Source: Stacy Schiff. The Revolutionary - Samuel Adams (2022)
An Introduction to Samuel Adams . . .
John Adams was the second cousin of Samuel Adams. John, thirteen years younger, did not get to know Samuel until well into adulthood. Even though John claimed that Samuel was born a revolutionary, he was “looking backwards”, in that Samuel Adams’ early years indicated that he would become a traditional New Englander, loyal to Britain.
As early as 1650, both in the American Colonies and Britain, men in the Adams family made their living as malsters, dealing with barley from start-to-finish to sell to those that brewed beer. It was a messy labor-intensive business at which Samuel’s father (Samuel Adams, Sr) excelled. When Samuel Adams was born, the family had a marvelous home in Boston which had an ocean view, an observatory, outbuildings, and orchard, and a wharf that had the family name The Adams estate fronted Boston Harbor, and Samuel Adams, Sr. had accumulated a surprising amount of money, given his trade.
During the Summer of 1736, thirteen year old Samuel Adams took the Harvard College entrance exam, which was part oral and part written, based on the classics, and very nerve-wracking. Returning from his exams in July 1736, Samuel Adams had a writing assignment and an invitation to join the student body that numbered around 100 the next month. While a majority of the student body were older than Samuel Adams (the oldest was 21), a young teenager was not unusual at Harvard College in that era.
As early as 1650, both in the American Colonies and Britain, men in the Adams family made their living as malsters, dealing with barley from start-to-finish to sell to those that brewed beer. It was a messy labor-intensive business at which Samuel’s father (Samuel Adams, Sr) excelled. When Samuel Adams was born, the family had a marvelous home in Boston which had an ocean view, an observatory, outbuildings, and orchard, and a wharf that had the family name The Adams estate fronted Boston Harbor, and Samuel Adams, Sr. had accumulated a surprising amount of money, given his trade.
During the Summer of 1736, thirteen year old Samuel Adams took the Harvard College entrance exam, which was part oral and part written, based on the classics, and very nerve-wracking. Returning from his exams in July 1736, Samuel Adams had a writing assignment and an invitation to join the student body that numbered around 100 the next month. While a majority of the student body were older than Samuel Adams (the oldest was 21), a young teenager was not unusual at Harvard College in that era.
Colonial Massachusetts (MA) was hierarchical, which meant that class rank, which was determined by the status of the student’s father, meant everything. Samuel Adams was therefore lower on the social ladder in his class to most others. The lower status bothered him, but that kind of social order was how society was organized, not only in Colonial Boston, but pretty much everywhere else in the Colonies. Everyone in Boston understood that a cabinet maker was superior to a shoe maker.
The Harvard class rank determined the size of a student’s room, when he was served at mealtimes, and his location in the class procession. The class rank could be changed, in that if a student was charged with an offense (e.g. stealing), the student could plummet to the bottom of the class rank.. When Samuel Adams, Sr. was at Harvard College, he was ranked 6th among 23 students. Since his father was a justice of the peace, Samuel Adams, Sr. was able to affix the title Esquire to his name; no such situation existed for his son.
Samuel Adams was thrown into the ocean of classics, but history and politics were not part of the Harvard curriculum. In effect, Samuel Adams had to work his own way into the world of politics and political theories, to the world of Whigs and Tories through studying the Greeks and the Romans. Adams did not stand out from his peers, either through achievements or shenanigans (e.g. cheating, etc); Adams’ sole infraction appeared to have been oversleeping. The most remarkable aspects of his teen years into young adulthood was how invisible the qualities were that would later define and distinguish him. No doubt he would have been voted “Least Likely to Lead a Revolution” by his classmates.
The Harvard class rank determined the size of a student’s room, when he was served at mealtimes, and his location in the class procession. The class rank could be changed, in that if a student was charged with an offense (e.g. stealing), the student could plummet to the bottom of the class rank.. When Samuel Adams, Sr. was at Harvard College, he was ranked 6th among 23 students. Since his father was a justice of the peace, Samuel Adams, Sr. was able to affix the title Esquire to his name; no such situation existed for his son.
Samuel Adams was thrown into the ocean of classics, but history and politics were not part of the Harvard curriculum. In effect, Samuel Adams had to work his own way into the world of politics and political theories, to the world of Whigs and Tories through studying the Greeks and the Romans. Adams did not stand out from his peers, either through achievements or shenanigans (e.g. cheating, etc); Adams’ sole infraction appeared to have been oversleeping. The most remarkable aspects of his teen years into young adulthood was how invisible the qualities were that would later define and distinguish him. No doubt he would have been voted “Least Likely to Lead a Revolution” by his classmates.
Adams graduated in 1740, receiving the best possible education in Colonial America - and then he basically came to a standstill. It could be stated that young adulthood was in no way a predictor of what Adams would become in in his early-40s. Adams read theology, but was not interested in becoming a minister. Adams read law, but was not interested in becoming a lawyer. Adams entered the business world, and lost 1000 British pounds. Yet religion would play a large role in his life and his thinking, in that like most everyone else in MA, Adams had a Puritanical streak. Men who wanted a church without a bishop gradually drifted towards wanting a state without a king. Natural rights and principled defiance were part of the fiber of Adams’ being, even if he wasn’t aware of it during early adulthood.
