260: Samuel Adams, The Revolutionary with Stacy Schiff
The Lincoln Project
The Lincoln Project
4.6 • 9.1K Ratings
🗓️ 19 July 2023
⏱️ 47 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Host Reed Galen is joined by Pulitzer Prize winning and New York Time bestselling author, Stacy Schiff to discuss the life of Founding Father Samuel Adams, his role in the American Revolution, and the legacy he leaves behind (despite his best efforts not to). Plus, what are the parallels between our nation's infancy and today. If you'd like more from Stacy Schiff, be sure to pick up her latest book, The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams. If you’d like to ask a question or share a comment with The Lincoln Project, send an email to podcast@lincolnproject.us.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey, everyone, it's Reed. Before we get started, I just want to say thank you for listening, |
| 0:04.0 | but now I need you to share the message, share the Lincoln Project podcast. If you haven't |
| 0:09.3 | already, rate it five stars, share with your friends, your family, anyone who you think might |
| 0:14.4 | be interested. As always, all I could say is thank you. Keep on listening to. And now, on with the |
| 0:20.3 | show. Welcome back to the Lincoln Project. |
| 0:30.8 | I'm your host, Reed Galen. Today, I'm joined by Pulitzer Prize winning and New York Times bestselling |
| 0:36.1 | author, Stacey Schiff. |
| 0:46.7 | She's written an impressive catalog of books, including award-winning biographies on Benjamin Franklin, Cleopatra, and now her latest book, The Revolutionary, Samuel Adams. |
| 0:55.3 | The Revolutionary was named one of the Wall Street Journal's 10 best books of 2022, and was also featured on President Barack Obama's list of best books for last year. |
| 1:00.4 | It's available wherever fine books are sold. In addition to her books, Stacey's written for numerous publications, including The New Yorker, The New York Times, the Washington Post, and the LA Times. |
| 1:05.8 | She's coming to us from north of New York City today. Stacy, welcome. |
| 1:09.6 | Thanks, Reed. I'm delighted to join you. |
| 1:12.2 | Okay, so I'm gonna start on page one. |
| 1:15.5 | He was a perfect failure until middle age. |
| 1:19.1 | Samuel Adams, who you note has only come down to us |
| 1:22.5 | as a firebrand revolutionary and a popular beer |
| 1:26.1 | was a failure until middle age. This is a guy who went to |
| 1:29.3 | Harvard, who had opportunities, but somehow until the middle of his life couldn't figure it out. |
| 1:35.0 | So I don't know why, but I find that immensely appealing. Something about the late blooming |
| 1:40.5 | part of the personality. It just jumps off the page at me. Some of us are still waiting |
| 1:45.5 | to bloom in Stacey. I know. I'm sure there's a piece of that for me as well. But it's also that this is a man |
| 1:49.9 | who has not only one Harvard degree but two Harvard degrees. He has the best education colonial America |
... |
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