Pine Tree Ramblings (Vol 3) - Rebellious Acts - Granite Grok

Pine Tree Ramblings (Vol 3) – Rebellious Acts

Pine Tree

Lots of talk about rebellion and “resistance” these days.

The NFL thugs on their knees, the Antifa children-of-the-corn and the countless Sherry Frost nutcakes who see “oppression” in every blade of grass.  It is nothing more than Pecksniffian silliness.  I have no doubt this will all end with a whimper, leaving no lasting mark on our country or society.

But we do have examples in our national past of truly courageous defiance, where the players and their families faced very real consequences for their risky acts that helped forge the creation of the United States.  The anniversary of one of these events is coming up this month, so let’s take a look.

I’ve written here about an act of rebellion in 1772 that took place in Weare, NH.

Another notable event took place in Taunton, Massachusetts, two years later on October 21, 1774.

The Taunton Sons of Liberty decided to show their anger and resentment towards the ever-increasing tyranny of the British Crown.  They erected a 112-foot “Liberty Pole” in town center directly across from the King’s courthouse.  Prior to and during the Revolutionary War, these poles were political gestures of defiance, visible to all, rallying the patriotic spirit of the local population.  In order to dampen this enthusiasm, British agents would often tear down the poles, only to find them replaced the next day.

Taunton Flag
In many cases, flags were flown from these poles, adding fuel to the fire.  In this case, a British Ensign with the added phrase “Liberty and Union” was raised.

The use of the British Ensign, with its Union Jack, voiced the colonists still-lingering sense of being Englishmen, while the “Liberty and Union” tokens loudly pronounced the growing resentment and desire for the Colonies to unite to preserve their freedoms, perhaps steering down the path of creating their own, new country.

All subtle messages aside, raising a Liberty Pole with a modified (defaced) version of the British Ensign flag was a seditious, gutsy move, to say the least.

A few months later, a Tory Loyalist named Colonel Thomas Gilbert took a few dozen armed men to Taunton to take down this pole, only to be discovered as they approached in the dark.  The pole remained but this attempt is considered one of the earliest military maneuvers leading up to the impending war.

Each year, the city of Taunton commemorates this event with a day of festivities.  This year, it will be held on Saturday, October 21, 2017 starting at 11:30am.

Let’s hope the folks who attend this festival get a sense for the true meaning and essence of the defiance they are celebrating, unlike today’s Liberals who want nothing more than to undo the Liberties our predecessors fought for.

Sources:

https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-91968397.html

http://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/before-old-glory-there-was-the-taunton-flag

 

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