Sons of Liberty - wikipedia Sons of Liberty Jump to : navigation , search For other uses , see Sons of Liberty ( disambiguation ) . 1st row : Samuel Adams Benedict Arnold John Hancock Patrick Henry James Otis , Jr. 2nd row : Paul Revere James Swan Alexander McDougall Benjamin Rush Charles Thomson 3rd row : Joseph Warren Marinus Willett Oliver Wolcott Christopher Gadsden Haym Salomon Not pictured : Hercules Mulligan , Thomas Melvill , Isaac Sears Sons and Daughters of Harem Motto No taxation without representation Formation 1765 Dissolved 1776 Type Patriot , paramilitary , political organizations Legal status defunct Location Boston , Province of Massachusetts Bay , New York City , Province of New York , Providence , Rhode Island , Province of Rhode Island , Newport , Rhode Island , Province of New Hampshire , Province of New Jersey , Province of Maryland , Virginia Colony A 1765 broadside , regarding the `` Sons of Liberty '' organizations and their principles Nine stripe Sons of Liberty flag The Sons of Liberty was an organization that was created in the Thirteen American Colonies . The secret society was formed to protect the rights of the colonists and to fight taxation by the British government . They played a major role in most colonies in battling the Stamp Act in 1765 . The group officially disbanded after the Stamp Act was repealed . However , the name was applied to other local separatist groups during the years preceding the American Revolution . In the popular imagination , 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 . '' Contents ( hide ) 1 History 1.1 New York 2 Flags 3 Notable Sons of Liberty 4 Later societies 5 Modern references 6 See also 7 References 8 Further reading 8.1 18th Century Sons 8.2 Later groups 9 External links History ( edit ) The Bostonian Paying the Excise - Man , 1774 British propaganda print , referring to the tarring and feathering , of Boston Commissioner of Customs John Malcolm four weeks after the Boston Tea Party . The men also poured hot tea down Malcolm 's throat ; note the noose hanging on the Liberty Tree and the Stamp Act posted upside - down In 1765 , the British government needed money to afford the 10,000 officers and soldiers living in the colonies , and intended that the colonists living there should contribute . The British passed a series of taxes aimed at the colonists , and many of the colonists refused to pay certain taxes ; they argued that they should not be held accountable for taxes which were decided upon without any form of their consent through a representative . This became commonly known as `` No Taxation without Representation . '' Parliament insisted on its right to rule the colonies despite the fact that the colonists had no representative in Parliament . The most incendiary tax was the Stamp Act of 1765 , which caused a firestorm of opposition through legislative resolutions ( starting in the colony of Virginia ) , public demonstrations , threats , and occasional hurtful losses . The organization spread hour by hour , after independent starts in several different colonies . In August 1765 , the group was founded in Boston , Massachusetts . By November 6 , a committee was set up in New York to correspond with other colonies . In December , an alliance was formed between groups in New York and Connecticut . January bore witness to a correspondence link between Boston and New York City , and by March , Providence had initiated connections with New York , New Hampshire , and Newport , Rhode Island . March also marked the emergence of Sons of Liberty organizations in New Jersey , Maryland , and Virginia . In Boston , another example of violence could be found in their treatment of local stamp distributor Andrew Oliver . They burned his effigy in the streets . When he did not resign , they escalated to burning down his office building . Even after he resigned , they almost destroyed the whole house of his close associate Lieutenant Governor Thomas Hutchinson . It is believed that the Sons of Liberty did this to excite the lower classes and get them actively involved in rebelling against the authorities . Their actions made many of the stamp distributors resign in fear . Early in the American Revolution , the former Sons of Liberty generally joined more formal groups , such as the Committee of Safety . The Sons of Liberty popularized the use of tar and feathering to punish and humiliate offending government officials starting in 1767 . This method was also used against British Loyalists during the American Revolution . This punishment had long been used by sailors to punish their mates . New York ( edit ) In December 1773 , a new group calling itself the Sons of Liberty issued and distributed a