Samuel Adams was one of the founding fathers of the United States of America. Before the American colonies declared independence from Britain, Adams was actively involved in protesting against the unjust British taxes. After the American independence, Adams continued to serve the new nation on many important positions.
Samuel Adams was born in Boston in 1722. His father was a wealthy merchant who was actively involved in politics. Adams received formal education at the Boston Latin School.
He was a keen and intelligent student who learned quickly. After completing his education at the school, Adams went on to take admission at the Harvard University. He studied history and politics at the University and gained his Master’s degree in 1743.
In 1765, the British Parliament passed the Stamp Act which imposed new taxes on the American colonies. The American colonies were angry at this tax and started protesting against it.
Samuel Adams was also actively involved in politics by this time and he formed a group called the ‘Sons of Liberty’. This group became one of the most active groups in the protests against the British.
The Sons of Liberty harassed British tax agents in the colonies, took out processions in the streets and were behind the famous incident of the Boston Tea Party.
In 1773, Britain imposed a new tea tax on the American colonies. This meant that Americans had to pay a new tax on any tea they imported. The Americans were naturally angry.
When many peaceful protests did not persuade Britain to take back the tax, Americans decided to take more direct steps. In December 1773, Samuel Adams gave a speech against the tea tax in Boston.
Thousands of protesters were present at the scene. Later that night, a group of protesters went on board British ships and threw tones of tea into the sea. This became known as the Boston Tea Party.
Samuel Adams played a very important role in the early years of the American Revolutionary War. In fact, he helped start this war. In 1775, tensions were high between the British and the Americans.
Samuel Adams organized a militia of Americans with the aim of fighting the British when the time came. The British came to know where this militia was hiding its weapons and in April 1775, marched out from Boston to capture these weapons.
Samuel Adams was able to escape in this raid but the event marked the beginning of the American Revolutionary War. On the way back to Boston, the British army was attacked by American snipers.
While the war was still going on, American Continental Congress drafted the Declaration of Independence. Adams was a member of this Congress and signed the Declaration in 1776.
Once the Revolutionary War was over and American colonies were free from Britain, Adams served on a number of important public service posts. These included service as a state senator and as the governor of the state of Massachusetts.
