Thomas Jefferson asserted that if there was any leader of the American Revolution, “Samuel Adams was the man.” With high-minded ideals and bare-knuckle tactics, Adams led what could be called the greatest campaign of civil resistance in American history. Adams amplified the Boston Massacre and helped to mastermind the Boston Tea Party.
He employed every tool available to rally a town, a colony, and eventually a band of colonies behind him, creating the cause that created a country. For his efforts he became the most wanted man in America: When Paul Revere rode to Lexington in 1775, it was to warn Samuel Adams that he was about to be arrested for treason. Despite his celebrated status among America’s founding fathers as a revolutionary leader however, Samuel Adams’ life and achievements have been largely overshadowed in history books.
In The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams (Little, Brown and Co., 2022), Stacy Schiff examines Adams’ life, including his transformation from the listless, failing son of a wealthy family into the tireless, silver-tongued revolutionary who rallied the likes of John Hancock and John Adams behind him. Schiff returns Adams to his seat of glory, introducing us to the shrewd and eloquent man who supplied the moral backbone of the American Revolution.
The Massachusetts Historical Society will host “The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams,” a conversation with Stacy Schiff and Sara Georgini set for Friday, October 28th.
This program will take place form 6 to 7 pm, and will be held both in person at the Massachusetts Historical Society, and virtually via Zoom. Tickets are $10 for in person attendance. For more information or to register, click here.
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