Sons of Liberty - Terrorists, Insulant Children or Slave Traders

Wow - history is complicated lately and I LOVE it!  Today in class we are talking about the American Revolution and the Sons of Liberty.  This group of colonial men who acted against British intolerable acts of empire have no shortage of press or dramatic representation in today's world.  The History Channel miniseries, Sons of Liberty, has helped propagate their image as American heroes fighting tyranny at the dawning of our American Revolution.

Today, I am using a quote from the British Parliament for perspective.  Here's a screenshot of my lecture slide:

Often, my students recognize the acts of the Sons of Liberty, particularly the destroying of British East India Company's tea in Boston Harbor as an act of terrorism.  Townshend's reference to the Americans as "children"  is curious in this context.  But today, an article about one son of liberty caught my eye.

Dr. Joseph Warren was one of the members of the Sons of Liberty in Boston and he famously lost his life in the Battle of Bunker Hill early in the Revolutionary War.  Warren is remembered and emulated throughout Massachusetts.    This article (here) from yesterday's Bay State Banner looks at efforts to re-write some of Boston's landmarks that bare historic names of people who owned slaves.  Faneuil Hall is featured prominently in the article because Peter Faneuil was a slave trader.

The very current debate about history, memory and memorials continues.
JJ