Draft:Sons of Liberty flag
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Sons of Liberty flags (Rebellious Stripes) | |||||||||||||
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 .svg) Nine vertical stripes, alternating red and white.
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The Sons of Liberty Flags,[1] known as rebellious stripes holds a significant place in American history as a symbol of the early resistance against British rule. The flag was first used in the mid-1760s during various demonstrations organized by the Sons of Liberty. This group later became widely known for their role in the Boston Tea Party. The British authorities viewed the flag as a symbol of rebellion and resistance.[2] As a result, the British tried to suppress it, along with other forms of colonial protest. The flag became a powerful symbol of American resistance and independence, and its suppression only heightened its significance among the American colonists.[3][4]
History
[edit]Nine-striped
[edit]The flag of the Sons of Liberty, adopted in 1765, featured nine alternating (five red and four white) vertical stripes. It is an assumption that the stripes represented the nine colonies that participated in the Stamp Act Congress:[5][6][7] (Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and South Carolina). It became a symbol of their commitment to fighting against British policies. Over time, it evolved into a broader symbol of the American struggle for independence.[8]
Thirteen-striped
[edit]The transition from nine vertical to thirteen horizontal stripes likely occurred around 1775, after the meeting of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies.[9] This change symbolized the unified resistance of the newly formed United Colonies against British rule.[10] By the time the American Revolutionary War was in full swing, the flag had evolved to display thirteen stripes, aligning with the thirteen United Colonies. The origin of the thirteen-striped flag is debated, with some attributing it to Commodore Esek Hopkins «The Striped Jack»[11] of the Continental Navy.[12][13] Additionally, a flag with thirteen horizontal red and white stripes used by American merchant ships during the war was also associated with the Sons of Liberty.[14] Although there is some historical ambiguity regarding the development of the 13-stripe flag and whether the Sons of Liberty had anything to do with the development of the flag at all.[15]
Early Colonists' Protest Flag
[edit]The Rebellious Stripes flag was originally hoisted at the Liberty Tree, a famous elm tree that stood in famous park in Boston and served as a meeting place for the Sons of Liberty and other patriot groups. The flag was flown during various protests, including the famous Boston Tea Party in 1773,[16] it symbolized colonial resistance and was a precursor to other flags used during the American Revolution, such as the "Liberty and Union Flag" (raised by Sons of Liberty, 21 October 1774), "Join, or Die" flag and the "Don't Tread on Me" Gadsden flag,[17] and others. The Rebellious Stripes was often displayed during protests and gatherings to signal the presence and the cause of the Sons of Liberty.[18] The Liberty Tree became a symbol of resistance against British oppression, and when the British Loyalist cut it down, the Sons of Liberty erected Liberty Pole in their place.[19] The Liberty Tree in Boston Common was particularly significant, and its legacy is commemorated with a bronze plaque at its former site .[20] The flag itself came to represent the unity and determination of the American colonists in their quest for liberty.[21]
Controversy and Legacy
[edit]The origins of the flag are subject to debate and speculation. An old Sons of Liberty flag that was donated is in the New State House. The flag is made of wool, measuring seven feet by thirteen feet, and assembled from nine vertical stripes of alternating red and white.[22] The donor of the flag has had it for generations in the family, but it is uncertain whether the origin is from the American Revolution period.
See also
[edit]- Red Ensign
- List of flags of the United States
- Flag of the United States
- Grand Union Flag
- Ensign of the United States
- Jack of the United States
- First Navy Jack
- Continental Navy
References
[edit]- ^ "Sons of Liberty Flags". crwflags.com. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
- ^ Wood, G.S. (1991) The Radicalism of the American Revolution. Alfred A. Knopf.
- ^ Breen, T.H. (2004) The Marketplace of Revolution: How Consumer Politics Shaped American Independence. Oxford University Press.
- ^ Miller JC. Sam Adams: Pioneer in Propaganda. Stanford: Stanford University Press; 1963.
- ^ Greenwood JT. The Stamp Act Congress: Twenty-Seven Angry Men. History Press; 2016.
- ^ Whipple ABC. The Sons of Liberty: The Lives and Times of Six Who Defied the British. Boston Globe; 1974
- ^ Unger HG. John Hancock: Merchant King and American Patriot. New York: Wiley; 2000.
- ^ Fischer DH. Paul Revere's Ride. Oxford University Press; 1994.
- ^ Martill, S. (2012). The American Revolution and the Flag. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
- ^ Ramsay, J. (2016). The History of the American Revolution. New York: Penguin Books
- ^ "The U.S. Navy's Jack".
- ^ Smith, W. (2001). Patriots and Plunder: The Revolutionary War in America. Boston: Beacon Press.
- ^ Ferling J. A Leap in the Dark: The Struggle to Create the American Republic. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2003.
- ^ erling, J. (2010). Independence: The Struggle to Set America Free. New York: Bloomsbury Press
- ^ Williams, H. Flags of the American Revolution. Revolutionary Press; 2016
- ^ [Davis K. The Boston Tea Party: The Foundations of Revolution. Yale University Press; 1987.
- ^ leming T. Liberty! The American Revolution. Viking; 1997.
- ^ Tyler J. The Sons of Liberty: Political Protest and Revolution. Oxford University Press; 2008.
- ^ Philbrick N. Bunker Hill: A City, a Siege, a Revolution. New York: Viking; 2013.
- ^ Middlekauff R. The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution, 1763-1789. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2005.
- ^ Boston History, n.d. The Liberty Tree. [online] Available at: http://www.bostonhistory.org [Accessed 6 August 2024].
- ^ "Old State House » Revolutionary Spaces".