Samuel Adams was one of the Revolutionary era's foremost patriots. Born in Boston and educated at Harvard College, Adams began his career in his father's brewing business. He is probably best known for the patriotism and leadership he displayed during the period leading up to the War for Independence. In his many newspaper articles and documents drafted for official political bodies in Massachusetts and the Continental Congress, Adams was one of the most articulate expositors of the political theory of natural rights that became the basis of the American Revolution. He helped organize the Sons of Liberty, private patriotic organizations whose purpose was to oppose, sometimes through direct action, acts of the British government that they viewed as unconstitutional and oppressive. He organized and led opposition to the Sugar, Stamp and Townshend Acts, and it is likely that he cooperated with John Hancock in organizing the Boston Tea Party. He was a member of both the Massachusetts House of Representatives and the Continental Congress, and also served as governor of Massachusetts.