Sons of Liberty

Overview: The Sons of Liberty was a group of men that was created prior to the revolutionary war in the thirteen colonies. The organization was a secret society with the mission of protecting the rights of the colonists, especially related to those of taxation abuse by the British government.

Background: In 1763 British defeated the French in the French and Indian War. After the war was over the British government decided to keep 10,000 officers and soldiers in the colonies and wanted the colonists to pay for this through taxes.

Stamp Act: One of the new British taxes which caused the most uproar was the Stamp Act. This act forced all written paper (newspapers, correspondences, articles) to be written on stamped paper which was made in London. This was a direct tax and many colonists thought it was unfair for taxation without representation since there were no colonists who had a seat at the English parliament. There were many public demonstrations, fights, and threats especially in Boston and Virginia.

Start: After Britain began imposing the new taxes the Sons of Liberty organization began to sprout up throughout many of the colonies and grew in size each month. The group was officially started in August 1765 in Boston. Throughout the fall of 1765 organizations started corresponding with each other from New York, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Maryland, and Virginia. There were also smaller groups starting in North and South Carolina

Members: Most of the leaders of the Sons of Liberty were middle class artisans, traders, lawyers, and some politicians. Some of their more powerful leaders were Benjamin Edes and John Gill who were associated with the Boston Gazette. Samuel Adams was also connected to the Gazette and wrote many articles in support of the Sons of Liberty (under a pen name). At the beginning these members still held loyalty to the British crown and hoped the taxes would be taken away by their protests. Samuel Adams

Meetings: The Sons of Liberty would hold large meetings to gain more support from the masses especially the lower class. In the meetings they would decide on protests, who to support in local elections, and to spread informational articles in favor of the Sons of Liberty. Many of the meetings ended in violence because the people were upset and wanted more direct action done against the British. The British referred to the group as the Sons of Violence or the Sons of Iniquity.

Flag: The Sons of Liberty’s flag was created in The flag is known as the rebellious flag and has 9 uneven vertical stripes. The stripes are red (5) and white (4).

Notable Sons of Liberty Members Samuel AdamsBenedict ArnoldBenjamin Edes Christopher GadsenJohn Hancock Patrick Henry John HoltJohn Lamb Alexander McDougall James OtisCharles Peale Paul Revere Bejamin RushIsaac Sears Joseph Warren James SwanHaym Solomon Charles Thomson Thomas YoungMarinus Willet Oliver Wolcott John Adams

Townshend Act: In 1768 the Townshend Act was passed by the British parliament. This new act which designed by Charles Townshend and was a series of new taxes on goods which were not produced in North America, therefore the colonists would have to pay taxes if they wanted these items. This Act brought many Sons of Liberty groups together to organize a boycott of British goods. Charles Townshend

Tariffs and Boycotts Tariff: a tax on imported goods such as: – Paper, wool, tea, and other goods that the colonies imported from Britain. – Were an effect of the Townshend Acts Boycott: refusal to buy goods – Many colonists decided to go without products from Britain instead of pay the new tax on them

Daughters of Liberty Mercy Otis Warren – Encouraged people to not buy the imported goods Women started making “liberty tea” instead of buying the imported tea – Made from berries and herbs Daughters of Liberty groups started forming all over the colonies – They weaved cloth to use instead of the British wool

Affects of the Boycotts Boycotts were hurting British businesses British government sent ships to Boston Harbor in hopes that it would be a “show of force” and the colonists would stop protesting Ben Franklin warned the British government that it would only cause more tensions between the British government and the colonies – he was right

Boston Massacre Tensions were very high in Boston since the British soldiers started arriving in 1768 Fist fights were common between colonists and soldiers By March 5 th, 1770 the city was on edge 5 soldiers were surrounded by colonists and they panicked – They shot into a crowd and killed 5 people

Boston Massacre This became known as the Boston Massacre – Massacre: killing of many people who cannot defend themselves Crispus Attucks – handout in notebook Soldiers were put on trial for murder – They were defended by John Adams, a cousin to Samuel Adams. He didn’t agree with Britain’s decisions but felt the soldiers deserved a fair trial – -the soldiers were found not guilty

Committees of Correspondence Parliament voted to repeal the Townshend Acts on the same day as the Boston Massacre – Repeal: cancel The cancelled all taxes except the tax on tea – Wanted to show they still could tax Samuel Adams felt it took to long to communicate in the colonies – Formed Committee of Correspondence

Committee of Correspondence Formed in Boston in 1772 Soon were all over in colonies Members wrote to each other about local events and letters were delivered by “express riders” on fast horses – Paul Revere was an express rider Originally a silversmith Read handout in notebook

Tea Act Tea Act: said one British company, the East India Company, would be the only company allowed to sell tea to the colonies Store owners had to buy tea from them and they still had to pay the tax on tea as well Two goals: – Help the struggling East India Company – Get colonists to pay taxes to Britain Colonists didn’t like this – they did not want to pay taxes Colonists declared ships bringing British tea could not use colonial ports

Boston Tea Party: In 1773 the British began imposing the Tea Act which was tax on all tea imported from England. Since there was no tea produced in the colonies many people were upset by this new tax. The Sons of Liberty took action against the British on December 16 th, 1773 by destroying tons of tea by throwing it into Boston Harbor. This action with the others previous directly led to the start of the American Revolutionary War.