Skip to main content
Massachusetts State Seal
Commonwealth Museum   Secretary of the Commonwealth William Francis Galvin
Commonwealth Museum Secretary of the Commonwealth William Francis Galvin

Virtual Tour Detail

Samuel Adams: The Great Incendiary

Painting of Samuel Adams Samuel Adams feared that Hutchinson and the Olivers had too much power. Rather than replacing their dynasty with one of his own, he changed the nature of American Politics. Adams worked to create a democratic system.

He visited taverns to gauge public opinion. His articles in the Boston Gazette defined issues. In 1772 Adams moved that the Boston Town Meeting appoint a "Committe of Correspondence" linking Boston with towns in Massachusetts and other colonies–a momentous step toward Revolution.