Valerius Poplicola

What it is

This is a newspaper essay published on October 5, 1772, written by Samuel Adams under the pen name "Valerius Poplicola." It was printed in a Boston newspaper addressed to the printers Edes & Gill.

Why it matters

The essay shows Adams using the press, and a classical pseudonym, to argue publicly that rulers have no right to tax subjects without their consent. It is an example of the kind of political writing Adams used in the years before the Revolution to shape public opinion against British policy.

Look closer

• Why might Adams have chosen to write under a pen name instead of his own?
• What historical example does the essay use to make its argument, and why might that example have been persuasive?
• How does this kind of newspaper writing compare to how political arguments are made today?