James Otis And Samuel Adams

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In the period of reform of the British Empire, James Otis and Samuel Adams appeared as prominent figures in the reconstruction of society. Adams is described in Gordon S. Wood’s, The American Revolution, as a man with “deep hatred of crown authority,” an authority that had come to be accepted as powerful and right and to denounce it had previously been unheard of (Wood 33). Not only did he have strong opinions, but he organized others to express their thoughts and frustrations with documents such as The Votes and Proceedings which divulged all the abuses of American rights. By doing this, he was able to give a voice to the formerly silenced lower and middle classes, and stood up for their rights, while also allowing the rich to feel the benefits and making their perspectives known as …show more content…

Furthermore, James Otis, questioned the “virtual” representation of the Colonists in the British Parliament. To parry their argument of this poor excuse of representation he called the Colonies “considerable places” and said that they “ought to be” represented (Wood 41). In saying this, Otis pointed out how much America had come to mean to Britain, it was no longer uncharted territory, but a home to many Englishmen. Like Adams, Otis did not disregard the poor. Howard Zinn’s description of Otis notes that he his points required a “genuine recognition of lower-class grievances,” a crucial part of encouraging the Colonists to want freedom from Britain (Zinn 61). While both of these figures gave advantages to the poor who were willing to express their true feelings towards the crown, with this gave tremendous ability of the rich to support their argument and reap the benefits

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