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Secondary sourceDocument1900

Samuel Adams, entry in Appletons' Cyclopaedia of American Biography

1900

A biographical reference entry on Samuel Adams published in 1900, tracing his family background and early life.

A later reference entry summarizing Samuel Adams's family background and early life for general readers.

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About this source

What it is

This is an entry on Samuel Adams from Appletons' Cyclopaedia of American Biography, a reference work published in New York in 1900 by D. Appleton and Co.

Why it matters

Written more than a century after Adams's birth, this encyclopedia entry shows how later generations of Americans told the story of the Founding Fathers. It describes Adams's family, from his grandfather Henry Adams to his father, also named Samuel, who was active in Boston politics.

Look closer

  • Why might an encyclopedia spend so much time on a person's ancestors before discussing their own achievements?
  • What does this entry suggest about what Victorian-era readers valued in a biography?
  • How might this account differ from one written during Adams's own lifetime?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Samuel Adams on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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