The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams
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- Create Date：2022-11-03 17:21:35
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Stacy Schiff
- ISBN：B09TZYSJ8R
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Summary
Thomas Jefferson once asserted that "for depth of purpose， zeal， and sagacity， no man in Congress exceeded， if any equaled， Sam Adams。" John Adams called him "the most elegant writer， the most sagacious politician， and celebrated patriot perhaps of all。" But in spite of his celebrated status among America's founding fathers as a revolutionary leader， Samuel Adams' life and achievements have been largely overshadowed in the history books。
Nonetheless， as the fiery moral backbone of the American Revolution， it was Adams who first suggested that the colonies band together。 He was the man who set the stage for the Boston Massacre， and he worked tirelessly to spread the news of its violence throughout the colonies。 He masterminded the Boston Tea Party， perhaps the most powerful symbol of America's struggle for independence， and when Paul Revere rode to Lexington， it was to deliver his warning to Samuel Adams。
Now， in TITLE TK， Stacy Schiff brings her masterful skill as historian and storyteller to the life of Samuel Adams， examining 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。 Gripping and revelatory， this book is a long-overdue chapter in the history of the American Revolution。
Nonetheless， as the fiery moral backbone of the American Revolution， it was Adams who first suggested that the colonies band together。 He was the man who set the stage for the Boston Massacre， and he worked tirelessly to spread the news of its violence throughout the colonies。 He masterminded the Boston Tea Party， perhaps the most powerful symbol of America's struggle for independence， and when Paul Revere rode to Lexington， it was to deliver his warning to Samuel Adams。
Now， in TITLE TK， Stacy Schiff brings her masterful skill as historian and storyteller to the life of Samuel Adams， examining 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。 Gripping and revelatory， this book is a long-overdue chapter in the history of the American Revolution。
Reviews
Bookreporter。com Biography & Memoir
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In THE REVOLUTIONARY， Pulitzer Prize-winning author and historian Stacy Schiff resurrects an enigmatic figure who was posthumously lauded as the “Father of the American Revolution。”Boston firebrand Samuel Adams argued early on for independence， encouraged the removal of British troops sent to enforce royal and parliamentary decrees， masterminded the Boston Tea Party， and was the individual whom Paul Revere warned that the British were coming on his famous midnight ride。 Both a pious Puritan and In THE REVOLUTIONARY， Pulitzer Prize-winning author and historian Stacy Schiff resurrects an enigmatic figure who was posthumously lauded as the “Father of the American Revolution。”Boston firebrand Samuel Adams argued early on for independence， encouraged the removal of British troops sent to enforce royal and parliamentary decrees， masterminded the Boston Tea Party， and was the individual whom Paul Revere warned that the British were coming on his famous midnight ride。 Both a pious Puritan and a man of action， he “muscled words into deeds” for the cause of American freedom from the British yoke。But unlike his cousin John Adams， Thomas Jefferson or many other Founding Fathers， Adams did not write about his life --- he burned his personal papers --- so the stories often come from his enemies， not his many friends and admirers。 He attracted a loyal following， and when he needed to attend the First Continental Congress， several of them pooled their resources to have him properly outfitted to look like the statesman he was。Schiff focuses on Adams' life leading up to and beyond the American Revolution， though his later life was marred by quarrels and resentments。 Adams was not a selfless hero who flew above the fray; he was in the thick of things， often creating misinformation to ensure that his cause --- the just cause --- was the only cause to defend。 He also was uncompromising and impatient: “I am apt to be displeased when I think our progress in war and in politics is slow，” he wrote。 Over time， as he became more intransigent， he lost the loyalty of his early supporters。 As Abigail Adams said of him， “I respect his virtues though I regret his weaknesses。”THE REVOLUTIONARY is a wonderful biography and history of the pre-Revolutionary era。 Boston and New England were at the forefront of the movement， and Adams was at the head of that phalanx。 Though his methods were often dubious， his motives were honorable， and Schiff manages to show both sides of this complex man。 This book is a must for anyone interested in the period and the beginnings of our American Experiment。Reviewed by Lorraine W。 Shanley 。。。more
CASPER HILEMAN
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Pulitzer Prize Winner Stacy Schiff introduces new information on the Revolutionary firebrand Samuel Adams。 Schiff fleshes out Adams as a real person not just as a revolutionary but also as a politician and some would say anti-revolutionary when he helped put down "Shays Rebellion。" Pulitzer Prize Winner Stacy Schiff introduces new information on the Revolutionary firebrand Samuel Adams。 Schiff fleshes out Adams as a real person not just as a revolutionary but also as a politician and some would say anti-revolutionary when he helped put down "Shays Rebellion。" 。。。more
