Statue of Samuel Adams facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Statue of Samuel Adams |
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Samuel Adams, 1876, National Statuary Hall Collection
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Anne Whitney made two important statues of Samuel Adams. Samuel Adams was one of America's Founding Fathers. One statue, finished in 1876, stands in the National Statuary Hall Collection in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.. The other, made in 1880, is in Boston. It is located outside Faneuil Hall Plaza.
Samuel Adams Statue in Washington, D.C.
The U.S. Congress asked each state to send two statues. These statues would honor important people from their state. Some people thought John Adams, Samuel's cousin and a future president, should be chosen. But Samuel Adams was very popular in Massachusetts at that time. He was a key figure in the state's history.
Samuel Adams wrote many letters to leaders and newspapers. He was known as a very convincing writer. George Sand called him "the most persuasive political writers of all time."
Anne Whitney won a competition in 1873. She was chosen to create the Samuel Adams statue. A rule was that the statue had to be carved in Italy. It would be made from a plaster model created in Boston. She went to Italy in 1875. There, she got special Carrara marble for the sculpture.
The finished statue arrived in Washington, D.C., in 1876. This was America's 100th birthday. Anne Whitney faced challenges as a woman artist. She had won a contest for another statue, but was later rejected. This happened when judges learned she was a woman. However, her Samuel Adams statue was highly praised. A newspaper, the New York Evening Telegram, published a verse about it. It said the statue was "grandly human," even though a woman carved it. The statue was officially revealed in the Capitol on December 19, 1876.
Samuel Adams Statue in Boston
Before going to Washington, D.C., the marble statue was shown in Boston. People loved it so much! Boston citizens asked for a bronze copy for their city. The bronze statue, on a strong granite base, was placed in Boston in 1880. It stands in Congress Street in Faneuil Hall Plaza. This is where Samuel Adams gave speeches. He spoke about British rule and unfair taxes.
This bronze statue looks like the marble one in Washington, D.C. The City of Boston specifically asked Anne Whitney to make this second version. The statue shows Samuel Adams looking determined. His crossed arms suggest he was standing up against British rule. He was a strong leader. His face is carefully carved. He wears clothes typical of his time.
Samuel Adams was a patriot during the American Revolution. He helped start the Sons of Liberty with John Hancock. This group protested unfair taxes from Britain. The statue captures Adams' strong feelings after the Boston Massacre. He demanded that Governor Thomas Hutchinson remove British soldiers. The soldiers were then moved out of the city. The troops were moved to Castle Island in Boston Harbor.
An inscription on the monument tells us about Samuel Adams. It says he was a patriot who helped organize the Revolution. He also signed the Declaration of Independence. It calls him a "True Leader of the People." The statue was put up in 1880. It was paid for by a gift to Boston from Jonathan Phillips.
The statue stands on a tall pedestal, about ten feet high. It has a shiny Quincy granite base. Below that is a larger, unpolished granite base. The plaza surface around the statue has special markings. These show where the old shoreline was around 1630. There is also artwork from 1996 by Ross Miller. It shows etched shapes of sea life, marking the old shoreline.
The statue was first in Adams Square. It was later moved to its current spot. This happened when the Government Center was built.
