What do you think would happen if John Adams died in the Boston Massacre?
What I'm thinking will happen first is that the British soldiers in the massacre will be judged guilty in an unfair trial. Maybe Britain itself will decide after that to have another trial in England? And that trial could be equally unfair. And I kind of want Samuel Adams to go to the Continental Congress pissed that the British killed his cousin, and asking for revolution.
But I want to hear what your input, especially in terms of the long term consequences for the revolution. The people on this forum are a pretty knowledgeable crowd.
As marl said he had to be their first. Considering he lives in Braintree (about a days ride) he would need a reason to be there on that particular winter day. I am sure you could find one, but why I don't know.
As for Sam, he was one of the biggest revolutionaires of the whole ARW anyway, I don't know how he could become more revolutionary. I think you are overplaying their relationship a bit; they were 2nd cousins who barely knew each other. Adams had about 10 siblings and Adams' father had like 10-15 so I mean everyone was related to everyone, thats just the way it was back then. John and Sam never had a good relationship due to among other things their wholly different political opinions on the nature of govt and revolution.
As for the Boston Massacre Trial, John Adams was the only person who would take the case, it was shopped among his various friends in the Mass. Bar and he was the only one including some later loyalists including his friend Jonathon Sewall who would take it. This was not something that would have been popular in fact Adams was portrayed quite poorly in the press and was viewed wtih suspicion (like Hamilton, Burr, and Jay among others who did defended the rights of Loyalists) by revolutionaires like Sam.
Adams and elected office, before he was elected to the Presidency he was elected to one term in the state legislature under the British colonial admin. He was not running for office at the time and Adams characteristically distained politics and all it entailed. The position that I believe Marl is referencing, became available to him because of his stand at the trail , it was the equivalent of State Attorney General but it was a Royal Appointment (ironically it went to Sewall, this position is what made Sewall a true loyalist) and as such not elected. He passed it up because after the trail he became convinced that Revolution was inevitable.
Now if Adams dies in the Massacre he is missed only by his family and his friends he was not a well known figure to anyone outside of the Mass. legal establishment and his family. Sam probably didn't even know him. How does Adams affect things? He was the first person to agitate for a revolution and make a coherent argument for it. Before Adams took the floor at the first congress reapprochment was the dominant position EVEN after Lexington and Concord reapprochment was still preferred it wasn't until Adams made the argument that the pro-revolution faction started to win the debate. If Adams isn't there than the revolution might not go anywhere as the leading light at the Congress (john dickinson) wanted to send yet another Petition to the King. Adams made a long speech of IIRC 6-8 hrs arguing for it and voila the ARW had begun. Also, Adams was instrumental in appointing Washington as Commander of the Army; imagine if we still decide on revolution and someone like Gates or Richard Lee is in charge!!! It would be a disaster. While Adams was very much a country lawyer/farmer who got swept up in events; he is one of the indispensiable characters of the ARW. He was at almost every key decision or a negoitator at every key treaty during the ARW. Without Adams the whole thing is different. Now I am going on but I think you see my point.
If you doubt the importance of Adams or my statements I suggest Mcullough's John Adams. It is the IMHO seminal work on John Adams.