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Sons of Liberty

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4/12/2012 By: Derek Putnam | | The Sons of Liberty |

| The Sons of Liberty |

The Sons of Liberty used their power and influence to manipulate popular opinion, thereby inciting the public to act against the laws and control of England. They were one of the most influential groups behind the American Revolution.
The start of the Sons of Liberty is something of a mystery. The group always met in secret and it is disputed where it all began. Some say it started in New York and some will say under the leadership of Samuel Adams the Boston chapter was first. One thing is certain though, they all had the same goal, to organize public opinion and coordinate patriotic actions against Great Britain. The Sons of Liberty met at night so not to attract the British soldiers and to keep their activities secret until they felt it was time to make them public. One of the main reasons the groups were started was to protest and campaign against the Stamp Act. That was just the start of what the group would protest against and continue to fight for liberty against Britain.
The Sons of Liberty name actually came from a speech given to parliament by Colonel Isaac Barre, “the behavior of Britain’s officials toward Americans on many occasions has caused the blood of those Sons of Liberty to recoil within them”, which wasn’t intended to imply disloyalty towards the crown but when word got back to the colonies and they saw his words they used them to their benefit. Barre made it known he thought it was ridiculous Americans owed Britain any money and the debt they now had from the Seven Years’ War was Britain’s responsibility. Britain, however, was still moving forward with the Stamp Act. Parliament was passing the measure to promote imperial security and prosperity throughout the colonies. Many colonists agreed with Barre and when word came back that

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