Sons of Liberty

The Sons of Liberty were a group of young and enthusiastic patriots in North America before the American Revolution. Their goal was to prevent the execution of the provisions of the Stamp Act passed in 1765 under British Prime Minister George Grenville in the North American colonies by any means, including violence. The term Sons of Liberty is derived from Isaac Barré, then a member of the English Parliament, who so designated the colonists.

Influential leaders of the coming American Revolution were not members of the organization themselves, but supported its goals. Famous members included Paul Revere, John Adams, and his cousin Samuel Adams.

The Sons of Liberty publicly protested the use of the Stamp Act in Boston. They also called on the other colonies to oppose the Stamp Act as well. John Adams, later the second president of the United States, supported the group both politically and legally.

The group formed the first effective counter-movement against the mother country, Great Britain. It continued its resistance even after the repeal of the Stamp Act in 1766. The climax of the dispute between the 13 colonies and their mother country, Great Britain, was the Boston Tea Party, which was started by some members of St. Andrews Lodge, a Masonic lodge, who were also members of the Sons of Liberty. Another event was the Gaspée Affair, in which the Sons of Liberty set fire to a British ship.

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The "Sons of Liberty" are also the focus of the novel Johnny Tremain. A Novel for Old and Young (Johnny Tremain. A Novel for Old and Young, 1944) by Esther Forbes. Tom Blackburn and George Bruns also wrote the song The Sons of Liberty for the 1957 Walt Disney film adaptation of this book, directed by Robert Stevenson.

See also

• Flag of the United States