The Uprising in Boston by the Sons of Liberty
On August 14, 1765, Boston reached a tipping point. Activists, known as the “Sons of Liberty,” poured into the streets in a powerful protest against the British reign.
Samuel Adams Reflects on the Day Samuel Adams recalled, “On the historic day of August 14, 1765, a day that should always be etched in America’s memory, the Sons of Liberty, driven by deep patriotism, rose up, determined to protect their nation teetering on the edge of disaster.”
Though Adams wasn't initially part of the Loyal Nine, an early group opposing the British, that small alliance expanded. As frustrations grew among the middle-class colonists, the organization swelled in ranks.
Boston's Growing Discontent Locals fumed about laws that imposed taxes on them, even though they lacked representation in the British parliament. Parliament, a year prior, had enacted the Sugar Act. This legislation lowered molasses import taxes but also introduced stringent tax collection measures that most colonists typically dodged.
Come March 22, 1765, the British Parliament introduced the Stamp Tax. This compelled colonists to pay tax on every piece of printed material, extending even to playing cards and dice.
Colonial reaction was swift and fierce. The overarching legal contention was that only colonial assemblies, where the colonists had representatives, could impose taxes on them. Although figures like Benjamin Franklin were colonial agents to Parliament, no colony had official representatives seated there.
A United Front That summer, Massachusetts suggested an all-colonies meet – the Stamp Act Congress – in New York by October 1765. Colonies also started setting up Committees of Correspondence to strategize protests against the Act.
Dramatic Protests Under the Liberty Tree In Boston, on the fateful day of August 14, the Sons of Liberty convened near Boston Common, under the famed Liberty Tree. Displayed on the tree was a mock-up of Andrew Oliver, the city’s stamp tax agent. The scene turned chaotic when a massive crowd assailed Oliver's office and residence, brutalizing and setting the effigy ablaze.
This uproar, combined with the Stamp Congress's resolutions and Patrick Henry's Virginia Resolves, fueled resentment throughout the colonies. Consequently, many colonies witnessed the birth of their Sons of Liberty groups.
Parliament's Response In the face of growing protests and, significantly, British merchants witnessing plummeting sales to the Colonies, Parliament retracted the Stamp Act the succeeding year. But they then introduced the Declaratory Act, claiming their right to tax colonies as deemed fit.
Origins of Sons of Liberty Born in 1765 in port cities like Boston and New York, the Sons of Liberty was a response to escalating fears of increased British taxation and control following the French and Indian War.
The name “Sons of Liberty” was inspired by a February 1765 speech in Parliament by Irishman John Barre. He vociferously opposed the looming Stamp Tax on American colonies and challenged Parliament's intentions.
Barre remarked, “When you started to show concern, it manifested in sending overseers to dictate them... dispatched to monitor their freedom, misinterpret their actions, and exploit them. Their actions often made these sons of liberty's blood boil.”
Echoes of Independence In the aftermath of the Stamp Act protests, the concept of a unified Congress of the Colonies and the Committees of Correspondence became the groundwork for the impending drive for independence.
One emblem, however, didn’t make it. The British troops brought down the Liberty Tree, a site of the Stamp Act protests and later the Boston Tea Party planning, in August 1775.