The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams

“Deeply idealistic—a moral people, Adams held, would elect moral leaders—he believed virtue the soul of democracy. To have a villainous ruler imposed on you was a misfortune. To elect him yourself was a disgrace.”

This quote captures Adam’s idealism through the phrase “a moral people […] would elect moral leaders,” using parallel structure to link the morality of the people directly with the character of their leaders, thus reinforcing the notion a society’s choice of governance reflects its ethical nature. The antithesis of electing a moral leader (“To have a villainous ruler imposed on you was a misfortune. To elect him yourself was a disgrace”) sharpens the distinction between external oppression and self-inflicted political failure, emphasizing that vigilance and moral integrity among the electorate are crucial.

“A friend distilled his politics to two maxims: ‘Rulers should have little, the people much.’ And privilege should make way for genius and industry.”

To distill Adams’s political philosophy into succinct principles, Schiff uses two literary devices. The use of antithesis in “Rulers should have little, the people much” simplifies the complex dynamics of power distribution into a digestible and memorable aphorism, which is effective in communicating fundamental democratic principles. The aphorism “privilege should make way for genius and industry” further condenses Adams’s advocacy for prioritizing meritocracy over inherited status, emphasizing a progressive view that values individual merit and contribution over traditional or class-based hierarchies. This phrasing captures the egalitarian ethos that Adams championed, which was radical for its time and reflected the revolutionary spirit.

“Certainly no one turned up at the Second Continental Congress as ill-dressed as Adams, who for some weeks wore the suit in which he dove into the woods near Lexington, hours before the battle. It was shabby to begin with. Alone among America’s founders, his is a riches-to-rags story.”

The description of Adams arriving for a formal meeting wearing the same “shabby” suit he’d worn in the woods uses imagery to create a distinction between him and his more opulently attired peers. This image emphasizes his lack of concern for material wealth and critiques the priorities of others, who may appear more presentable but perhaps lack his depth of commitment. The phrase “riches-to-rags story” inverts the more common “rags-to-riches” narrative, employing irony to underscore the atypical path Adams followed compared to other notable figures of the American Revolution.

“‘Without the character of Samuel Adams,’ declared John, ‘the true history of the American Revolution can never be written.’”

In John Adams’s quote, hyperbole emphasizes Samuel Adams’s indispensable role in the American Revolution, magnifying the impact of his actions and ideals. The quote asserts that his absence would have left an irreparable void in the historical account of the revolution. This device elevates Adams’s status to that of a cornerstone figure, without whom the structure of the revolution’s history would be fundamentally unstable or incomplete.

“A GLIMMER, a gleam, the hurry of hoofs: a sturdy, square-jawed man speeds through the night, with an urgent message, on a borrowed horse.”

The alliteration and imagery in this excerpt portray the dramatic and critical nature of revolutionary acts. The alliteration in “glimmer, a gleam” and “hurry of hoofs” quickens the pace of the reading, mirroring the urgency and swift action of that moment. The imagery of “a sturdy, square-jawed man” paints a portrait of a determined rider whose physical robustness and expression reflect the gravity and the immediacy of his mission.

“It is difficult to improve on the summary of the chronicler who delivered up Adams’s first years in a single storm cloud of a sentence: ‘He read theology and abandoned the ministry, read law and abandoned the bar, entered business and lost a thousand pounds.’”

The metaphor “storm cloud” suggests fast-paced turmoil, setting the tone for the sentence it references. That sentence’s parallel structure, repeating the pattern of “read […] and abandoned,” emphasizes the cyclical nature of Adams’s pursuits and suggests a complex person with a quick mind but a restless spirit, one in search of a true calling, a meaningful objective.

“Indifferent at the table, even-tempered and sweetly obliging, patient in the extreme, he was fussy when it came to words, which he buffed, buffed again, and afterward refined. Meaning mattered.”

The contrast between Adams’s casual outward demeanor and his meticulousness in word choice creates a complex characterization, indicating layers of depth beneath his outward appearance. The repetition of “buffed” emphasizes this meticulousness, while the alliterative phrase “meaning mattered” asserts Adams’s commitment to clarity and integrity in communication.

“Musing later on town governance, John Adams noted: ‘Collecting taxes has laid the foundation for the ruin of many families.’”

The juxtaposition of the ostensibly mundane act of tax collection and its devastating consequences on families in Adams’s statement conveys irony, highlighting the disparity between the perceived insignificance of a routine action and its far-reaching effects. Additionally, the statement functions as an aphorism, offering a succinct and pithy insight into the detrimental effects of taxation on familial well-being. This aphoristic quality lends Adams’s observation a universal resonance, underscoring its enduring relevance.