declaration in New York City called the Association of the Sons of Liberty in New York , which formally stated that they were opposed to the Tea Act and that anyone who assisted in the execution of the act was `` an enemy to the liberties of America '' and that `` whoever shall transgress any of these resolutions , we will not deal with , or employ , or have any connection with him '' . After the end of the American Revolutionary War , Isaac Sears , Marinus Willet , and John Lamb in New York City revived the Sons of Liberty . In March 1784 , they rallied an enormous crowd that called for the expulsion of any remaining Loyalists from the state starting May 1 . The Sons of Liberty were able to gain enough seats in the New York assembly elections of December 1784 to have passed a set of punitive laws against Loyalists . In violation of the Treaty of Paris ( 1783 ) , they called for the confiscation of the property of Loyalists . Alexander Hamilton defended the Loyalists , citing the supremacy of the treaty . Flags ( edit ) In 1767 , the Sons of Liberty adopted a flag called the rebellious stripes flag with nine vertical stripes , four white and five red . A flag having 13 horizontal red and white stripes was used by Commodore Esek Hopkins ( Commander - in - Chief of the Continental Navy ) and by American merchant ships during the war . This flag was also associated with the Sons of Liberty . Red and white were common colors of the flags , although other color combinations were used , such as green and white or yellow and white . Notable Sons of Liberty ( edit ) Samuel Adams -- political writer , tax collector , cousin of John Adams , fire warden . Founded the Sons Of Liberty , Boston Joseph Allicocke -- One of the leaders of the Sons in New York , and possibly of African ancestry . Benedict Arnold -- businessman , later General in the Continental Army and then the British Army Timothy Bigelow -- blacksmith , Worcester John Brown -- business leader of Providence , Rhode Island John Crane -- carpenter , Colonel in command of the 3rd Continental Artillery Regiment , Braintree Benjamin Edes -- journalist / publisher Boston Gazette , Boston Christopher Gadsden -- merchant , Charleston , South Carolina John Hancock -- merchant , smuggler , fire warden , Boston Patrick Henry -- lawyer , Virginia John Lamb -- trader , New York City Alexander McDougall -- captain of privateers , New York City Hercules Mulligan -- tailor , spy under George Washington for the Continental Army , friend of Alexander Hamilton James Otis -- lawyer , Massachusetts Charles Willson Peale -- portrait painter and saddle maker , Annapolis , Maryland Paul Revere -- silversmith , fire warden , Boston Benjamin Rush -- physician , Philadelphia Isaac Sears -- captain of privateers , New York City Haym Salomon -- financial broker , New York and Philadelphia James Swan -- American patriot and financier , Boston Isaiah Thomas -- printer , Boston then Worcester , first to read Declaration of Independence in Massachusetts Charles Thomson -- tutor , secretary , Philadelphia Joseph Warren -- doctor , soldier , Boston Thomas Young -- doctor , Boston Marinus Willett -- cabinetmaker , soldier , New York Oliver Wolcott -- lawyer , Connecticut Later societies ( edit ) At various times , small secret organizations took the name `` sons of liberty '' . They generally left very few records . The name was also used during the American Civil War . By 1864 , the Copperhead group the Knights of the Golden Circle set up an offshoot called Order of the Sons of Liberty . They both came under federal prosecution in 1864 for treason , especially in Indiana . A radical wing of the Zionist movement launched a boycott in the U.S. against British films in 1948 , in response to British policies in Palestine . It called itself the `` Sons of Liberty . '' Modern references ( edit ) The patriotic spirit of the Sons of Liberty has been used by Walt Disney Pictures through their 1957 film adaptation of Esther Forbes ' novel Johnny Tremain . Within the movie , the Sons of Liberty sing a rousing song titled `` The Liberty Tree '' . This song raises the Liberty Tree to a national icon in a manner similar to the way in which George M. Cohan 's `` You 're a Grand Old Flag '' revitalized respect for the American flag in the early twentieth century . In the 1995 alternative history novel The Two Georges , the Sons of Liberty are depicted as a nativist terrorist organisation whose aim is to make the North American Union independent of the British Empire ; their attempts include the theft of the titular portrait for a fifty million pound ransom and two assassination attempts on King - Emperor Charles III . The flag used by the Sons of Liberty and the