When Adams graduated, intellectuals very often became clergymen, and it seemed that Adams was heading in that direction. Adams’ brain was far more suited for the law, since he could debate a point of logic in cordial fashion for hours on end, which was undoubtedly a product of the deductive reasoning imparted to him at Harvard. Adams’ mother discouraged him from becoming a lawyer, but by then he was engrossed in politics. The problem that Adam’s experience was that he didn’t have an avenue for which to pursue his passion. The practical details of working as an employee or owning and operating a business escaped him. Given his true passions and interests, it is not known whether Adams lost his father’s 1000 pounds, or if he entrusted the money to a friend, who lost it all. As a frame of reference for how much 1000 British pounds were in that era, mansions in Boston sold for far less than that amount of money.
When Adams graduated, intellectuals very often became clergymen, and it seemed that Adams was heading in that direction. Adams’ brain was far more suited for the law, since he could debate a point of logic in cordial fashion for hours on end, which was undoubtedly a product of the deductive reasoning imparted to him at Harvard. Adams’ mother discouraged him from becoming a lawyer, but by then he was engrossed in politics. The problem that Adam’s experience was that he didn’t have an avenue for which to pursue his passion. The practical details of working as an employee or owning and operating a business escaped him. Given his true passions and interests, it is not known whether Adams lost his father’s 1000 pounds, or if he entrusted the money to a friend, who lost it all. As a frame of reference for how much 1000 British pounds were in that era, mansions in Boston sold for far less than that amount of money.
In 1743, Adams earned his Masters Degree from Harvard, which did not involve residency in Cambridge. The degree was a logical and expected next step for all graduates, a rite of passage. The only academic requirement for the degree was a thesis in which the candidate had an oral exam, which was spoken in Latin. Adams chose the subject for his thesis: Is it unlawful to resist the supreme magistrate if the republic cannot otherwise be preserved. In some ways, it may be true that the American Revolution could be blamed on the Harvard College Library, which was where Adams discovered the topic he used for this thesis.
Adams’ argument was yes, in that to resist a ruler was treason. Adams at that time viewed the security the sovereign (e.g. King/Queen) extended to his subjects as acceptable and desirable, with his power and the liberties of his subjects properly balanced. Adams had a caveat (exception), arguing that if the sovereign destroys the proper balance and design of government, then his subjects no longer are sworn to obedience. That last part of his thesis may have come solely from his reading in the library.
Adams’ argument was yes, in that to resist a ruler was treason. Adams at that time viewed the security the sovereign (e.g. King/Queen) extended to his subjects as acceptable and desirable, with his power and the liberties of his subjects properly balanced. Adams had a caveat (exception), arguing that if the sovereign destroys the proper balance and design of government, then his subjects no longer are sworn to obedience. That last part of his thesis may have come solely from his reading in the library.
Adams was uncertain about his future, but he had become unyielding with his convictions. Adams knew what motivated people, and how to approach and address any audience. Adams seemed immune to such personality characteristics as small-mindedness, boasting, doubt, and frustration. When Adams went into “high verbal mode”, he talked about liberty and the rights of man.
During Adams’ young adulthood, culturally and politically the American Colonies felt closer to Britain than to each other. In New England, London was “home”; London was the epicenter of all that was good and desirable; for example, Boston imported books from London in incredible numbers. Adams grew up celebrating the king’s birthday and coronation, and as late as 1773, Adams still toasted King George III.
A typical MA colonist, including Adams, viewed Britain as the best government on Earth (due no doubt to the long-standing British policy of “Salutary Neglect”). A typical Bostonian dressed as an Englishman. Boston was the closest port to Great Britain within the British Empire, as well as the #1 maker of rope for the Royal Navy and the British commercial fleet. Back then, the city of Boston was on a peninsula, which actually felt like an island, with 16,000 people in only four square miles. Adams came of age in Boston when the city’s economy started a downturn, with many young adult men struggling to make ends meet . . .
During Adams’ young adulthood, culturally and politically the American Colonies felt closer to Britain than to each other. In New England, London was “home”; London was the epicenter of all that was good and desirable; for example, Boston imported books from London in incredible numbers. Adams grew up celebrating the king’s birthday and coronation, and as late as 1773, Adams still toasted King George III.
A typical MA colonist, including Adams, viewed Britain as the best government on Earth (due no doubt to the long-standing British policy of “Salutary Neglect”). A typical Bostonian dressed as an Englishman. Boston was the closest port to Great Britain within the British Empire, as well as the #1 maker of rope for the Royal Navy and the British commercial fleet. Back then, the city of Boston was on a peninsula, which actually felt like an island, with 16,000 people in only four square miles. Adams came of age in Boston when the city’s economy started a downturn, with many young adult men struggling to make ends meet . . .