Revolutionary Spaces and Ford Hall Forum unearth a treasure from Revolutionary Spaces' expansive collection, the iconic Liberty Tree Flag, representing the great American tradition of protest.
Commemorating the 250th Anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, an act rooted in the Meeting of the Body of the People at Old South Meeting House, this talk examines how this artifact relates to protest and the fight for freedom in its time, connecting it to our broader understanding of American history.
Revolutionary Spaces’ Collections Manager Lori Erickson will showcase the Liberty Tree Flag and discuss the artifact, used to mark the Liberty Tree as a site of memory that symbolized the power of protest. Almost every subsequent protest in Revolutionary Boston genuflected in some way to the Liberty Tree. Later, the flag was brought out at anti-slavery meetings and feminist meetings as a reminder of the power of protest to make change.
Award-winning author Robert David “KC” Johnson will talk about the history of American protest movements, from colonial to present day. T
This essential virtual program provides context for other programs at Revolutionary Spaces and other institutions throughout the anniversary year of the Boston Tea Party, as we grapple with the notion of protest in our midst.
Resources
Two-part blog post about the Liberty Tree Flag from the old Bostonian Society Website, written by intern Kathryn Griffith, who conducted research on this object under Nat Scheidley’s direction. Part 1 ; Part 2
Background on the Liberty Tree, from the Smithsonian Magazine
"The Freedoms We Lost," by Barbara Clark Smith
