The first such pole was put up by Governor Moore in City Hall Park on May 21, 1766, in celebration of the repeal of the 1765 Stamp Act and to strengthen loyalty of citizens, it rather became central to the story of the protests leading up to the Revolution.&nbsp;

The British hated this pole and chopped it down in August in protest of the fact that the New York government had refused to enforce the Stamp Act.

The second Liberty Pole was raised on by the Sons of Liberty with "George, Pitt and Liberty’ and hoisted a large ensign thereon (Montresor Journals).&nbsp;

"The Mast or Flag Staff on the Common", ..., was cut down again. “The authors of this Insult are not yet certainly known, but some particular Persons are suspected"

Another pole was put up which was quickly cut down.

A third pole was put up which stayed up until 1767 when British soldiers cut it down after seeing colonists celebrating the anniversary of the repeal of the Stamp Act. A fourth was put up this time secured with iron bands.In 1767, the Quartering Act was passed which the New York government mostly left unenforced. Parliament reacted to this by dissolving the assembly and replacing it with one that did agree. The Sons of Liberty posted a broadside called “To the Betrayed Inhabitants of the City and Colony of New York” in response. The British blew up this liberty pole on January 16 because of the broadside and as a result of the fact, soldiers were given 1800 pounds for supporting the act. They left the remains of the pole on the door of a tavern owner named Mr. Montanye. The "red coats" also posted their own handbills which attacked the Sons of Liberty as "the real enemies of society" who "thought their freedom depended on a piece of wood".The conflict lasted from the repeal of the Stamp Act in 1766 until the revolutionary New York Provincial Congress came to power in 1775.Here the Declaration of Independence was read to Washington's Army July 9, 1776.

Historically Liberty Poles were a staff with a red cap on top. &nbsp;Liberty poles were often erected in town squares in the years before and during the American Revolution. The poles were periodically destroyed by the royal authorities, only to be replaced by the Sons with new ones. During the imperial crisis with Britain in the 1760s, an often violent struggle over liberty poles erected by the Sons of Liberty (or "Liberty Boys") in New York City to symbolize their displeasure with British authorities raged for 10 years.

 Inscription "Here in the Ancient Commons of the city where before the time of our National Independence. Five Liberty Poles were successively set up. This flag pole of 1921 is placed in grateful remembrance of all lovers of our country who have died that the liberty won on these shores might be the heritage of the world."  

Riley's Pole was first put up in 1835, on Washington's birthday. It was a great day for the Democrats who erected it. There was a feast, there were speeches and other appropriate exercises. Unfortunately, it did not long remain standing. It was struck by lightning in the following year, and so injured that it had to be taken down. Another pole was erected, at the expense of the Democrats. It was removed in 1858, and long after "old timers" used to visit the spot where it had stood to talk over the memories of bygone days. Riley's hotel has since been torn down, and a six-story structure for business purposes was built on the site. The old hydrant near it was left standing.    

Restored Pole

Gray granite Marker near Broadway, under a tree, west side of City Hall Building

Stone Marker

Liberty Pole

The Committee of 100 who was governing New York agreed to let British Soldiers retreat to Boston with only their personal arms. &nbsp;The soldiers raided a storehouse and filled carts with weapons. &nbsp;Willett urged any British soldier who “disliked the service” to stay and “receive the protection of the Citizens who considered them as Bretheren of the same famaly.” Willett later recounted that one soldier took the offer and “was received with repeated huzzas and Led away by the Exulting citizens.” A few more soldiers took the offer as well. The remaining soldiers were allowed to leave, but the crowd hissed at them as they retreated. &nbsp;Willett took the carts and arms to a safe location. They would later be used to arm American troops.&nbsp;

The Broad Street Affair

The Statue was installed on the birthday of Prince Frederick, George III's son. &nbsp;The celebration included members of the Colonial and city governments, the Corporations of the Chambers of Commerce, and the Marine Society as well as the officers of the Royal Army &amp; Navy waiting with the Lieutenant Governor at the fort nearby, where toasts were drunk to the accompaniment of military music and artillery.&nbsp;With the rapid deterioration of relations with Britain after 1770, the statue became a magnet for the Bowling Green protests. In 1773, the city passed an anti-graffiti and anti-desecration law to counter vandalism against the monument, and a protective cast-iron fence was built along the perimeter of the park which cost nearly as much as the sculpture; the fence is still extant, making it the city's oldest fence.

