Looking back at the origin of the liberty pole
Photo courtesy of Liberty Pole Spirits
The liberty pole before being raised at Liberty Pole Spirits
Courtesy of Liberty Pole Spirits
The liberty pole was raised at Liberty Pole Spirits.
Courtesy of the Washington County Historical Society
A liberty pole was erected on the steps of the Washington County Courthouse for the Whiskey Rebellion Festival.
“Huzzah for liberty and no excise and no stamp act.” Those words appeared on a quickly made flag that hung upon a liberty pole that was raised in Greensburg in 1797. The author was none other than Tom the Tinker, the legendary leader of the Whiskey Rebellion.
Tom the Tinker, the pseudonym taken by John Holcroft, was the firebrand that spurred on the rebellious farmers, the author of threats against tax collectors, and the man that carried out those threats when needed. He was respected by the rebels, feared by tax collectors and hated by the government. But the Whiskey Rebellion ended in 1794. So why would he be raising a liberty pole, and what is he protesting in 1797? And what exactly is a liberty pole?
The origin of liberty poles can be traced back to the death of Julius Caesar in 44 B.C. Following his assassination, a group of Roman senators raised a Phrygian cap – a symbol a freedom – on a pole to signify that Rome was free from Caesar’s rule. From here, liberty poles came to symbolize freedom and republican movements. In 1763, William Hogarth, known for satirical and morally themed engravings, produced an engraving of John Wilkes holding a pole with a liberty cap adorning it.
American colonists came to embrace this as a symbol for their struggles with England. Liberty poles were raised throughout the colonies in protest of the English Parliament. One of the most famous incidents with liberty poles during the American Revolution occurred prior to the battle of Concord in 1775. British soldiers had marched to Concord searching for a store of weapons. During their search, they came upon the town’s liberty pole and cut it down. It was on that day, April 19, 1775, that the “shot heard ’round the world” was fired outside of Concord.
In 1791, liberty poles were raised once again in protest. In March of that year, the United States government levied a new tax upon the people of the country. This tax, on distilled spirits, had its largest affect on the farmers of Western Pennsylvania and led to the Whiskey Rebellion.
“Rebel” farmers began protesting the tax in a variety of ways: marches, rallies, stoning of tax collectors, tar and featherings of tax collectors and, of course, the raising of “whiskey poles.” These poles, raised throughout the frontier, were often adorned with flags and ribbons, and sometimes broadsides were attached with warnings against tax collectors or supporters of the federal government.
Although the farmers were able to make their voices heard though the raising of these poles, protests, and eventual violence, the rebellion was not successful. A federal militia of nearly 13,000 men put an end to the insurrection in 1794, and the excise tax remained in place.
When the liberty pole was raised in Greensburg, a few individuals were still protesting the excise tax. But they also had a new tax complaint, for in that year the Stamp Act of 1797 was passed.
Included in this act was the first death tax issued in the United States. The act placed a small tax on wills and the transfer of property after death. This was enacted to raise funds to rebuild the U.S. Navy, which had been disbanded following the American Revolution.
Many in the country did not see the need to rebuild the Navy and opposed the Stamp Act. So, it appears John Holcroft brushed off his pen and once again took up the mantle of Tom the Tinker. The following is an excerpt from the “Herald of Liberty” at the time of the liberty pole raising:
TOM THE TINKER, of immortal memory, has just risen from the dead, and made his appearance again on the top of a WHISKEY POLE, in Greensburgh. A few nights ago, a Whiskey Pole was erected in the town of Greensburgh, in this County, near the house of Mr. Wells, the excise officer; and on the top thereof was found the following lines written in the German language, which has been correctly translated by a capable hand, as follows:
“Tom the Tinker author. Liberty & No excise and no stamp act. Mr. Wells you are a cheating son of a Bitch – Huzzah for liberty and no excise and no stamp act. This liberty pole is erected by Tom the Tinker. and whoever cuts it down or demolishes it, shall have his house torn down and demolished.”
These words certainly harkened back to the time of the Whiskey Rebellion. The inheritance tax would not last long. In April 1802, Congress rescinded the Stamp Act and dissolved the Office of the Supervisor of Stamps. The same year, President Thomas Jefferson, an opponent of the Excise Tax of 1791 from the beginning, repealed the tax, thus finally bringing an end to the protest of the tax that brought about the Whiskey Rebellion.
As for the liberty poles – to this day they continue to serve as symbols of protest, freedom, revolution and sometimes rebellion. They can still bring people together in one voice, just as they did in the 18th century.