Tributes to Otis, Samuel Adams and Hancock by John Adams

What it is

This short printed pamphlet, published in 1907, reproduces writings by John Adams—Samuel Adams's second cousin—praising James Otis, Samuel Adams, and John Hancock as the three main movers of the American Revolution. The text includes a letter John Adams wrote in 1817 recalling events from years earlier.

Why it matters

Because John Adams knew Samuel Adams personally and lived through the events he describes, his tribute is a firsthand reflection on his cousin's role in the Revolution, written from memory decades later. It shows how one Founding Father judged the importance of his contemporaries.

Look closer

• Why might John Adams, writing in old age, want to record his memories of these three men?
• How might personal friendship or family ties shape the way John Adams described Samuel Adams?
• What questions would you want to ask about events written down so long after they happened?