The Loyal Nine (part 2)
The Stamp Act of 1765, caused both anger and resentment in the colonies. In Boston a group of men formed a ‘social club’. Their purpose was to formulate and organize a response to the Stamp Act from Massachusetts. They called themselves the “Loyal Nine.” They were respectable merchants and tradesmen. They were unassuming, avoided undue publicity, and operated in complete secrecy. They were:
⁃ John Avery, Distiller and Club Secretary
⁃ Henry Bass, Jeweler (cousin of Sam Adams)
⁃ Thomas Chase, Distiller
⁃ Steven Cleverly, Brazier
⁃ Thomas Crafts, Painter
⁃ Benjamin Edes, Printer
⁃ Joseph Shield, Ship Captain
⁃ John Smith, Brazier
⁃ George Trott, Jewler
The Loyal Nine met in one of two locations; either in “Chase and Speakman’s Distillery” or under the foliage of a large elm tree in nearby Hanover Square. The tree would soon become known as the “Liberty Tree.” It would serve for the next ten years as a meeting place for speeches and a staging area for protests and demonstrations.
They are credited with the establishment of the “Liberty Tree” located in Boston’s Hanover Square. The “Liberty Tree” served as a central meeting place for speeches and a staging area for organizing street violence, protests, and demonstrations. The Loyal Nine identified the targets of the mobs and set strict boundaries about how far the violence could escalate on their intended victims. In secrecy, these “actions” were carefully planned, organized, and directed by the Loyal Nine.
On August 14th, 1765 the Loyal Nine went public. The Loyal Nine incited, organized, and managed mob rule in the streets of Boston to protest the Stamp Act. These Patriot mobs used tactics of fear, force, intimidation and violence to demonstrate against the Stamp Act, and they targeted pro-Stamp Act supporters and officials.
This was the first, large-scale action in Boston against the Stamp Act and, more specifically, a Stamp Master. It was well planned, directed at a specific target and executed accordingly. The Loyal Nine’s rationale was simple: without Stamp Masters, the Act could not go into effect.
In August of 1765, the paths of the Loyal Nine and the Sons of Liberty crossed and ultimately merged. The men of the Loyal Nine joined the Sons of Liberty and became an integral part of that organization. Although not a member of the Loyal Nine, Samuel Adams, who by the summer of 1765 was emerging on the scene as an important Patriot leader and organizer, met and worked with the group and probably influenced it. It is no coincidence Samuel Adams is often credited as being the founder and leader of the Sons of Liberty.
(My post is derived from multiple articles including THE SEED FROM WHICH THE SONS OF LIBERTY GREW by Bob Ruppert, the New England Historical Society as well as Bostonteapartyship.com)
@TwilightLastGleaming
