Liberty Kids

One group of American Revolutionary era patriots formed the Sons of Liberty, with an adjoining faction of Daughters of Liberty.  They sought to protect colonists from British strongholds, and eventually captained the way towards many political upheavals that pioneered the Revolution.  The Sons of Liberty did not simply hold town hall meetings to discuss colonial issues.  They attempted to harness the angry dog of growing dissent amongst the lower and middle classes, while keeping that dog’s sharp teeth a growling reminder of their power.  “Even without the vote, the lower classes had a powerful way to express their political voice” (Chudacoff, The Evolution of American Urban Society pg 26).  However, the danger of the dog turning against its wannabe owners and aggressors alike always lingered, which could have led to mobs running rampant amongst the cities without end.  “Repeatedly, whenever the Sons of Liberty stepped in to search a ship for stamps, intimidate would-be compliers, or harass uncompromising officials, they made sure that a noisy and threatening crowd was nearby. And just as clearly, whenever the Sons of Liberty called upon a crowd, that crowd might have a mind of its own.” (Giljie, The Road to Mobocracy, pg 52).

Evidently, as history progressed along, the tactics of the Sons of Liberty and the common people’s contentious mob did contribute immensely to the uprising of the revolutionary cause.  Undoubtedly, the risks the Sons of Liberty and other parties took by meddling with the mobs worked towards their benefit; thus, I do agree with the shared general sentiment of the Chudacoff and Giljie arguments of the importance of the mob as some of the arrows of the political bow agenda of the patriots.  Luckily, the arrows never severely wounded the archer himself.