Independence Party alike is a variation of the North American Jack and Stripes with the Union Jack in the canton being replaced by a bald eagle . The Sons of Liberty are referred to in the 2001 video game Metal Gear Solid 2 : Sons of Liberty . It refers to them in the title , and a group within the game calls itself the Sons of Liberty and models itself after them . In 2015 , a three - part mini-series aired on the History Channel with the same name . The Sons of Liberty are referred to in the 2015 Broadway show Hamilton . In the song `` Yorktown ( The World Turned Upside Down ) , '' the character Hercules Mulligan sings , `` I am runnin ' with the Sons of Liberty and I am lovin ' it . '' In an episode of the Claymation children 's TV show Gumby , entitled `` Son of Liberty '' ( first aired in 1966 ) , Gumby becomes a member of the Sons of Liberty . See also ( edit ) Loyal Nine , precursor to the Sons of Liberty Daughters of Liberty Stamp Act Congress Patriot ( American Revolution ) Sons of Liberty ( miniseries ) References ( edit ) Jump up ^ John Phillips Resch , ed. , Americans at war : society , culture , and the homefront ( MacMillan Reference Library , 2005 ) 1 : 174 - 75 Jump up ^ Alan Axelrod ( 2000 ) . The Complete Idiot 's Guide to the American Revolution . Alpha Books . p. 89 . ISBN 9780028633794 . Jump up ^ Gregory Fremont - Barnes , Encyclopedia of the Age of Political Revolutions and New Ideologies ( 2007 ) 1 : 688 Jump up ^ Frank Lambert ( 2005 ) . James Habersham : loyalty , politics , and commerce in colonial Georgia . U. of Georgia Press . p. 173 . ISBN 978 - 0 - 8203 - 2539 - 2 . Jump up ^ John C. Miller , Origins of the American Revolution ( Boston , 1943 ) p. 74 . Jump up ^ John C. Miller , Origins of the American Revolution ( Boston , 1943 ) Jump up ^ Such as by the local judges and Frederick , Maryland . See Thomas John Chew Williams ( 1979 ) . History of Frederick County , Maryland . Genealogical Publishing Co. pp. 78 -- 79 . ISBN 9780806379739 . Jump up ^ Miller , Origins of the American Revolution pp. 121 , 129 -- 130 Jump up ^ Anger , p. 135 Jump up ^ Benjamin H. Irvin , `` Tar , feathers , and the enemies of American liberties , 1768 - 1776 . '' New England Quarterly ( 2003 ) : 197 - 238 . in JSTOR Jump up ^ T.H. Breen ( 2004 ) . The Marketplace of Revolution : How Consumer Politics Shaped American Independence . Oxford UP . p. 446 . ISBN 9780199840113 . Jump up ^ Schecter , pg. 382 Jump up ^ Colonial and Revolutionary War Flags ( U.S. ) Jump up ^ Liberty Flags ( U.S. ) Jump up ^ Ansoff , Peter . ( 2004 ) . The First Navy Jack . Raven : A Journal of Vexillology , 11 Jump up ^ Donald A. Grinde Jr , `` Joseph Allicocke : African - American Leader of the Sons of Liberty . '' Afro - Americans in New York Life and History 14 #. 2 ( 1990 ) : 61 - 69 . Jump up ^ Dave R. Plamer ( 2010 ) . George Washington and Benedict Arnold : A Tale of Two Patriots . Regnery Publishing . p. 3 . ISBN 9781596981645 . Jump up ^ Ira Stoll ( 2008 ) . Samuel Adams : A Life . Free Press . pp. 76 -- 77 . ISBN 9781416594567 . Jump up ^ David H. Fischer ( 1995 ) . Paul Revere 's ride . Oxford University Press . p. 22 . ISBN 9780195098310 . Jump up ^ Paul Della Valle ( 2009 ) . Massachusetts Troublemakers : Rebels , Reformers , and Radicals from the Bay State . Rowman & Littlefield . p. 57 . ISBN 9780762757954 . Jump up ^ Chris Alexander ( 2010 ) . Two Truths Two Justices . Xulon Press . p. 146 . ISBN 9781612154527 . Jump up ^ Daniel Elbridge Wager ( 1891 ) . Col. Marinus Willett , the Hero of Mohawk Valley . p. 10 . Jump up ^ Baker , pg. 341 Jump up ^ David C. Keehn ( 2013 ) . Knights of the Golden Circle : Secret Empire , Southern Secession , Civil War . Louisiana State UP . p. 173 . ISBN 9780807150047 . Jump up ^ Kerry Segrave ( 2004 ) . Foreign Films in America : A History . McFarland . p. 86 . ISBN 978 - 0 - 7864 - 8162 - 0 . Further reading ( edit ) 18th century Sons ( edit ) Becker , Carl ( 1901 ) , `` Growth of Revolutionary Parties and Methods in New York Province 1765 -- 1774 '' , American Historical Review , 7 ( 1 ) : 56 -- 76 , doi : 10.2307 / 1832532 , ISSN 0002 - 8762 , JSTOR 1832532 Carson , Clayborne , Jake Miller , and James Miller . `` Sons of Liberty . '' in Civil Disobedience : An Encyclopedic History of Dissidence in the United States ( 2015 ) : 276 + Champagne , Roger J. ( 1967 ) , `` Liberty Boys and Mechanics of New York City , 1764 -- 1774 '' , Labor History , 8 ( 2 ) : 115 -- 135 , ISSN 0023 - 656X Champagne , Roger J. ( 1964 ) , `` New York 's Radicals and the Coming of Independence '' , Journal of American History , 51 ( 1 ) : 21 -- 40 , doi : 10.2307 / 1917932 , ISSN 0021 - 8723 , JSTOR 1917932 Dawson , Henry Barton . The Sons of Liberty in New York ( 1859 ) 118 pages ; online edition Foner , Philip Sheldon . Labor and the American Revolution ( 1976 ) Westport , CN : Greenwood. 