Commonwealth cannot otherwise
be preserved.”(Brown 10). In 1740 he graduated and set off to help put an
end to England’s rule over the colonies.
Adams got married early in life. His first wife, however, died before they
had spent much time together. She left him with two children. Later, he
married for a second time. He spent much time during this marriage at attic
meetings of the Caucus. It was here that he learned the fine points of being
a politician.
Samuel first got a chance to use these skills when he was elected tax
collector of Boston in 1756. He remained tax collector for eight years.
With the help of his outspoken opposition to both the Molasses Act and to
the Sugar Act, Adams made an impression on the people of the colonies. This
brought him into the center of Boston’s political circle.
It was then that Adams truly became involved. In 1765, he organized a
formal protest against the Stamp Act. From there, Adam’s became a founding
member of the Boston chapter of The Sons of Liberty. This was an influential
group that was very opposed to British rule. Adams also led the fight
against the Townshend Acts. This demonstration led to the Boston Massacre.
He also planned and coordinated the resistance to the Tea Act, which led to
the Boston Tea Party.
From 1774 to 1781, Adams represented Massachusetts on the Continental
Congress. He was considered one of the workhorses of the Congress. He
worked on several committees, propelled by stamina, realism, and commitment
(Brown 10). Samuel was part of a radical faction that demanded strong
measures to be taken against Great Britain. They wanted to make Britain
regret imposing numerous irrelevant taxes on the colonies. With the help of
John Adams, he convinced the Congress to impose a nonimportation agreement
against England. Later, he helped to draft the Massachusetts state
constitution.
Samuel Adams never attended the Constitutional Convention. As an
anti-federalist, he was strongly opposed to the Constitution. Both he and
Patrick Henry boycotted the convention due to the fear of a strong central
government. While the Convention was underway in Philadelphia, he was back
at home speaking before the public on the faults of what was being written.
A loss of personal rights was Adams main fear. Adams favored the Articles
of Confederation, which left most of the power in the hand’s of the
individual states. With the central government having the true power, and
that power being vested in one man, Adams feared his new country would be no
different from his former. If his fears were correct, a strong sovereign
would have complete power. If so, individual freedom would be null.
Everything that the patriots had fought for would have been for no nought.
Another fault Adams found with the Constitution had to do with the fact that
Americans had their differences. Each state had it’s own ideas of how to run
things in order to please its citizens. Although a common culture was
shared, different regions had different needs. Adams, along with many other
anti-federalists, turned towards Montesquieu, who said that the smaller the
republic, the more in touch the government is to the people (Patterson 40).
A large central government would not please as many people as several
smaller ones.
Despite the anti-federalist protests, the states held conventions to ratify
The Constitution. Intense conflict took place during the Massachusetts
Convention. A large majority of the 355 delegates were opposed to
ratification. These delegates were led by Samuel Adams. Adams gave in to
the federalists, however, due to an idea that was to his liking. It was
suggested that after the ratification, Massachusetts propose a Bill of Rights
to be included. After that suggestion was voiced, the federalists managed to
win by nineteen votes. Massachusetts ratified on February 6, 1788.
After the Convention, Adams worked as lieutenant governor to his close
friend, John Hancock. Samuel succeeded Hancock after his death. He was
reelected three times before illness forced him into retirement in 1797. He
died six years later in 1803.
Was Adams a patriot even though he didn’t support the Constitution? Not
supporting it could possibly have made him an even greater patriot. His
desires to keep human rights lead to the Bill of Rights. Imagine America
without the Bill of Rights. Samuel Adams, anti-federalist, was a
distinguished patriot and important in the shaping of America.
“Adams, Samuel.” Compton’s Online
Encyclopedia, downloaded from America
Online, October 1, 1996
“Fight for Ratification.” Compton’s Online
Encyclopedia, downloaded from America
Online, October 1, 1996
“Adams, Samuel.” Microsoft Encarta Interactive
Encyclopedia, CD-Rom. Seatle, Microsoft
1994
Ammon, Harry. “Adams, Samuel.”
Groliers Electronic Encyclopedia
Groliers Electronic Publishing, 1993
Brown, Richard. “Samuel Adams.”
The Readers Guide to American History Edition ‘91
pg 10
Patterson, Thomas E. The American Democracy 1994
New York: McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1994