“He may have been elected for that reason; the popular tax collector was the inefficient one. Assuming Adams accepted the post for the income, his timing was poor.”

Irony emerges from the idea that the quality that makes a tax collector popular (inefficiency) directly opposes the functional demands of the role, highlighting the paradox within the political system that rewards nonperformance. The subsequent sentence adds another layer of irony, suggesting that the timing of Adams’s decision to take the job of tax collector may have undercut his assumed motivation of doing so for financial reasons. Even well-calculated plans can fail due to unforeseen circumstances.

“As word darted around the colonies that some kind of revenue act headed their way, alarms began to sound. Hutchinson raised a question that seems to have been little deliberated in London: Was this not taxation without representation?”

The personification in “word darted around the colonies” captures the rapid spread of news, imbuing the abstract concept of communication with speed and urgency. The rhetorical question posed by Hutchinson emphasizes the lack of consideration given to the fundamental issue of representation in taxation decisions, drawing attention to the disconnect between London’s policies and colonial realities. This question underscores the grievance and foreshadows the revolutionary fervor that such oversight ignited.

“It was the next December day—rain pelting his windows—that John Adams concluded that 1765 had been the most remarkable of his life. The Stamp Act had electrified a continent.”

The imagery of “rain pelting his windows” sets a somber, reflective mood, contrasting with the metaphor of the Stamp Act having “electrified a continent.” This metaphor conveys the sudden and profound effect of the legislation on the colonies and highlights the charged atmosphere it created, full of energy and the potential for change. The contrast between the intimate setting and the continental scale of the impact emphasizes the personal connection of the individual to larger historical movements.

“At the same time, whenever intimidation was hinted at, whenever persuasion seemed in order, Adams, or his after-image, could generally be glimpsed nearby.”

The notion of Adams’s “after-image” personifies his legacy or influence as if it were a shadow or ghost, lingering and participating in events even in his potential absence. This artistic depiction emphasizes his strategic omnipresence in political maneuvering, suggesting his mastery of the arts of persuasion and intimidation without direct involvement.

“Colonial rights were all well and good. But revenge on a much-reviled, much-envied figure of authority was also enticing. It served as the bouillon cube in the roiling water.”

Here, the metaphor of revenge as a “bouillon cube” in “roiling water” suggests that while the principle of rights was fundamental, the personal and passionate drive for retribution provided a potent, appealing element that intensified revolutionary fervor. This metaphor conveys how personal and collective grievances were concentrated into a small but potent catalyst that stirred the broader movement, suggesting both the depth and complexity of the motivations behind colonial unrest.

“Flush with pride, she exclaimed that her father’s work would be touched by the royal hand. ‘It will, my dear,’ he shrugged, ‘more likely be spurned by the royal foot.’”

The daughter’s pride and the hopeful image of royalty recognizing her father’s work contrasts with the father’s cynical and dismissive prediction of firm royal rejection. This exchange highlights the gap between naive optimism and harsh reality, underscoring the irony in the perceived honor of royal respect versus the likely disdain from the same monarchy. This irony deepens the book’s commentary on the colonial relationship with British authority.

“The irony that Adams—who could not himself seem to collect taxes from his fellow Bostonians—devoted the bulk of his time to tutoring the town on that subject was not lost on the governor or lieutenant governor, who drew a direct line between the insolvency and the activism.”

Here, irony highlights the contradiction between Adams’s ineffectiveness as a tax collector and his extensive efforts to instruct others on the importance and methods of tax collection. The governor and lieutenant governor not only recognized but also exploited this irony, seeing a direct correlation between Adams’s personal financial struggles and his political activism. This recognition adds a layer of depth to Adams’s public persona, illustrating how political opponents saw his personal failings as intertwined with his political motivations and used this against him to illustrate perceived hypocrisies.

“He was no friend to riots or unlawful assemblies. But so long as a people retained ‘any sense of honor, liberty, and virtue,’ they were within their rights ‘to complain, and to complain ALOUD.’ The alternative was to ‘become poor deluded miserable ductile dupes,’ the victims of tyranny.”

The use of antithesis and dramatic tone in Adams’s rhetoric examines active resistance versus passive submission. The contrast between people who retain a “sense of honor, liberty, and virtue” (and are thus justified in complaining) and those who do not (and thus become servants to an oppressive government, alluding to Britain) uses antithesis to delineate outcomes based on civic engagement. The capitalization of “ALOUD” emphasizes the necessity of vocal and public dissent as a right and a duty in the face of tyranny, framing silence as a path to becoming “victims” of oppression.

“I will stand alone. I will oppose tyranny at the threshold, though the fabric of liberty fall and I perish in its ruins.”