258 pages . Hoffer , Peter Charles ( 2006 ) , Seven Fires : The Urban Infernos The Reshaped America , New York : Public Affairs , ISBN 1 - 58648 - 355 - 2 Irvin , Benjamin H. ( 2003 ) , `` Tar , Feathers , and the Enemies of American Liberties , 1768 -- 1776 '' , New England Quarterly , 76 ( 2 ) : 197 -- 238 , doi : 10.2307 / 1559903 , ISSN 0028 - 4866 , JSTOR 1559903 Labaree , Benjamin Woods . The Boston Tea Party ( 1964 ) . Maier , Pauline ( 1972 ) , From Resistance to Revolution : Colonial Radicals and the Development of American Opposition to Britain , 1765 -- 1776 , New York : W.W. Norton Maier , Pauline . `` Reason and Revolution : The Radicalism of Dr. Thomas Young , '' American Quarterly Vol. 28 , No. 2 , ( Summer 1976 ) , pp. 229 -- 249 in JSTOR Middlekauff , Robert ( 2005 ) , The Glorious Cause : The American Revolution , 1763 -- 1789 , Oxford University Press , ISBN 019531588X Miller , John C. ( 1943 ) , Origins of the American Revolution , Boston : Little , Brown and Company Morais , Herbert M. ( 1939 ) , `` The Sons of Liberty in New York '' , in Morris , Richard B. , The Era of the American Revolution , pp. 269 -- 289 , a Marxist interpretation Nash , Gary B. ( 2005 ) , The Unknown Revolution : The Unruly Birth of Democracy and the Struggle to Create America , London : Viking , ISBN 0 - 670 - 03420 - 7 Schecter , Barnet ( 2002 ) , The Battle of New York , New York : Walker , ISBN 0 - 8027 - 1374 - 2 Unger , Harlow ( 2000 ) , John Hancock : Merchant King and American Patriot , Edison , NJ : Castle Books , ISBN 0 - 7858 - 2026 - 4 Walsh , Richard . Charleston 's Sons of Liberty : A Study of the Artisans , 1763 -- 1789 ( 1968 ) Warner , William B. Protocols of Liberty : Communication Innovation and the American Revolution ( University of Chicago Press , 2013 ) Later groups ( edit ) Baker , Jean ( 1983 ) , Affairs of Party : The Political Culture of Northern Democrats in the Mid-Nineteenth Century , Ithaca , New York : Cornell University Press , ISBN 0 - 8014 - 1513 - 6 Churchill , Robert . `` Liberty , conscription , and a party divided - The Sons of Liberty conspiracy , 1863 - 1864 . '' Prologue - Quarterly of the National Archives 30 # 4 ( 1998 ) : 294 - 303 . Rodgers , Thomas E. `` Copperheads or a Respectable Minority : Current Approaches to the Study of Civil War - Era Democrats . '' Indiana Magazine of History 109 # 2 ( 2013 ) : 114 - 146 . in JSTOR External links ( edit ) The Sons of Liberty , ushistory.org The Sons of Liberty , u-s-history.com Albany Sons of Liberty Constitution Association of the Sons of Liberty in New York , December 15 , 1773 New York in the American Revolution 1765 Sons of Liberty First Liberty Poles erected Stamp Act Congress 1770 Battle of Golden Hill 1775 Capture of Fort Ticonderoga Invasion of Canada 1776 New York and New Jersey campaign Battle of Long Island New York Prison Ships Begin Submarine attack in New York Harbor Staten Island Peace Conference Landing at Kip 's Bay Battle of Harlem Heights Great Fire of New York Execution of Nathan Hale Battle of Valcour Island Battle of Pell 's Point Battle of White Plains Battle of Fort Washington 1777 Meigs Raid Saratoga campaign Siege of Fort Ticonderoga Battle of Fort Anne Siege of Fort Stanwix Battle of Oriskany Battle of Bennington Battle of Setauket Battle of Staten Island Battle of Freeman 's Farm ( 1st Saratoga ) Battle of Forts Clinton and Montgomery Battle of Bemis Heights ( 2nd Saratoga ) 1778 Setauket Spy Ring Launched Battle of Cobleskill West Point established Attack on German Flatts Raid on Unadilla and Onaquaga Carleton 's Raid Cherry Valley massacre 1779 Battle of Stony Point Battle of Minisink Sullivan Expedition Battle of Newtown Boyd and Parker ambush 1780 Battle of Young 's House First Purple Heart Arnold -- André conspiracy exposed Battle of Klock 's Field Battle of Fort St. George 1781 HMS Culloden Runs Aground at Montauk Washington Calls Off Invasion of New York Battle of Fort Slongo Battle of Johnstown 1782 Washington 's Headquarters at Newburgh Newburgh letter 1783 Newburgh Conspiracy British Evacuate New York Washington 's Farewell to His Officers ( hide ) American Revolutionary War Origins of the American Revolution Philosophy American Enlightenment John Locke Colonial history Liberalism Republicanism Freedom of religion Rights of Englishmen Common Sense Spirit of ' 76 `` All men are created equal '' `` Life , Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness '' `` Consent of the governed '' Royalists Pitt -- Newcastle ministry Bute ministry Grenville ministry First Rockingham ministry Chatham ministry Grafton