After the reading of the Declaration of Independence, the soldiers joined by members of the&nbsp;<a href="https://culturenow.org/people/sons-of-liberty">Sons of Liberty&nbsp;</a>marched down&nbsp;<a href="https://culturenow.org/site/broadway">Broadway&nbsp;</a>and turned their attention to the&nbsp;<a href="https://culturenow.org/site/statue-of-king-george-iii-erected">gilded&nbsp;equestrian&nbsp;statue of King George</a>&nbsp;in the Center of&nbsp;<a href="https://culturenow.org/site/bowling-green">Bowling Green</a>.&nbsp; Armed with axes,&nbsp;&nbsp;they made quick work of the 2 ton sculpture.&nbsp; Lead which was in short supply in the colonies was much needed for ammunition.&nbsp;&nbsp;Most of it was loaded into oxcarts and was brought to Litchfield, Connecticut where&nbsp;<a href="https://culturenow.org/people/oliver-wolcott">General Oliver Wolcott's&nbsp;</a>foundry&nbsp;melted it&nbsp;down into 42,088 bullets.&nbsp; That actually used only one ton of lead.&nbsp; Consequently, a lot of the pieces went missing.&nbsp; King George's head was put on a spike and was placed outside of a tavern near Fort Washington.&nbsp; British Captain&nbsp;<a href="https://culturenow.org/people/80e7a7d6-77fb-4804-8e2e-cf7b8d1252db">John Montresor</a>&nbsp;rescued it and had it sent back to England where it ended up in the estate of&nbsp;<a href="https://culturenow.org/people/a3ba0e97-0568-42e2-b709-b3669b0880b8">Charles Townshend</a>.&nbsp; The tail ended up at the&nbsp;<a href="https://culturenow.org/people/new-york-historical-society">New York Historical Society</a>.&nbsp; It is currently on loan to the&nbsp;<a href="https://culturenow.org/people/museum-of-the-american-revolution-moar">Museum of the American Revolution</a>.&nbsp; Some of it was buried in loyalist estates in Connecticut. Every so often a piece is discovered and auctioned off.&nbsp;&nbsp;In retaliation for the destruction of King George III's statue the statue of William Pitt was destroyed by the British.

The large gilded statue of King George III crowned with a laurel wreath was commissioned to commemorate the repeal of the Stamp Act.

by Sculptor Joseph Wilton in Roman Garb victory celebration after the Seven Years War amid a lot of protests.&nbsp;In 1773, the city passed an anti-graffiti&nbsp;and anti-desecration&nbsp;law to counter vandalism against the monument, and a protective cast-iron fence was built along the perimeter of the park; the fence is still extant, making it the city's oldest fence.

Bowling Green

Davis Swamp

Oliver Wolcott House

Part of the marble pedestal installed it as a kitchen step before being gifted to the NY Historical Society

Cornelius Van Vorst House

New York Historical Society

Statue of King George III

A talk by Abby Suckle at Fraunces Tavern Museum, New York on July 4, 2024

 On September 6, 1773, the Tea Act was printed in the New-York Gazette, along with the news that 600 chests of Company tea were already en-route to the colonies. The city was outraged; the Tea Act was a flagrant extension of the Indemnity Act* because it granted the Company more power over the colonies' supply of goods. By building government-granted East India outposts, colonists must rely on their supply and price of goods of the Company. 

 Summoned by the Sons of Liberty, a huge crowd assembled outside the coffee house to denounce the Tea Act, and agents of the East India Trading Company who were handling cargoes of dutied tea. It was perhaps the first public demonstration in opposition to the Tea Act in the American colonies. 

 On December 15, 1773, two-hundred New York merchants, lawyers, artisans, and other businessmen signed a petition against the importation of any Company tea. The petition boldly proclaimed "execution of that Act, involves our slavery, and would sap the foundation of our freedom, whereby we should become slaves to our brethren...born to no greater stock of freedom than the Americans-the merchants and inhabitants of this city, in conjunction with the merchants and inhabitants of the ancient American colonies, entered into an agreement to decline a part of their commerce with Great Britain, until the above-mentioned Act should be totally repealed.&rdquo; 

The site was the location of the first coffeehouse in colonial New York City, The King's Arms which opened under the ownership of Lieutenant John Hutchins in 1696. It stood on the west side of Broadway between Crown (now Liberty) Street and Little Queen (now Cedar) Street.

"To the friends of liberty, and commerce, Gentlemen. It must be strongly marked on your minds, that the end of the last non-importation agreement, was to obtain a repeal of the tyrannical act of Parliament, that impose a duty on glass, painter's colours, paper, tea &amp;c... This infamous, forbid and parasitional declaration of William Kelley, has emboldened the company to determine to send the tea to America ...&nbsp;By order of the Legion's committee Cassius"

The First Opposition to the Tea Act in New York

The "Battle of Golden Hill" was a violent clash between British soldiers and the Sons of Liberty in New York City. This event, occurring six weeks before the Boston Massacre, stemmed from tensions over British authority, particularly the Quartering Act. The conflict began when Isaac Sears and other Sons of Liberty members tried to prevent soldiers from posting handbills that criticized them. The situation escalated into a skirmish on Golden Hill, with several people wounded but no confirmed deaths.

Whoever seriously considers the impoverished State of this CityPatricia D. Klingenstein Library,

Between William Street and Pearl Street; known as "Golden Hill"

Battle of Golden Hill

At John Street Methodist Church, Kaplan discuses the battle of Golden Hill, which he describes as New York's Boston Massacre.

 A loosely organized clandestine political organization active in the Thirteen American Colonies founded to advance the rights of the colonists and to fight taxation by the British government. It played a major role in most colonies in battling the Stamp Act in 1765. The group disbanded after the Stamp Act was repealed. However, the name was applied to other local separatist groups during the years preceding the American Revolution. 

Sons of Liberty

Scott Dwyer, Executive Director, Sons of the Revolution in the State of New York and Fraunces Tavern Museum, &nbsp;speaking at ‘It Happened Here - 1700’s Symposium: The Path to Liberty’ on July 4, 2025

Sons of Liberty

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