Liberty pole

Liberty pole

A Liberty pole is a tall wooden pole, often used as a type of flagstaff, planted in the ground, which may be surmounted by an ensign or a liberty cap (see Phrygian cap).

A liberty pole was often erected in town squares in the years before and during the American Revolution (Newport, RI, Concord MA, Savannah, GA, New York City, NY, Caughnawaga, NY). An often violent struggle over Liberty Poles erected by the Sons of Liberty in New York City (see Battle of Golden Hill) and periodically destroyed by British authorities (only to be replaced by the Sons with new poles) raged for 10 years: from the repeal of the Stamp Act in 1766 until the revolutionary New York Provincial Congress came to power in 1775. [ [http://independence.nyhistory.org/item.php?item_no=8 Resistance and Dissent : Independence & its Enemies in New York ] ] The liberty pole in New York City was crowned with a gilt vane bearing the single word, "Liberty".

When an ensign was raised (usually red) on a Liberty Pole, it would be a calling for the Sons of Liberty or townspeople to meet and vent or express their views regarding British rule. The pole was known to be a symbol of dissent against Great Britain. The symbol is also apparent in many seals and coats of arms as a sign of liberty, freedom, and independence.

During the Whiskey Rebellion, locals in western Pennsylvania would erect poles along the roads or in town centers as a protest against the federal government's tax on distilled spirits, and evoking the spirit embodied by the Liberty Poles of decades earlier.

The "Arbres de la liberté" ("Liberty Trees") were a symbol of the French Revolution, the first being planted in 1790 by a pastor of a Vienne village, inspired by the 1765 Liberty Tree of Boston. One was also planted in front of the City Hall of Amsterdam on 4 March 1795, in celebration of the alliance between the French Republic and the Batavian Republic.

Footnotes

ee also

*Liberty Tree
*Maypole


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Liberty pole — Liberty Lib er*ty (l[i^]b [ e]r*t[y^]), n.; pl. {Liberties} ( t[i^]z). [OE. liberte, F. libert[ e], fr. L. libertas, fr. liber free. See {Liberal}.] 1. The state of a free person; exemption from subjection to the will of another claiming… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • liberty pole — noun : a tall flagstaff surmounted by a liberty cap, the flag of a republic, or other object regarded as a symbol of liberty * * * 1. Also called liberty tree. Amer. Hist. a pole or tree, often with a liberty cap or a banner at the top, usually… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Liberty Pole, Wisconsin — is an unincorporated community in Vernon County, Wisconsin in the town of Franklin.External links* [http://www.mwt.net/vtc/libertyp.html Map and Information about Liberty Pole, Wisconsin] * [http://www.abstusa.com/wi/liberty pole Liberty Pole,… …   Wikipedia

  • liberty pole — 1. Also called liberty tree. Amer. Hist. a pole or tree, often with a liberty cap or a banner at the top, usually located on a village green or in a market square, used by the Sons of Liberty in many colonial towns as a symbol of protest against… …   Universalium

  • liberty pole — noun Date: 1770 a tall flagstaff surmounted by a liberty cap or the flag of a republic and set up as a symbol of liberty …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • liberty pole — A flagpole, usually one erected in exhibiting a patriotic spirit during wartime. A pole raised by rioters as a symbol of dissatisfaction with the government. Commonwealth v Morrison (Pa) 1 Addison 274, 275. See pole raising …   Ballentine's law dictionary

  • Liberty — Lib er*ty (l[i^]b [ e]r*t[y^]), n.; pl. {Liberties} ( t[i^]z). [OE. liberte, F. libert[ e], fr. L. libertas, fr. liber free. See {Liberal}.] 1. The state of a free person; exemption from subjection to the will of another claiming ownership of the …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Liberty bell — Liberty Lib er*ty (l[i^]b [ e]r*t[y^]), n.; pl. {Liberties} ( t[i^]z). [OE. liberte, F. libert[ e], fr. L. libertas, fr. liber free. See {Liberal}.] 1. The state of a free person; exemption from subjection to the will of another claiming… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Liberty cap — Liberty Lib er*ty (l[i^]b [ e]r*t[y^]), n.; pl. {Liberties} ( t[i^]z). [OE. liberte, F. libert[ e], fr. L. libertas, fr. liber free. See {Liberal}.] 1. The state of a free person; exemption from subjection to the will of another claiming… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Liberty of the press — Liberty Lib er*ty (l[i^]b [ e]r*t[y^]), n.; pl. {Liberties} ( t[i^]z). [OE. liberte, F. libert[ e], fr. L. libertas, fr. liber free. See {Liberal}.] 1. The state of a free person; exemption from subjection to the will of another claiming… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”