Hannah
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I devoured this book。 Schiff’s style is incredibly eloquent and yet readable， similar to the historian Jill Lepore （whom I also love and highly recommend if you’re looking for authors like Schiff）， and she brings to life a little-known （except for the beer） revolutionary whose second cousin’s exploits overshadowed his for generations。
Suzanne
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Samuel Adams was the revolutionary the Founding Fathers all admired and whose approval they all sought。 Yet as Stacy Schiff describes in THE REVOLUTIONARY: SAMUEL ADAMS he kept secrets so well that his name is best associated now with a beer。 The first half of his life was barely average; he came into his own when confronted with his perceived loss of liberty。 He was eloquent and persuasive although much of what he shared with his peers is lost。 This is a fascinating account of a man often confu Samuel Adams was the revolutionary the Founding Fathers all admired and whose approval they all sought。 Yet as Stacy Schiff describes in THE REVOLUTIONARY: SAMUEL ADAMS he kept secrets so well that his name is best associated now with a beer。 The first half of his life was barely average; he came into his own when confronted with his perceived loss of liberty。 He was eloquent and persuasive although much of what he shared with his peers is lost。 This is a fascinating account of a man often confused with his cousin， John。 I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley。 。。。more
BAM the enigma
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10/25/22
Anne Morgan
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For people interested in learning about more behind the beginning of the American Revolution， “The Revolutionary Samuel Adams” is a must read。 Well written and engaging， author Stacy Schiff gives the reader the build up to the Revolution through the eyes of the man who most likely helped to build it up:Samuel Adams。 She examines the methods he used to unite Massachusetts and the colonies， and to protest acts of Parliament。 Schiff is also honest with the reader， letting us know that Adams destroy For people interested in learning about more behind the beginning of the American Revolution， “The Revolutionary Samuel Adams” is a must read。 Well written and engaging， author Stacy Schiff gives the reader the build up to the Revolution through the eyes of the man who most likely helped to build it up:Samuel Adams。 She examines the methods he used to unite Massachusetts and the colonies， and to protest acts of Parliament。 Schiff is also honest with the reader， letting us know that Adams destroyed most of his papers and the knowledge we have of Adams and his behind the scenes actions comes largely from his enemies， making it possible （even probable） that we still don’t know much of his life and actions。 Unlike his cousin John Adams， Thomas Jefferson， or many other Founding Fathers， Samuel Adams did not write about his life and none of his contemporaries did either。 A Founding Father still given little of the credit that he deserves， this is an excellent biography and a must read for American history lovers。 I received an ARC of the book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review 。。。more
Dan
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My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Little， Brown and Company for an advanced copy of this biography on of the leaders and prime instigators of the American Revolutionary War。I remember my American Studies class where we spent time learning about the Revolutionary War， in a little more detail than we had in earlier grades。 Maybe we spent an extra week covering， my school was not known for its love of history， probably why I loved history so much later in college。 I remember most being My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Little， Brown and Company for an advanced copy of this biography on of the leaders and prime instigators of the American Revolutionary War。I remember my American Studies class where we spent time learning about the Revolutionary War， in a little more detail than we had in earlier grades。 Maybe we spent an extra week covering， my school was not known for its love of history， probably why I loved history so much later in college。 I remember most being confused by John Adams and Sam Adams， as he was always called。 Where they the same men， where they brothers。 I think my teacher also confused them as later did the French。 When John Adams went to France， the people yelled Samuel Adams with big huzzahs， for the American firebrand and the voice of liberty。 Later I learned more about him， but still never understood much about the man， nor his importance。 Stacy Schiff has rectified this in Schiff's book The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams， a wonderful fresh biography on a man that much of history as let pass by。 The book begins with the English on the move， and Paul Revere riding ahead to warn of their very early morning advancing。 