Naturally, Sam declined, as I said before, he above all, was a patriot who could not be deterred by any offerings of the British. In 1773 Thomas Gage relayed a message to Sam stating that anything that Sam wanted at all would be given to him upon his ceasing to oppose the British government. Sam replied "Go tell Governor Gage, that my peace has long since been made with the king of kings, and that it is the advice of Samuel Adams to him, no longer to insult the feelings of an already exasperated people." Sam might have gained respect of Gage for his words, but the fact that he was an enemy could not be overseen by him. In a later statement by Gage he said I will pardon all those who lay down their arms and return as peaceable subjects, except for those such as Samuel Adams and John Hancock whose offenses are too flagitious a nature to admit 0f any other consideration but that of condign punishment. .
Sam attended the first continental congress in Philadelphia on September 5th 1774. and continued attending them till 1781. After his years in congress he for several years presided over the Massachusetts state senate. In 1789 he was elected lieutenant governor, and held this position until John Hancock died in 1794, and Sam was elected into his position as governor and stayed governor till 1797, after which he retired from public life. He died at age 82 on October 2nd, 1803. .
I feel that Samuel Adams led a very fulfilling life. He was a true American. No amount of money and no temptation could sway his opinions or loyalties. That is in my opinion a very noble thing in itself. Sam maybe wasnt the cleanest man, I have read accounts of him often wearing the same clothes without washing them for weeks at a time. I have also been informed that he had a drinking problem, basically he was alcoholic. Not that he was alone in that area, the were of course many other alcoholics back then, as there are today, but the thing about Sam is that he didn't let his drinking interfere with his judgment.
