Samuel Adams by Ira Stoll shows the life of John Adam's cousin in 18th century Boston during the American Revolution. One of the Founding Fathers, he was influential in fighting against the English Parliament that arbitrarily enforced taxes on the American Colonists (Stamp Act) when they had no parliamentary representation to put forth their interests.
Note: The 1765 Stamp Act was a 13,000 word document that required taxes paid on any printed or legal document. This included magazines, newspapers, and newsletters - a version is still used in England for certain legal documents. This was followed by the Sugar Act of 1764 which included Madeira, coffee, and foreign indigo. Not unlike today, taxes were enforced to pay for the frivolous spending of the king/government. Queen Charlotte wore a garment for the King George III coronation valued at $100,000 - a massive fortune at that time. Together with the vast amount of money spent on the French and Indian War the Crown was in need of money.
Samuel Adams married Elizabeth Wells in 1764 after his first wife, Elizabeth Checkley, had died seven years prior, following child birth (only two of their six children lived to adulthood).
He was said to be a man of piety with deep religious conviction and felt that the political and and religious goals of the Revolution were intertwined. Adams was appointed to a committee of the Boston Town Meeting (The Loyal Nine) to draft instructions for Boston's representatives in the Massachusetts legislature. He realized the importance of trade and the support of commerce without unreasonable impositions. There are mixed views as to whether Samuel Adams was instrumental in hanging an effigy of the local stamp master, Andrew Oliver, or the riots that attacked and looted the houses of both Andrew Oliver and the Lieutenant Governor. He did, however, later approve of them referring to them as "Sons of Liberty."