The hyperbole in Adams’s statement emphasizes his dedication to fighting tyranny even at the cost of his life. The imagery of “the fabric of liberty fall” and “perish in its ruins” evokes a picture of catastrophic loss yet reinforces his unwavering resolve. This hyperbolic commitment dramatizes his personal sacrifice and his hope to inspire similar dedication in others, portraying the struggle for liberty as a noble endeavor worth the ultimate sacrifice.

“To stunned silence, nearly a thousand men and a train of artillery marched, bayonets fixed, flags flying, accompanied by fifes and drums and in a magnificent parade—flashes of crimson and gleams of snowy white against the muted greens and deep reddish browns of New England—up King Street, toward the Common.”

Imagery and symbolism help depict the visual spectacle. The orderly marching of hundreds of men with military equipment and the playing of “fifes and drums” in a “magnificent parade” conveys a dynamic, rhythmic, and purposeful sense of movement and sound while emphasizing the grandeur and organized nature of the event. The phrase “flashes of crimson and gleams of snowy white against the muted greens and deep reddish browns of New England” uses color symbolism to contrast the bright, assertive colors of the parade with the earthy, subdued tones of the natural landscape, juxtaposing the brashness of military power with the tranquility of the environment. This juxtaposition heightens the scene’s visual impact and comments on the colonies’ commitment to claiming their freedom given their willingness to engage in violence and disrupt the natural environment to assert their independence.

“A one-man multitude, he could be silken, glowering, stabbing, melodramatic.”

By referring to a single person as “a one-man multitude,” the metaphor suggests a character of depth and variety, an individual containing “multitudes” and representing many. The adjectives “silken, glowering, stabbing, melodramatic” illustrate a range of demeanors from smooth and controlled (“silken”) to angry (“glowering”), aggressive (“stabbing”), and overly emotional or theatrical (“melodramatic”). This collection of attributes portrays a character capable of navigating and embodying a spectrum of traits, enhancing the portrayal of a dynamic and impactful personality.

“For they tinge the minds of the people, they impregnate them with the sentiments of liberty. They render the people fond of their leaders in the cause, and averse and bitter against all opposers.”

This passage uses metaphors and emotionally charged language to discuss the power of ideas and rhetoric in shaping public opinion and allegiance. The verbs “tinge” and “impregnate” suggest profound influence, indicating that ideas about liberty infused and colored public perceptions and feelings. This process endeared leaders to the populace (“render[s] the people fond of their leaders in the cause”) and created antipathy toward opponents (“averse and bitter against all opposers”). The language underscores the transformative and polarizing power of persuasive ideas and leadership in social and political movements, emphasizing how deeply ideology can affect public sentiment and group dynamics.

“Adams quite literally takes a stand, ramrod straight, militant in his bearing. He is a man fortified by, mobilized by words.”

The metaphor “ramrod straight” commonly describes posture but also connotes rigidity, strength, and unyielding determination, aligning well with military imagery to reinforce Adams’s combative readiness and leadership stature. The phrase “militant in his bearing” further strengthens this depiction, emphasizing his readiness to confront challenges head-on. This visual imagery complements the latter part of the sentence, which states that he was “fortified by, mobilized by words,” indicating that his resolve was not only physical but also intellectual, driven by the power of rhetoric and conviction.

“He fitted his brainchild with the most inoffensive of names: A ‘committee of correspondence’ sounded as flavorless as a ‘Son of Liberty’ sounded irreproachable. His was, however, a daringly original institution, a news service, an alarm system, to some a proto-terrorist cell.”

By choosing the term “committee of correspondence,” which sounds benign and bureaucratic, Adams masked the institution’s radical nature. The euphemism helped deflect suspicion and minimize perceived threat, allowing the organization to operate more freely under the guise of innocuousness. He then described the institution in increasingly activist terms (“a news service, an alarm system, to some a proto-terrorist cell”). The contrast between the benign name and the group’s impact and potentially incendiary nature is ironic, underscoring Adams’s tactical thinking.

“The ‘Indians’ camouflaged the committee of correspondence, transforming a riot into a raid. They buried vandalism in symbolism: to the colonial mind, the native American was an avatar of liberty.”

The transformation of the committee members into “Indians” not only served as a disguise but also invoked the image of Indigenous people as “avatar[s] of liberty.” This symbolism aligns the colonists’ struggle for independence with the perceived freedom of Indigenous people and their resistance to European settlers. The statement that the committee’s disguised actors “buried vandalism in symbolism” encapsulates how they imbued overt acts of destruction with deeper meaning, turning a simple act of protest into a symbolic gesture that resonated with the broader messages of liberty and resistance.