ministry North ministry Second Rockingham ministry Shelburne ministry Fox -- North coalition Loyalists Black Loyalist Related British Acts of Parliament Navigation Iron Molasses Royal Proclamation of 1763 Sugar Currency Quartering Stamp Declaratory Townshend Tea Quebec Intolerable Conciliatory Resolution Restraining Proclamation of Rebellion Prohibitory Colonials Stamp Act Congress Declaration of Rights and Grievances Virginia Association Sons of Liberty Patriots Committees of correspondence Committees of safety Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania Massachusetts Circular Letter First Continental Congress Continental Association Minutemen Second Continental Congress Olive Branch Petition Declaration of Independence Articles of Confederation Events French and Indian War Treaty of Paris ( 1763 ) Boston Massacre Gaspee Affair Hutchinson Letters Affair Boston Tea Party Powder Alarm Combatants Campaigns Theaters Battles Events Colonies Combatants Thirteen Colonies Continental Congress Army Navy Marines Kingdom of Great Britain Parliament British Army Royal Navy German allies Colonial allies France army navy Hortalez et Cie Campaigns and theaters Boston Canada New York and New Jersey Saratoga Philadelphia Northern Southern Western Yorktown Naval battles Major battles Lexington and Concord Boston Capture of Fort Ticonderoga Bunker Hill Quebec Valcour Island Long Island Harlem Heights Fort Washington Trenton Assunpink Creek Princeton Siege of Fort Ticonderoga Bennington Saratoga Brandywine Germantown Monmouth St. Lucia Grenada Stony Point Sullivan Expedition Savannah Gibraltar Cape St. Vincent Charleston Springfield Camden Kings Mountain Cowpens Guilford Court House Lochry 's Defeat Yorktown Saintes Cuddalore Other events Staten Island Peace Conference `` First Salute '' Washington 's crossing of the Delaware River Conway Cabal Valley Forge Entry of France into war Carlisle Peace Commission Gordon Riots Pennsylvania Mutiny of 1781 Sint Eustatius Newburgh Conspiracy Pennsylvania Mutiny of 1783 Related conflicts Cherokee -- American wars Fourth Anglo - Dutch War Second Anglo - Mysore War Involvement ( by colony or location ) Rebel colonies Connecticut Delaware Georgia Maryland Massachusetts New Hampshire New Jersey New York North Carolina Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina Virginia Loyal colonies East Florida Nova Scotia Quebec West Florida Leaders British Military Arbuthnot Brant Burgoyne Campbell Carleton Clinton Cornwallis Fraser Gage Graves Richard Howe William Howe Knyphausen Rodney Civilian King George III Amherst Barrington Germain North Rockingham Sandwich Shelburne Colonial Military Washington Alexander Allen Arnold Barry Claghorn Clark Duportail Gates Greene Hamilton Hopkins Jones de Kalb Knox Lafayette Charles Lee Lincoln Mercer Montgomery Nicholson Putnam Rodney St. Clair Schuyler von Steuben Sullivan Ward Wayne Civilian John Adams Samuel Adams Carroll Dickinson Franklin Hancock Hanson Henry Huntington Jay Jefferson Laurens Richard Henry Lee McKean Morris Revere Rush Witherspoon Colonial allies French Louis XVI Beaumarchais d'Estaing de Grasse de Guichen Luzerne de Rochambeau Suffren Vergennes Aftermath Treaty of Paris ( 1783 ) Constitutional Convention Constitution Bill of Rights The Federalist Papers Shays ' Rebellion Jay Treaty Related topics Categories Related topics Military Prisoners Society of the Cincinnati The Turtle Political Founding Fathers Diplomacy Liberty Tree Yankee Doodle Other topics African Americans Timeline Women Categories Casualties Diplomacy Films Flags Military operations Military personnel Military units and formations Museums Novels Ships Sites Sister projects American Revolutionary War at Wiktionary Source texts at Wikisource Textbooks at Wikibooks Images and media at the Commons Quotations at Wikiquote News stories at Wikinews American Revolutionary War Portal Samuel Adams 4th Governor of Massachusetts , 1794 -- 1797 Second Continental Congress , 1775 -- 1781 First Continental Congress , 1774 Clerk of the Massachusetts House of Representatives , 1766 -- 1774 United States founding events The Independent Advertiser Boston Caucus 1764 Sugar Act response protests 1768 Massachusetts Circular Letter Probable author , 1768 -- 1769 `` Journal of Occurrences '' Arranged Christopher Seider funeral , 1770 Co-author , 1772 Boston Pamphlet Boston Committee of Correspondence , 1772 Hutchinson Letters Affair Co-inspired and publicized , Boston Tea Party Signed , 1774 Continental Association Massachusetts Provincial Congress Co-author , 1776 Letter to the inhabitants of Canada Signed , United States Declaration of Independence Signed , Articles of Confederation 1788 Massachusetts Compromise Life Early life