There plan was not only guns and powder， but to arrest that traitorous rascal Samuel Adams， who had been doing his best to get the people not just of the Boston are but all the colonies to pursue a life of freedom and liberty。 Adams of course escaped this latest attempt， but it would not be the last。 The book goes back to introduce the young rebel， his growing up， going to Harvard at a young age， graduated with a masters， but not really an occupation or any real idea of what to do。 Failures follow， until the flame of liberty starts to glow， and Adams finds what he is good at。 Starting trouble。 And making enemies， among the British， and among the founding fathers。 Schiff also details why a lot is not known about Adams， his fear of getting others in trouble for his actions led him to use many pen names， or burn his papers constantly。 Plus his enemies also used their power and wealth to downplay his achievements。 A wonderful book about a man who really tried to uphold the values of the revolution。 One of the few men who actually lost money as the war went on， spending a lot of his latter life dependent on others to keep him afloat。 The book is very well written， with many stories about the man， most new to me， and others around him。 Schiff sets the scene of Boston as a powder keg， only needing a spark to go up。 Schiff describes the times， the politics， and the efforts of many to stop a war that seemed inevitable。 Schiff is also honest about the man， being honest about his many faults and mistakes， while taking nothing away， or using the things he accomplished to take away the bad。 This is an honest tale， made harder by the subjects own destruction of his records and writing， something another writer said that Adams should probably have his own statue in the headquarters of the CIA。 Adams practiced spy tradecraft without really thinking about it。 A book that is sure to be the one that future scholars will cite。 A story about a man who really was the guy in the bar that loved to start fights， "Did you hear what he said" style。 Adams was a man who tried to be what he felt in his heart free and full of liberty and he did his best to make that dream real。 Recommended for history and biography fans， and this will make the perfect gift for a lot of people。 。。。more
Joe
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Virtuoso narrator Jason Culp re-creates the world of the American Revolution in this biographical work on an almost-forgotten Founding Father。 Boston firebrand Samuel Adams masterminded the Boston Tea Party and was the man Paul Revere made his famous ride to warn。 Culp moves smoothly between the writings of Adams's fellow revolutionaries （Adams did not himself write very much） and author Stacy Schiff's brisk narrative of the tumultuous events of the time。 The result is a vivid portrait of Adams Virtuoso narrator Jason Culp re-creates the world of the American Revolution in this biographical work on an almost-forgotten Founding Father。 Boston firebrand Samuel Adams masterminded the Boston Tea Party and was the man Paul Revere made his famous ride to warn。 Culp moves smoothly between the writings of Adams's fellow revolutionaries （Adams did not himself write very much） and author Stacy Schiff's brisk narrative of the tumultuous events of the time。 The result is a vivid portrait of Adams both as a man of action who pushed the American Revolution forward in its earliest days and as a thinker whose ideas influenced the writing of the Declaration of Independence。 （Review of audiobook for Audiofile。com。） 。。。more
Karen
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THE REVOLUTIONARY: SAMUEL ADAMSBY: STACY SCHIFFI don't generally like politics， but this biography of Samuel Adams intrigued me， because it was written by the icon of mine， Stacy Schiff。 In what could have been a dry biography was the exact opposite。 Stacy Schiff brings Samuel Adams alive on the page。 It was a most illuminating reading experience for me to read about one of the most influential Founding Fathers' whom I didn't know much about。 Reading this I realized how Samuel Adams has been por THE REVOLUTIONARY: SAMUEL ADAMSBY: STACY SCHIFFI don't generally like politics， but this biography of Samuel Adams intrigued me， because it was written by the icon of mine， Stacy Schiff。 In what could have been a dry biography was the exact opposite。 Stacy Schiff brings Samuel Adams alive on the page。 It was a most illuminating reading experience for me to read about one of the most influential Founding Fathers' whom I didn't know much about。 Reading this I realized how Samuel Adams has been portrayed differently in other biographies。 He is one of the most important figures that always kept his message to everyone that liberty and freedom are essential to living a life。 His presence was everywhere and nowhere， and his writing that circulated is sadly lost。 John Adams witnessed Samuel burning his papers。 This was fascinating and I was never bored， but fully invested in learning the pivotal role Samuel Adams played during the American Revolution。He graduated from Harvard with a masters degree。 Yet， he was the only Founding Father to not have a vocation。 He was poor and material things and money meant nothing to him。 He wrote for his newspaper， but wrote under pseudonyms of which were vast and many。 The painting that depicts the members who signed the Declaration of Independence fully leaves out Samuel， and includes a couple of people who didn't sign it。 