The Patriot Post® · America 250: The Sons of Liberty

It’s 1765, and the chasm between mother country and English colonies was growing deeper. As the tensions had increased, the British government had stationed more than 10,000 soldiers in the colonies, intent upon forcing the colonists to contribute to the English treasury via taxes. Those demands for increased taxes — without any input from the colonial assemblies or citizens in general — inflamed the situation.

From New Hampshire and Massachusetts in the north to the Carolinas and Georgia in the south, speeches began to focus on a rallying cry: “no taxation without representation.” Public demonstrations, written resolutions by colonial assemblies, and an occasional fisticuff between colonists became common, but there was no organized response.

But things changed by the fall of 1765, when an organization formed across the colonies — the Sons of Liberty.

The very name “Sons of Liberty” stirs my patriotic heart as I picture leading citizens and ordinary freedom-loving colonists in cities, towns, and local communities choosing to make their voices heard in a governmental system that had denied them a voice. If they could not vote or offer suggestions to the British Parliament through debate in the historic House of Commons, then they would organize covertly and strike a blow for liberty. That’s pretty heady stuff…

We first meet the Sons of Liberty, obviously in a darkened alley or pub, as the Loyal Nine in Boston — originally a group of frustrated colonists that had burned in effigy Stamp Act commissioner Andrew Oliver in hopes that the frightened administrator would resign. He did not. So, the Loyal Nine escalated the threats by burning his office, and even after he resigned, they continued their action by setting fire to Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Thomas Hutchinson’s home.

When the news reached Parliament on February 6, 1765, Irish MP Isaac Barré, a veteran of the French and Indian War, warned Parliament that these “Sons of Liberty” would not be easily contained. Within months, the semi-secret society had spread from Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire to New Jersey, Maryland, and Virginia. A new name, Sons of Liberty, unified the members.

In October 1765, the Stamp Act Congress met in New York with nine of the colonies represented in an attempt to present a unified strategy that would combat the new taxes. With local protests occurring all across the colonies, they issued a Declaration of Rights and Grievances, reiterating that Parliament did not have the right to impose taxes without input from the colonial assemblies. Six of the nine delegations signed the petition. Parliament was alarmed by the action, but the MPs were also dealing with the disruption of trade and other issues related to the colonies.

The Stamp Act was repealed, but Parliament issued the Declaratory Act on the same day asserting Parliament’s power, including legislating for the American colonies. Pure and simple: No representation for the colonies.

After the Stamp Act was repealed, the Sons of Liberty erected a granite marker topped by a tall pillar and a bust of William Pitt the Elder, supporter of the American colonists, in the town of Dedham, Massachusetts. The monument became known locally as “Pitt’s Head,” but it was the words carved into the base that drew people from across the colony.

The north façade applauded Pitt and the patriots for saving “America from Impending slavery” while reassuring the British Crown that the colonists remained loyal to King George II. On the west façade, the words “The Pillar of Liberty Erected by the Sons of Liberty in this Vicinity” were carved, followed by a Latin inscription that translated as “Praise to God, the King and the Exceptional Work of Pitt, the Greatest Benefactor, who plucked the republic from the jaws of Hell.” (Am I the only one thrilled and surprised to see the word “republic” on that marker?)

In 1769, four years after their founding, the Sons of Liberty held a public rally at the newly christened Liberty Tree in Boston, complete with speeches, toasts, a parade, and a celebratory dinner for 300 Sons and supporters. It’s important to our story that we remember these Sons considered themselves loyal citizens of England; they simply wanted to be given their natural and legislated rights as citizens. The first toast that evening was to the “The King, the Queen and the Royal Family.”