Samuel Adams Dies
On this day in 1803, the fiery patriot Samuel Adams died at the age of 81. A complete failure as a businessman, he was a brilliant political organizer, a talented writer, and a passionate public speaker. He founded the Sons of Liberty and was almost certainly the main instigator of the Boston Tea Party. He helped organize a movement to boycott British goods and devised the notion of uniting towns through Committees of Correspondence. He called for representatives of all Britain's American colonies to gather together. When they did, he was chosen a delegate to the first Continental Congress. He was able to go to Philadelphia only because his friends provided him with a new suit, wig, shoes, silk hose, and money to cover his expenses.
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