Trees in American History 



In some places patriotic societies were organ- 

 ized. The members of one great and now fa- 

 mous society called themselves the "Sons of 

 Liberty." They were young and brave men who 

 lived in and near the city of Boston. They were 

 fearless, and were willing to risk even their lives 

 for liberty. 



Finally came the Stamp Act of 1765. The 

 Stamp Act was a law fixing a tax upon checks, 

 receipts, and other commercial papers used by 

 the colonists. The Americans regarded it as only 

 another act of British injustice. That summer the 

 Sons of Liberty met many times, not in some 

 large building or hall, but under the spreading 

 branches of an elm tree. They called their tree 

 "Liberty Hall." 



Not long after the Stamp Act was passed the 

 stamps themselves arrived from England. An- 

 drew Oliver, a Boston Tory, was named by 

 King George III, to sell them to the people. But 

 Oliver sold very few. Early on the morning of 

 August fourteenth, two effigies were hung upon 

 the Liberty Tree. Now an effigy is a likeness 

 or make-believe of something or some one that 

 is real, and these two effigies looked very much 



