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Property of a Private Trust
ADAMS, Samuel (1722-1803), Signer, Massachusetts. Autograph letter signed ("Samuel Adams") to Samuel Purviance Sr., Philadelphia, 17 November 1775. 2 pages, 4to, integral address leaf (detached) with wax seal, one small repair at fold, recipient's endorsement.
Details
ADAMS, Samuel (1722-1803), Signer, Massachusetts. Autograph letter signed ("Samuel Adams") to Samuel Purviance Sr., Philadelphia, 17 November 1775. 2 pages, 4to, integral address leaf (detached) with wax seal, one small repair at fold, recipient's endorsement.
JAMES OTIS: "A WARM AND ABLE ADVOCATE FOR THE RIGHTS OF AMERICA AND OF MANKIND"
An interesting letter from the long but active interregnum between Lexington and Concord in April 1775 and the Declaration of Independence in July 1776. Here Adams discusses several of the early, practical problems of supply, finance, and security, as the American revolutionaries move through the limbo of quasi-independence and quasi-war with Great Britain. "Col. Otis, whose name is mentioned in your letter now before me, is a gentleman with whom I have the honor of being well acquainted. He is at this time & has long been a member of the Council of Colony to which I belong, and is a warm and able advocate for the Rights of America and of Mankind." James Otis (1725-1783) launched American resistance to British rule with his fiery speeches against the Writs of Assistance in 1761. By 1775, however, recurring bouts of insanity rendered him a marginal, if still respected, figure.
Adams expresses anxiety about the British royal functionaries still in their midst, such as the Kings Post Riders. On raising money for the Revolutionary cause Adams reports that "a part of the committee appointed by the Town of Boston to receive donations remained prisoners there [due to the British occupation] & the rest were dispersed over that & the neighboring Colonies, so that I was at a loss to whom to commit the monies that had been entrusted to me." Adams has brought the matter to the General Assembly which authorized him "to receive and distribute future donations." He thanks Puriance for "the trouble you have taken upon yourself for the comfort of our distressed Brethren."
Unlike his cousin John, Sam Adams was leery about moving too quickly towards independence. "It requires Time to convince the doubting and inspire the timid," he said during this time. Never timid himself, he nevertheless thought "the Colonies were not then all ripe for so momentous a Change" (Adams, Writings, vol.3, p. 304). But he did approve and sign the Declaration of Independence in July 1776. Provenance: Philip D. Sang (sale, Sotheby's New York, 3 June 1980, lot 870.
JAMES OTIS: "A WARM AND ABLE ADVOCATE FOR THE RIGHTS OF AMERICA AND OF MANKIND"
An interesting letter from the long but active interregnum between Lexington and Concord in April 1775 and the Declaration of Independence in July 1776. Here Adams discusses several of the early, practical problems of supply, finance, and security, as the American revolutionaries move through the limbo of quasi-independence and quasi-war with Great Britain. "Col. Otis, whose name is mentioned in your letter now before me, is a gentleman with whom I have the honor of being well acquainted. He is at this time & has long been a member of the Council of Colony to which I belong, and is a warm and able advocate for the Rights of America and of Mankind." James Otis (1725-1783) launched American resistance to British rule with his fiery speeches against the Writs of Assistance in 1761. By 1775, however, recurring bouts of insanity rendered him a marginal, if still respected, figure.
Adams expresses anxiety about the British royal functionaries still in their midst, such as the Kings Post Riders. On raising money for the Revolutionary cause Adams reports that "a part of the committee appointed by the Town of Boston to receive donations remained prisoners there [due to the British occupation] & the rest were dispersed over that & the neighboring Colonies, so that I was at a loss to whom to commit the monies that had been entrusted to me." Adams has brought the matter to the General Assembly which authorized him "to receive and distribute future donations." He thanks Puriance for "the trouble you have taken upon yourself for the comfort of our distressed Brethren."
Unlike his cousin John, Sam Adams was leery about moving too quickly towards independence. "It requires Time to convince the doubting and inspire the timid," he said during this time. Never timid himself, he nevertheless thought "the Colonies were not then all ripe for so momentous a Change" (Adams, Writings, vol.3, p. 304). But he did approve and sign the Declaration of Independence in July 1776. Provenance: Philip D. Sang (sale, Sotheby's New York, 3 June 1980, lot 870.