The above is an example of the occasional conversational
tidbit tossed out on any summer evening by my wife, who is in the process of
re-reading John Jakes’ series of novels about American history. Apparently, Adams was a more successful
revolutionary than he was a beer maker.
As a headhunter and an American, I am glad Mr. Adams found his true
calling. But I am also happy that some
current-day capitalist, in true American fashion, has found a way to build a
better beer and a bigger business; and that in 2012, there is a brewery in his
hometown of Boston bearing the Samuel Adams name. Sam Adams the Revolutionary
would have been proud.
“Did you know that a
round trip between Boston and Philadelphia took about ten days in Revolutionary
times, depending on how hard you drove the horse?”
Depending on how hard I drive this horse, I can fly from
Chicago to visit a client in Virginia, drive across three states to interview a
prospective candidate or two and arrive back home within a 24-hour period. Thanks to American inventors like the Wright brothers
and American industrialists like Henry Ford, our big world has become a lot
smaller and our economy truly global.
This means that, for better or worse, we share in the economic fortunes
of Europe, China, and the Middle East. In modern times, you can read what I am
writing at this moment in a matter of seconds rather than relying on Paul
Revere’s messenger service. And independent
Americans can even pay a friendly visit to the mother country without undergoing
weeks of seasickness.
“Are you aware that
the Revolution really started because of an over-reaching British government
and grossly unfair taxation of the colonists?”
Hmmmmm. No commentary
needed.
Because I like to celebrate every holiday for at least a
week, I wish you a happy 4th of July week. Enjoy the fireworks, your family, your hot
dogs and hamburgers and cherry pie, and at least one Samuel Adams summer ale.
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