Samuel Adams was born today in writing history, September 27. Celebrate the occasion by learning more about the statesman’s life and contributions to political rhetoric. Aspiring writers should also use this opportunity as a writing exercise. Look for inspiration today in writing history.
Today in Writing: September 27: Samuel Adams’ Birthday
Samuel Adams was born on September 27, 1722. Adams is best known for his role as a Founding Father of the United States. His leadership and political thought helped start the movement that became the American Revolution.
During the build-up to the revolution, Adams authored newspaper articles to help inspire more patriots to his cause. His contributions as a writer helped create the founding documents of the United States of America. Learn more about the author’s life and find something to write about in this edition of Today in Writing.
Writing Prompts for Today In Writing: September 27
Take this opportunity to learn more about Samuel Adams and his ability to inspire and enshrine liberty through his writing. Politics are deeply engrained in the genetics of the Adams family- his second cousin, John Adams, was the second president of the United States. With a sharp mind and a wealth of experience, the legislative text penned by Mr. Adams has left a lasting mark on the world. Find inspiration about the author, learn more details about his life, and write about a topic below.
Samuel Adams Biography
Samuel Adams was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on September 27, 1722. At the time, Massachusetts was a British colony. His father, Samuel Adams, Sr., was a successful merchant, politician, and decon of the church. The Adams family was a well-known and well-to-do fixture in Colonial Boston.
Adams was one of twelve children. However, infant mortality was extremely high during this era. As a result, Samuel was one of three Adams children to survive past the age of three.
Samuel Adams’ Unsure Start
As a wealthy Bostonian, Adams could attend the Boston Latin School for his early education. He would enroll at Harvard in 1736. While his family encouraged him toward a religious future, Samuel Adams was interested in politics. He would graduate in 1740 and return to Harvard three years later to earn his Master’s degree. In his Master’s thesis, Adams argued that it was “lawful to resist the Supreme Magistrate if the Commonwealth cannot otherwise be preserved.”
However, after graduating from Harvard in 1743, Adams was unsure what to do with himself. He moved through a series of jobs, had a short-lived idea to be a lawyer, then decided to go into business. Samuel Adams, Sr. loaned his son £1,000 to start his own venture. That £1,000 was the equivalent of approximately $250,000 today.
The younger Adams did not have his father’s business acumen. He lent half of the amount to a friend who never repaid him. Samuel slowly squandered the remaining amount. After wasting his father’s loan, Samuel Adams began working at his family’s malthouse.
Samuel Adams’ Entrance into Politics
Politics had always been a strong interest for Samuel Adams- his father served in the local government, and politics were a frequent family discussion. Throughout his time at his family’s malthouse, that interest only grew. He would eventually run for political office for a clerk position and was elected in 1747.
Angered by British rule in 1748, Adams and his friends began expressing their political opinions in their own weekly newspaper. Samuel Adams helped found and began writing for The Independent Advertiser, expounding on the ideas of John Locke, an English political theorist. The themes in this writing would become central pillars of Adams’ political beliefs.
The decade-long French and Indian War, starting in 1754, would begin Samuel Adams’ rise through Massachusetts politics. After the war, the British sought new sources of revenue to pay off their costly military campaign. Turning to the American colonies for additional taxes would eventually lead to the American Revolution.
Samuel Adams became a leading voice for American Independence through the 1760s and 1770s as tensions between the colonists and the British rose. He openly protested against English rule in his writings and actions. Samuel Adams played a lead role in the Boston Tea Party of 1773. His fiery views would get him elected into Massachusetts politics, where his writing would gather even more notoriety.
The Continental Congress
As war broke out with England, Samuel Adams became a representative of Massachusetts for the Continental Congress of the United States. The legislative body was the first government of the young American colonies and worked towards establishing their independence from Great Britain. Adams was a passionate, pro-independence voice.
Samuel Adams initiated George Washington’s nomination to the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army. He also served on several military-mattered committees, although his exact work is unknown. His colleagues were impressed by the Bostonian’s ability to whip up support for voting.
The most crucial writing Samuel Adams penned was his name on the Declaration of Independence. The document formally declared the colonies independent from England, forming the United States of America. Adams would also play a crucial part in creating the Articles of Confederation. This text formed the early government of the United States until the ratification of the US Constitution on June 21, 1788.
Later Life and Death
Adams would represent Massachusetts federally before returning to his home state in his later years. However, at 60 years old, Samuel Adams continued his involvement in state politics. While he considered himself a citizen of the United States, he called Massachusetts his country.
Samuel Adams was elected Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts in 1789 and became Acting Governor on October 8, 1793, following the death of Governor John Hancock. Adams was formally elected to the position the following year, serving four terms before retiring in 1797.
Experts believe Adams suffered from essential tremors, a movement disorder. The affliction left him unable to write in the later years of his life. Samuel Adams died on October 2, 1803. The ‘Father of the American Revolution’ was 81.
Today in Writing: September 27 – 5 Samuel Adams Quotes
Samuel Adams is known as the Father of the American Revolution. His fiery and passionate words helped inspire, motivate, and lead. The Bostonian’s enlightened and thoughtful text helped enshrine the rights of liberty. Aspiring writers can find inspiration in the words of Samuel Adams.
5 Quotes From Samuel Adams
1. If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animated contest of freedom – go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen!
2. If ever a time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in Government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin.
3. It does not take a majority to prevail… but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men.
4. The liberties of our country, the freedoms of our civil Constitution are worth defending at all hazards; it is our duty to defend them against all attacks. We have received them as a fair inheritance from our worthy ancestors. They purchased them for us with toil and danger and expense of treasure and blood. It will bring a mark of everlasting infamy on the present generation – enlightened as it is – if we should suffer them to be wrested from us by violence without a struggle, or to be cheated out of them by the artifices of designing men.
5. The Constitution be never construed to authorize Congress to infringe the just liberty of the press, or the rights of conscience; or to prevent the people of the United States, who are peaceable citizens, from keeping their own arms.
Today in Writing: September 27 – Daily Writing Exercise
Now that you have done some reading, it is time to write. Aspiring writers should look to the stories from Samuel Adams’ life for their own inspiration. Check through the quotes to spark an idea or read some of the political theories of the Father of the American Revolution.
Find a topic from Today in Writing: September 27 and freewrite for 10 minutes. Samuel Adams spent a lot of time thinking about politics. His distraction cost him a job when he was younger. However, he authored memorable and moving words through his dedication to his ideas. Work out your ideas in this daily exercise.
Don’t let any opportunity to write go to waste. Aspiring writers: Practice your writing today! Celebrate Today in Writing History September 27.
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