It presently hangs on one of the walls of the Capitol， located in Washington D。C。 I didn't know of the rift that happened between Samuel Adams and John Hancock。King George III tried to enforce the Massachusetts colony with a Stamp Act， which Sam Adams vehemently opposed。 I never knew that Paul Revere's famous ride was to warn Samuel Adams who was wanted for treason and hiding out in Lexington。I loved the section that vividly describes the Boston Tea Party in greater detail than I had ever read before。 The East India Company that delivered the chests of tea was dumped in the Boston Harbor while thousands of people sat nearby in the South End。 Nobody could prove who was responsible。 It seemed to have been carried out quietly， unlike the chaos I always imagined in my mind。Samuel Adams was responsible for meeting with other States and educating the other colonists about the Kings edict to shut down the Boston Harbor。 This made it more costly to transport things like wood and other necessities。If you decide to read this you will discover how integral a part Samuel Adams played in gathering all of the other colonies to back Massachusetts in their fight to return things to the way they were。 It is for me a definitive account of Samuel Adams efforts to unite the other colonies to fight Great Britain for its role in trying to capture someone who often advocated for non violence。 You will gain a deeper understanding into what history has all but forgotten who the greatest revolutionary Founding Father was。 You will read about the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution and the role Samuel Adams played in a refreshing narrative made interesting。I recommend Stacy Schiff's outstanding narrative of how we became a democracy。 I have read her talented biographies of both， "Cleopatra，" and "Vera，" （the author of "Lolita's" wife）。 I LOVED ALL THREE OF THESE BIOGRAPHIES EQUALLY！ Stacy Schiff did a fantastic job on those two， and now this， of humanizing her subjects。Publication Date: October 25， 2022Thank you to Net Galley， Stacy Schiff and Little， Brown and Company for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review。 All opinions are my own。#TheRevolutionarySamuelAdams #StacySchiff #LittleBrownandCompany #NetGalley 。。。more
Brendan Dowd
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He's more than just a beer！ Stacy Schiff resurrects the actual Samuel Adams from the scrap heap by writing a biography that will surprise most people because they don't even know "Sam Adams" beer is actually based on a real life person。Schiff focuses on Adams' life leading up to the American Revolution。 What I appreciated most about Schiff's book is her willingness to clearly point out the good and the bad throughout the book。 Samuel Adams was not a selfless hero who flew above the fray。 He was He's more than just a beer！ Stacy Schiff resurrects the actual Samuel Adams from the scrap heap by writing a biography that will surprise most people because they don't even know "Sam Adams" beer is actually based on a real life person。Schiff focuses on Adams' life leading up to the American Revolution。 What I appreciated most about Schiff's book is her willingness to clearly point out the good and the bad throughout the book。 Samuel Adams was not a selfless hero who flew above the fray。 He was the fray。 He caused the fray。 He then reported on the fray and told everyone it was someone else's fault the fray even happened。 Adams was a hero and a villain depending on which side you chose。 Schiff never denies either side of him and it makes for a great read because you feel like you are reading an impartial documentary as opposed to a fawning treatment。There is plenty to cover here。 The revolutionary fathers did not always get along and for good reason。 The egos were big and the stakes kept getting bigger。 Schiff's book keeps laser focused on Adams and keeps the scope intimate。 A great read and a must for any Revolutionary War nerd。（This book was provided to me as an advance read copy by Netgalley and Little， Brown and Company。 The full review will be posted to HistoryNerdsUnited。com on 10/25/2022。） 。。。more
Henry Coeal
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"With incomparable wit， grace， and insight， Stacy Schiff narrates the birth of the American Revolution in Boston and the artful， elusive magician who made it all happen: Samuel Adams。 For too long， Adams， hiding behind his many masks and stratagems， has evaded historians， but Schiff draws him from the shadows into the spotlight he so richly deserves。 A glorious book that is as entertaining as it is vitally important。 This is a time for Americans to meditate on the fate of their republic and no b "With incomparable wit， grace， and insight， Stacy Schiff narrates the birth of the American Revolution in Boston and the artful， elusive magician who made it all happen: Samuel Adams。 For too long， Adams， hiding behind his many masks and stratagems， has evaded historians， but Schiff draws him from the shadows into the spotlight he so richly deserves。 A glorious book that is as entertaining as it is vitally important。 This is a time for Americans to meditate on the fate of their republic and no better place to start than here， at the beginning， with this book。" 。。。more
Ira Smith
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