Revolutionary War figure: Samuel Adams Samuel Adams was one of the most influential men during the Revolutionary War. His staunch opposition of British oppression of the colonies was well documented during his life in many of his essays. He had many supporters during this controversial time and served as a well revered and respected politician. His insight into how government can work effectively helped to create our modern model of democracy. On September 27, 1722 in Boston, Massachusetts Samuel Adams was born to Samuel Adams Sr. and Mary Fifield Adams. His family was from a Puritan background and they lived in Boston Massachusetts. His father was a wealthy, well-respected merchant and brewer (an important vocation in this era of unclean …show more content…
In 1747 he officially began his political career by accepting a position as clerk for the Boston Market. He worked there for a good number of years. In 1748, both his parents passed away leaving him in charge of his family’s financial well-being (The Famous People). He struggled to keep the property from being seized and eventually spent all of the remainder of his parent’s fortune. This is another example of his poor financial expertise. He had married Elizabeth Checkley and had 6 children with her in seven years (Samuel Adams Historical Society). She died in 1757 and he later married Elizabeth Wells seven years later. They had no children (Samuel Adams Historical Society). In 1756, prior to his first wife’s death, he was appointed tax collect at the Boston Town Meeting (The Famous People). This is an ironic occurrence since he was so opposed to British taxation of the colonies. He was a poor money handler and often would not collect taxes from his constituents. This caused a financial collapse in the government, as lawsuits, bankruptcies, and charges frequent. Miraculously, Adams was able to escape political problems and became a leader in the