Sons of Liberty
The Sons of Liberty was a loosely organized, clandestine, sometimes violent, political organization active in the Thirteen American Colonies founded to advance the rights of the colonists and to fight taxation by the British government. It played a major role in most colonies in battling the Stamp Act in 1765 and throughout the entire period of the American Revolution.
| Sons of Liberty | |
|---|---|
Flag | |
| Leaders | See below |
| Foundation | 1765 |
| Dissolved | 1776 |
| Motives | Before 1766: Opposition to the Stamp Act After 1766: Independence of the United Colonies from Great Britain |
| Active regions | Massachusetts Bay Rhode Island New Hampshire New Jersey New York Maryland Virginia |
| Ideology | Initial phase: Rights of Englishmen "No taxation without representation" Later phase: Liberalism Republicanism |
| Major actions | Public demonstrations, direct action, destruction of Crown goods and property, boycotts, tar and feathering, pamphleteering |
| Notable attacks | Gaspee Affair, Boston Tea Party, attack on John Malcolm |
| Allies | Patriot revolutionaries |
| Opponents | Parliament of Great Britain Royal Colonial Governments Tories and other Crown Loyalists |
In popular thought, the Sons of Liberty was a formal underground organization with recognized members and leaders. More likely, the name was an underground term for any men resisting new Crown taxes and laws. The well-known label allowed organizers to make or create anonymous summons to a Liberty Tree, "Liberty Pole", or other public meeting-place. Furthermore, a unifying name helped to promote inter-Colonial efforts against Parliament and the Crown's actions. Their motto became "No taxation without representation."