New England History Series: Liberty: It’s True Meaning In New England

Editor’s Note: This is a work in progress.

I’m not really interested in Yankee bashing. I would rather help folks in other parts of the country explore their own heritage. There’s no reason other people can’t use the same methods to write about, say, the history and culture of New England which would be fascinating.

The following excerpt comes from David Hackett Fischer’s excellent book, Liberty and Freedom: A Visual History of America’s Founding Ideas:

“Through the afternoon there was a carnival of laughter, and also much serious talk of “fair freedom” and “lost liberty.” It is interesting that the Loyal Nine represented these ideas as the very opposite of Andrew Oliver’s striving for “the sake of self.” Here was a New England vision of “publick liberty,” combined with “personal security, personal liberty and private property.” It was a combination of collective rights and individual responsibilities, very different from our modern ideas of collective responsibility and individual entitlement. …

In the English-speaking world, old trees of many species also had another meaning. They symbolized ancient folk rights of freedom and liberty. The oaks of Sherwood Forest were emblems of Robin Hood’s legendary struggle against the tyrannical sheriff of Nottingham …

The Liberty Tree also had an association with the American environment. An orator in Providence called it a symbol of “that Liberty which our Forefathers sought out, and found under Trees, and in the Wilderness.” All of these meanings came together in a vision of liberty and freedom that was unique to New England. …