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Adams, Samuel (1722-1803), American patriot, a leader of the resistance to British policy before the American Revolution (1775-1783). Adams was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He became an active in Boston political circles, and in 1765 he was elected to the legislative body of Massachusetts, where he assumed leadership of the movement in Massachusetts that advocated independence from Great Britain.

Adams decisively influenced every important aspect of the prerevolutionary struggle against British rule, rapidly acquiring a reputation throughout the colonies. He led the fight against the Townshend Acts, headed the demonstrations that led to the Boston Massacre, and directed the Boston Tea Party. His writings were widely circulated and read. He was a delegate to the Second Continental Congress in 1775, and he subsequently signed the Declaration of Independence. Because of his strenuous opposition to a strong national government, his popularity and effectiveness as a leader waned. In 1779 he served on the committee that drafted the Massachusetts State constitution, and he was instrumental in securing the ratification by Massachusetts of the Constitution of the United States in 1788. Adams later served as lieutenant governor and governor of Massachusetts.

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