Massachusetts Hall , Harvard University Sons of Liberty 1789 U.S. House election 1796 presidential election Samuel Adams and Paul Revere time capsule Granary Burying Ground Related American republicanism Boston Gazette American Revolution patriots Founding Father Faneuil Hall Old South Meeting House Legacy Samuel Adams ( Whitney ) Adams , Massachusetts Liberty 's Kids ( 2002 animated series ) John Adams ( 2008 miniseries ) Sons of Liberty ( 2015 miniseries ) Family John Adams ( second cousin ) John Hancock 1st and 3rd Governor of Massachusetts , 1780 -- 1785 , 1787 -- 1793 President , 2nd Continential Congress , 1775 -- 1777 Boston Board of Selectmen , 1766 -- 1775 United States Founding events HMS Liberty confiscation Sons of Liberty Co-inspired , Boston Tea Party 1774 Massacre Day speech President , Massachusetts Provincial Congress Chairman , Massachusetts Committee of Safety Presided over , signed , United States Declaration of Independence signing Dunlap broadside Signed , Articles of Confederation Life Early life Hancock - Clarke House Hancock Manor Massachusetts Hall , Harvard University Boston Cadets Co-founder , American Academy of Arts and Sciences United States presidential election , 1788 -- 89 Granary Burying Ground Related American Revolution patriots Founding Father Syng inkstand Legacy USS Hancock , 1775 USS Hancock , 1776 Liberty 's Kids ( 2002 animated series ) John Adams ( 2008 miniseries ) Sons of Liberty ( 2015 miniseries ) John Hancock Tower John Hancock Center Family Dorothy Quincy ( wife ) John Hancock Jr. ( father ) Thomas Hancock ( uncle ) John Hancock , Sr. ( grandfather ) Edmund Quincy ( father - in - law ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sons_of_Liberty&oldid=817877421 '' Categories : 1765 establishments in the Thirteen Colonies American Revolution National liberation movements New York ( state ) in the American Revolution Patriotic societies Patriots in the American Revolution American secret societies Talk Navigation Contents About Wikipedia Беларуская Català Deutsch Español Esperanto Français 한국어 Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית Magyar Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Polski Português Română Русский Sicilianu Simple English Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски ไทย Українська 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 31 December 2017 , at 02 : 47 . 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the sons of liberty who were they and what did they do
Sons and Daughters of Harem Motto No taxation without representation Formation 1765 Dissolved 1776 Type Patriot , paramilitary , political organizations Legal status defunct Location Boston , Province of Massachusetts Bay , New York City , Province of New York , Providence , Rhode Island , Province of Rhode Island , Newport , Rhode Island , Province of New Hampshire , Province of New Jersey , Province of Maryland , Virginia Colony Motto No taxation without representation Formation 1765 Dissolved 1776 Type Patriot , paramilitary , political organizations Legal status defunct Location Boston , Province of Massachusetts Bay , New York City , Province of New York , Providence , Rhode Island , Province of Rhode Island , Newport , Rhode Island , Province of New Hampshire , Province of New Jersey , Province of Maryland , Virginia Colony Boston , Province of Massachusetts Bay , New York City , Province of New York , Providence , Rhode Island , Province of Rhode Island , Newport , Rhode Island , Province of New Hampshire , Province of New Jersey , Province of Maryland , Virginia Colony Boston , Province of Massachusetts Bay , New York City , Province of New York , Providence , Rhode Island , Province of Rhode Island , Newport , Rhode Island , Province of New Hampshire , Province of New Jersey , Province of Maryland , Virginia Colony The Sons of Liberty was an organization that was created in the Thirteen American Colonies . The secret society was formed to protect the rights of the colonists and to fight taxation by the British government . They played a major role in most colonies in battling the Stamp Act in 1765 . The group officially disbanded after the Stamp Act was repealed . However , the name was applied to other local separatist groups during the years preceding the American Revolution . In the popular imagination , 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 . '' In 1765 , the British government needed money to afford the 10,000 officers and soldiers living in the colonies , and intended that the colonists living there should contribute . The British passed a series of taxes aimed at the colonists , and many of the colonists refused to pay certain taxes ; they argued that they should not be