As a result, on August 17, Oliver publicy resigned his commission and on December 17, the Sons of Liberty made him publicly swear an oath he would never again serve as a stamp master. Rather, he was an obvious and easy target for the Sons of Liberty to take out their anger over the Stamp Act and accuse him of duplicity. The ironic truth of the matter was Andrew Oliver privately was not a proponent of the Stamp Act.
LIBERTY KIDS SONG WINDOWS
The fence around Oliver’s home was torn down, windows were smashed, furnishings destroyed, and the home looted – most notably Oliver’s personal wine cellar. The crowd, with the Sons of Liberty leading the way, marched on the home of Andrew Oliver. Soon mob rule was the order of the day, and the effigy was stomped-on, beheaded, and ultimately burned in a fit of anger. Incited by the Sons of Liberty, thousands gathered and a sign was placed on the effigy of Andrew Oliver declaring, “He that takes this down is an enemy to his country.” The riotous, angry, and alcohol-fueled crowd paraded the effigy through the streets of Boston inciting supporters of the Patriot cause throughout the city. Samuel Adams and the Sons of Liberty gathered under the “Liberty Tree” where effigies of Andrew Oliver, a public official in charge of enforcing the Stamp Act in Massachusetts, and related offenders of the people’s liberties hung. The first major action of the Sons of Liberty was carried out in Boston on August 14, 1765, in response to the Stamp Act. Their motto was, “No taxation without representation.”
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The Sons of Liberty was most likely organized in the summer of 1765 as a means to protest the passing of the Stamp Act of 1765. Despite very little documentary evidence as to the origins of the organization, Boston Patriot Samuel Adams is often credited as being the founder and leader of the Sons of Liberty. The Green Dragon Tavern in Boston was the tavern of choice for meetings of the Sons of Liberty. Taverns, with owners sympathetic to the Patriot cause, were also the favorite meeting places of the Sons of Liberty. Under the cover of darkness, the Boston chapter of the organization held their meetings under the “Liberty Tree,” and the New York chapter under the “Liberty Pole.” The “Liberty Tree” was located in Hanover Square, “the most public part” of Boston and was a 120-year-old “stately elm” with branches that “seem’d to touch the skies” according to the Boston Gazette.
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It is believed the Sons of Liberty was formed out of earlier smaller scale like-minded Patriot organizations such as the “Boston Caucus Club” and “Loyal Nine.” Membership was made up of males from all walks of colonial society but was notorious in recruiting tavern mongers, wharf rats, and other seedy characters looking to cause trouble. More than likely, the Boston and New York chapters of the Sons of Liberty were deliberately established at the same time and worked as an underground network in conjunction with each other. The origins and founding of the Sons of Liberty is unclear, but history records the earliest known references to the organization to 1765 in the thriving colonial port cities of Boston and New York. The Sons of Liberty, a well-organized Patriot paramilitary political organization shrouded in secrecy, was established to undermine British rule in colonial America and was influential in organizing and carrying out the Boston Tea Party.
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Sons of Liberty: The Masterminds of the Boston Tea Party
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Unconditional Love: The Letters of John & Abigail Adams.