Samuel Adams and the Vagabond Henry Tufts: Virtue Meets Vice in the Revolutionary Era

One a revolutionary leader and the other a vagabond who deserted from the Continental Army, Samuel Adams and Henry Tufts might appear at first glance to be polar opposites, but in reality, they were two sides of the same coin. While one devoted his life to overthrowing British colonial rule and the other devoted his to rambling, womanizing and stealing horses, Adams and Tufts represented the self-interested capacity for survival as well as the lofty ideals that made the American Revolution possible. When these two men crossed paths in 1794, with Adams serving as governor of Massachusetts and Tufts a hapless prisoner facing the gallows, it was the serendipitous climax of three decades of revolutionary activity and crime.

Recalling the contradictory--yet sometimes complementary--roles of virtue and vice in the early republic, the story of these two fascinating figures offers fresh insight into important themes of the American Revolution, including class differences among colonists, the importance of education in fostering republicanism, and the founders' emphasis on improving criminal justice. At the end of the day, it is also a story of redemption--both for these two imperfect individuals and for the revolution that they participated in.