held accountable for taxes which were decided upon without any form of their consent through a representative . This became commonly known as `` No Taxation without Representation . '' Parliament insisted on its right to rule the colonies despite the fact that the colonists had no representative in Parliament . The most incendiary tax was the Stamp Act of 1765 , which caused a firestorm of opposition through legislative resolutions ( starting in the colony of Virginia ) , public demonstrations , threats , and occasional hurtful losses . The organization spread hour by hour , after independent starts in several different colonies . In August 1765 , the group was founded in Boston , Massachusetts . By November 6 , a committee was set up in New York to correspond with other colonies . In December , an alliance was formed between groups in New York and Connecticut . January bore witness to a correspondence link between Boston and New York City , and by March , Providence had initiated connections with New York , New Hampshire , and Newport , Rhode Island . March also marked the emergence of Sons of Liberty organizations in New Jersey , Maryland , and Virginia . In Boston , another example of violence could be found in their treatment of local stamp distributor Andrew Oliver . They burned his effigy in the streets . When he did not resign , they escalated to burning down his office building . Even after he resigned , they almost destroyed the whole house of his close associate Lieutenant Governor Thomas Hutchinson . It is believed that the Sons of Liberty did this to excite the lower classes and get them actively involved in rebelling against the authorities . Their actions made many of the stamp distributors resign in fear . Early in the American Revolution , the former Sons of Liberty generally joined more formal groups , such as the Committee of Safety . The Sons of Liberty popularized the use of tar and feathering to punish and humiliate offending government officials starting in 1767 . This method was also used against British Loyalists during the American Revolution . This punishment had long been used by sailors to punish their mates . In December 1773 , a new group calling itself the Sons of Liberty issued and distributed a declaration in New York City called the Association of the Sons of Liberty in New York , which formally stated that they were opposed to the Tea Act and that anyone who assisted in the execution of the act was `` an enemy to the liberties of America '' and that `` whoever shall transgress any of these resolutions , we will not deal with , or employ , or have any connection with him '' . After the end of the American Revolutionary War , Isaac Sears , Marinus Willet , and John Lamb in New York City revived the Sons of Liberty . In March 1784 , they rallied an enormous crowd that called for the expulsion of any remaining Loyalists from the state starting May 1 . The Sons of Liberty were able to gain enough seats in the New York assembly elections of December 1784 to have passed a set of punitive laws against Loyalists . In violation of the Treaty of Paris ( 1783 ) , they called for the confiscation of the property of Loyalists . Alexander Hamilton defended the Loyalists , citing the supremacy of the treaty . In 1767 , the Sons of Liberty adopted a flag called the rebellious stripes flag with nine vertical stripes , four white and five red . A flag having 13 horizontal red and white stripes was used by Commodore Esek Hopkins ( Commander - in - Chief of the Continental Navy ) and by American merchant ships during the war . This flag was also associated with the Sons of Liberty . Red and white were common colors of the flags , although other color combinations were used , such as green and white or yellow and white . Samuel Adams -- political writer , tax collector , cousin of John Adams , fire warden . Founded the Sons Of Liberty , Boston Joseph Allicocke -- One of the leaders of the Sons in New York , and possibly of African ancestry . Benedict Arnold -- businessman , later General in the Continental Army and then the British Army Timothy Bigelow -- blacksmith , Worcester John Brown -- business leader of Providence , Rhode Island John Crane -- carpenter , Colonel in command of the 3rd Continental Artillery Regiment , Braintree Benjamin Edes -- journalist / publisher Boston Gazette , Boston Christopher Gadsden -- merchant , Charleston , South Carolina John Hancock -- merchant , smuggler , fire warden , Boston Patrick Henry -- lawyer , Virginia John Lamb -- trader , New York City Alexander McDougall -- captain of privateers , New York City Hercules Mulligan -- tailor , spy under George Washington for the Continental Army , friend of Alexander Hamilton