Gordon Wood in his research on the American Revolution describes it as radical as any revolution in modern history based on the fact that it produced a society that was free and democratic beyond the expectations of the nation's founding fathers. One of the most passionate spokesmen for that movement to create a nation free from empirical rule was James Otis. Otis helped in the fight to change the governmental system and bring a fundamental change for a structured society. John Adams described Otis" passionate arguments against the Writs of Assistance as watching kindling burst into flames (Langguth, 26).
To understand James Otis and his passion for the ideals that embodied the American Revolution it is important to understand the man and the reasons that many believe fostered his radical opposition to British rule. Otis even when growing up was prone to unpredictable moods and bursts of energy. He graduated from Harvard after seven years, although he had been accepted at the early age of fourteen. Otis was slow to begin his legal career due in part to his indifference about money, although he would eventually garner large legal fees in Boston. It was not uncommon for him to take cases free of charge if he believed in the cause or more likely the defendant's right to assemble and voice their discontentment. For example Otis defended a gang of youths who paraded through town in a ceremony called Pope's Day that commemorated a Catholic plot to blow up King James I and the Parliament in 1605. Even though violence had erupted between opposing gangs Otis contented that the youths were simply exercising their right to free speech and that there was intention of malice. Otis won an acquittal, which was typical (Langguth, 21).
It was with the same exuberance that Otis lobbied for a position for his father as Chief Justice. James Otis Sr. was the Speaker of the House of Representatives in Massachusetts but was viewed by the political elite as having too many ties to the lesser class.