The Sons Of Liberty And Their Influence On Colonial Rule

Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation by Joseph J. Ellis is an episodic recount of six pivotal moments in post-revolutionary America’s history. The book follows Abigail Adams, John Adams, Aaron Burr, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and George Washington through these events. The author seeks to show not only the outcomes that occurred in them, but to give in detail deeper thought about the thinking and actions that lead to those outcomes.

The mistake of not making simple reforms, like allowing one representative in parliament per colony would lead to revolts, and even groups coming together. Some revolts were peaceful while others, which affected the tax collectors and stamp sellers, were violent resulting in the tarring and feathering of the British officials. The Sons of Liberty, led by Samuel Adams, James Otis, and Patrick Henry, were a very radical and overdramatic group, Patrick Henry would make the fateful statement of “Give me liberty or give me death.” On October 7th, 1765 the Stamp act congress would meet there were representatives from 9 of the 13 colonies. The representatives made a decision to boycott British goods. By March of 1776, the Stamp Acts will have been appealed, but the government in England is not happy.

As generations grew up in America, nationalism within the colonies grew towards their new country. These settlers slowly lost their patriotic tie to Great Britain and it’s ruler, King George III. So when the French and Indian War ended in America, and the indebted England needed some compensation from American settlers in the form of taxes, the colonists questioned the authority of England and their ability to rule them. British imperial policies such as the Sugar Act of 1764 and the Townshend Tea Tax caused uproar within the colonies against British rule without

The demand for no taxation without representation was the primary force motivating the American revolutionary movement, and for many it became a symbol for democracy. Throughout the late 18th century, the British colony of America was oppressed by Parliament from "across the pond". This oppression included unequal rights compared to English citizens that lived on the mainland, unneeded taxation, and no representation in Parliament, which resulted in many laws that were unfavorable to the American colonists. It was this "taxation without representation" that was a powerful catalyst in firing up the American revolutionary movement. America was "all grown up", and no longer needed to be monitored on by Britain.

By suddenly ending “salutary neglect”, the British Parliament had, unknowing, prompted the beginnings of the Americans' grievances. Though not much protest occurred in response to the Proclamation (most colonists moved West anyways), the Act itself would set a precedent for Americans' sense of anxiety. The first direct tax on the American colonies, the Stamp act, contributed significantly to the beginnings of pre-Revolutionary unity. With the rallying battle cry, “No taxation without representation”, the American colonists proceeded to call together the Stamp Act Congress. Not only was this event significant due to the fact that it was another group meeting, automatically signifying at least some unity, but major proponents of Revolution, such as Samuel Adams, started new efforts towards uniting colonists against Britain, such as the Sons of Liberty. The following several years, though not marked with tremendous amounts of unification, definitely contributed to a growing sense of anxiety and oppression amongst the American colonists. With more direct taxes such as the Tea Acts, Coercive Acts, and Quartering Acts. Grievance after grievance, the number of “unreasonable” British actions inevitably forced the Americans into a dilemma. While some colonists, such as Richmond Henry Lee, equated such acts to the British desire to “ruin” the colonies, others, such as Mather Byles, believed that a radical

The Sons of Liberty started to group together around in about 1772. The Sons of Liberty were a large group of colonists that rebelled against the Stamp Act. They were everyday, ordinary men, depending on what source you are looking at, they could be rebels, colonists helping to smuggle goods so they can try to avoid taxes, or merchants and artisans, or they could just be a group of people standing up for what they believe. . The thing is, the Sons of Liberty were all of these… they did all of this. No matter what, their main goal was to not pay any taxes, rebel against the taxes , or more likely to intimidate the tax collectors. They tried to rebel against the taxes, because almost everyone did not approve of the taxes, and to do this,

The Sons of Liberty was an organization that was created in the Thirteen American Colonies.The secret group was formed to protect the rights of the colonists and to fight taxation by the British government.By the end of the year the Sons of Liberty existed to every colony.The Sons of Liberty formed out of a number of smaller protest groups in 1765.The first group was formed out of the Loyal Nine in Boston with other groups soon forming in New York and Connecticut.

Though many laws were passed taxing the colonists, America had no say in the British Parliament. Patrick Henry’s speech embodies this argument when he says “We have no representatives in the British Parliament…… The Stamp Act is against the law. We must not obey it” (Doc. 1). This act of defiance caught the colonists’ attention and made them feel that perhaps they could change the laws after all. Another act of defiance against the British was the Boston Tea Party. The Boston Tea Party was a riot against the British that involved colonists dumping tons of tea from British ships into the sea. Britain then passed a law that said that the Boston Harbor would be closed until the colonists paid for the tea. This angered the colonists even more, and eventually led to the Revolution. As you can see, many rebellious deeds inspired the colonists and helped them confront the British.

Joseph J. Ellis, the author of “The Founding Brothers,” identifies and give a better vision of what is happening in the American Revolution. Ellis states, “On the inevitability side, it is true there was voices back then urging prospective patriots to regard American Independence as an early manifest destiny” (3). The book introduces the revolutionaries: George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson, Aaron Burr, James Madison, and Benjamin Franklin. Ellis focuses on the characteristics, actions, events, and the ideologies differences that affect the American Revolution.

Ellis, Joseph J. Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2000. Print.

The American Revolution, one of the most significant events in our world’s history, has established a huge impact on not only life back in the eighteenth and nineteenth century but our society today. The Acts of Parliament highly benefited the British but did not afford those same rights to the colonists until the formal issuing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776, in which colonial freedom was granted. The most controversial issue is which group caused it; a result of propaganda by the colonists. Multiple acts and protests contributed to this war, three influential ones being the Stamp Act, Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party.

The Sons of Liberty took place. They were a group of people against the British. They took place in 1765. They were too help the colonist. Samuel and John Adams were both part of the sons of liberty. They were brothers. The sons of liberty were very helpful to the colonist. They reacted with anger. They were tired of the taxes being put on the things they buy.

As predicted by Benjamin Franklin, the American people broke out into riots and threatened the lives of the British in America. In retaliation of the act, Americans replied in three major ways. The Sons of Liberty formed; a group who encouraged outrage against the British, often in a violent manner. The American public began a boycott of British goods in an attempt to coerce British merchants to urge Parliament to repeal the act. And finally a Stamp Act Congress came together in New York in order to petition King George and Parliament to revoke the tax.

The Sons of Liberty was the name given to a group of patriots who worked underground to defend the rights of the colonists against the British government in the years before the American Revolution. They represented the ideals of liberty and justice, approving all the grievances and complaints of the colonists. Although the name was first used during the repeal of the Stamp Act in 1765, it continued to be stated to whenever colonists came together to fight new British laws, and especially taxes. The Sons of Liberty became an organization capable of getting people together to protest British impositions in a very effective manner. The slogan “No taxation without representation” was their official motto and the “tar and feathering” was