James Otis -- lawyer , Massachusetts Charles Willson Peale -- portrait painter and saddle maker , Annapolis , Maryland Paul Revere -- silversmith , fire warden , Boston Benjamin Rush -- physician , Philadelphia Isaac Sears -- captain of privateers , New York City Haym Salomon -- financial broker , New York and Philadelphia James Swan -- American patriot and financier , Boston Isaiah Thomas -- printer , Boston then Worcester , first to read Declaration of Independence in Massachusetts Charles Thomson -- tutor , secretary , Philadelphia Joseph Warren -- doctor , soldier , Boston Thomas Young -- doctor , Boston Marinus Willett -- cabinetmaker , soldier , New York Oliver Wolcott -- lawyer , Connecticut Samuel Adams -- political writer , tax collector , cousin of John Adams , fire warden . Founded the Sons Of Liberty , Boston Joseph Allicocke -- One of the leaders of the Sons in New York , and possibly of African ancestry . Benedict Arnold -- businessman , later General in the Continental Army and then the British Army Timothy Bigelow -- blacksmith , Worcester John Brown -- business leader of Providence , Rhode Island John Crane -- carpenter , Colonel in command of the 3rd Continental Artillery Regiment , Braintree Benjamin Edes -- journalist / publisher Boston Gazette , Boston Christopher Gadsden -- merchant , Charleston , South Carolina John Hancock -- merchant , smuggler , fire warden , Boston Patrick Henry -- lawyer , Virginia John Lamb -- trader , New York City Alexander McDougall -- captain of privateers , New York City Hercules Mulligan -- tailor , spy under George Washington for the Continental Army , friend of Alexander Hamilton James Otis -- lawyer , Massachusetts Charles Willson Peale -- portrait painter and saddle maker , Annapolis , Maryland Paul Revere -- silversmith , fire warden , Boston Benjamin Rush -- physician , Philadelphia Isaac Sears -- captain of privateers , New York City Haym Salomon -- financial broker , New York and Philadelphia James Swan -- American patriot and financier , Boston Isaiah Thomas -- printer , Boston then Worcester , first to read Declaration of Independence in Massachusetts Charles Thomson -- tutor , secretary , Philadelphia Joseph Warren -- doctor , soldier , Boston Thomas Young -- doctor , Boston Marinus Willett -- cabinetmaker , soldier , New York Oliver Wolcott -- lawyer , Connecticut At various times , small secret organizations took the name `` sons of liberty '' . They generally left very few records . The name was also used during the American Civil War . By 1864 , the Copperhead group the Knights of the Golden Circle set up an offshoot called Order of the Sons of Liberty . They both came under federal prosecution in 1864 for treason , especially in Indiana . A radical wing of the Zionist movement launched a boycott in the U.S. against British films in 1948 , in response to British policies in Palestine . It called itself the `` Sons of Liberty . '' The patriotic spirit of the Sons of Liberty has been used by Walt Disney Pictures through their 1957 film adaptation of Esther Forbes ' novel Johnny Tremain . Within the movie , the Sons of Liberty sing a rousing song titled `` The Liberty Tree '' . This song raises the Liberty Tree to a national icon in a manner similar to the way in which George M. Cohan 's `` You 're a Grand Old Flag '' revitalized respect for the American flag in the early twentieth century . In the 1995 alternative history novel The Two Georges , the Sons of Liberty are depicted as a nativist terrorist organisation whose aim is to make the North American Union independent of the British Empire ; their attempts include the theft of the titular portrait for a fifty million pound ransom and two assassination attempts on King - Emperor Charles III . The flag used by the Sons of Liberty and the Independence Party alike is a variation of the North American Jack and Stripes with the Union Jack in the canton being replaced by a bald eagle . The Sons of Liberty are referred to in the 2001 video game Metal Gear Solid 2 : Sons of Liberty . It refers to them in the title , and a group within the game calls itself the Sons of Liberty and models itself after them . In 2015 , a three - part mini-series aired on the History Channel with the same name . The Sons of Liberty are referred to in the 2015 Broadway show Hamilton . In the song `` Yorktown ( The World Turned Upside Down ) , '' the character Hercules Mulligan sings , `` I am runnin ' with the Sons of Liberty and I am lovin ' it . '' In an episode of the Claymation children 's TV show Gumby , entitled `` Son of Liberty '' ( first aired in 1966 ) , Gumby becomes a member of the Sons of Liberty .
an organization that was created in the Thirteen American Colonies