Further antedatings: "liberty tree", "tree of liberty" (but still 1765)

[Laurence Horn]

On Dec 23, 2013, at 5:26 PM, Joel S. Berson wrote:

> At 12/23/2013 04:04 PM, Laurence Horn wrote:
>> Are these the liberty trees that are to be watered with the blood of
>> patriots?  Or is that a particular species?
>
> The 1765 tree of Boston was the prototype, and was propagated in
> other colonies and in France.  Washington's 1787 statement -- which
> used the formal name, "tree of liberty", and "refreshed", not
> "watered" (a significant difference) -- probably was meant to apply
> to the collection of liberty trees then existing (same species, but
> scions) or to be metaphoric.
>
> Or was the question not serious?
>
> Joel

Semi-.  (I did know it was "the tree of liberty" and not "the liberty tree", but didn't know the rest of the history and was curious.  And I'd obviously forgotten, or misremembered, the "refreshed".)
Thanks.

LH
>
>
>> LH
>>
>> On Dec 23, 2013, at 3:50 PM, Joel S. Berson wrote:
>>
>> > A.  "liberty tree"
>> >
>> > 18 Dec. 1765.  In a broadside, one day earlier than the
>> > "Massachusetts Gazette" of 19 Dec. 1765 I sent Jesse previously.  EAI
>> > Series 1, No. 41523.
>> >
>> > [Heading]  "Boston, (Hanover-Square,) Dec. 18, 1765."
>> >
>> > [Letter, "Dec. 16, 1765."]
>> >
>> > "therefore [we] desire that you would, To-morrow, appear under
>> > Liberty-Tree, at Twelve o'Clock, to make a public Resignation. Your
>> > Non-compliance, Sir, will incur the Displeasure of / [signed] The
>> > True-born Sons of Liberty."
>> >
>> > Antedates OED3 "liberty-tree", sense 1, same letter but Public
>> > Advertiser 1766 8 Feb.
>> >
>> >
>> > B.   "tree of liberty"
>> >
>> > 12 Sept. 1765.  Massachusetts Gazette and Boston News-Letter
>> > Extraordinary (Supplement), 1/1.  EAN.
>> >
>> > [Datelined] "Boston, September 12."
>> >
>> > "at the South Part of the Town the Trees for which many have so great
>> > a Veneration, were decorated with the Ensigns of Loyalty, and the
>> > Colours embroidered with several Mottos (which we have not been able
>> > to obtain---) on the Body of the largest Tree was fixed with large
>> > deck Nails, that it might last (as a Poet said, like oaken Bench to
>> > Perpetuity) a Copper-Plate with these Words stamped thereon, in
>> > Golden Letters, THE TREE OF LIBERTY, August 14, 1765."
>> >
>> > Antedates OED2 "tree of liberty" under "tree, n.", 1765 Universal
>> > Mag. 37 376/2 [which page is from the December issue].
>> >
>> > [For those interested in various other descriptions of the character
>> > and employment of the Tree of Liberty, EAN has four articles from
>> > three different Boston papers dated 4 Nov. 1765 (a significant date
>> > because on Nov. 1 the Stamp Act had become effective and Nov. 5, the
>> > next day any Boston paper published, was "Pope Day").  All EAN.
>> >
>> > Boston Gazette, 1/1:  Effigies were exhibited on it.
>> > Boston Evening-Post, 3/1:  Called a "Great Tree"; names the persons
>> > represented by the effigies.
>> > Boston Post-Boy Extraordinary (Supplement), page 1 (two
>> > columns):  "THE TREE OF LIBERTY" appears on the crest of a "portrait"
>> > that is "distinguished with Ensigns Armorial".
>> > Boston Evening-Post, 3/2:  An advertisement for a "Caricatura" having
>> > a representation of the "Tree of Liberty".
>> >
>> > Joel
>> >
>> > ------------------------------------------------------------
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>>
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>
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