Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

"Working The Political Engine": Sam Adams And The Spread Of Revolution In Provincial Massachusetts, Kirk G. Bast

Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience Program (OURE)

Since the Revolutionary crisis with Britain began, people have debated Samuel Adam’s role in America’s break from the Empire. Currently, scholars are particularly interested in Adams ’ influence over both the people of Boston and other inhabitants of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, as they resisted British regulations. Was he able to manipulate crowd and mob behavior to enhance provincial fervor? Key to understanding Adams' influence is his conversion of rural Massachusetts to revolutionary sentiment. The purpose of this project is to assess Adam’s impact as a propagandist from the mid-1760s to the early 1770s.