Pine Tree Flag and the Tree of Liberty

[TaosGlock]

Pine Tree Flag and Tree of Liberty. An historical FYI only.

I often hear these two intertwined as one of the same when an instructor is telling the history of our flags.
(BTW, the "flag tour" as it is often referred to is a great way for an IIT to get their feet wet for eventually telling the story, as is DOM, etc but I digress.)

But does the tree on the Pine Tree Flag actually represent the Tree of Liberty?
Remember, the Tree of Liberty was an elm tree that the SOL used to hold their meetings under. That famous tree finally died around 1925.

The not so always accurate wickipedia states:
As resistance to the British grew, flags bearing a representation of the Liberty Tree were flown to symbolize the unwavering spirit of liberty.
These flags were later a common sight during the battles of the American Revolution.
Did the colonists really convert that famous elm tree into a pine tree symbol for the various flags with pine tree symbols?

The Pine Tree Flag, often flown on American warships, may have another origin.
This origin has to with why the colonists came here in the first place.
That is, to rule themselves (Levi Preston sums it up quite succinctly) in a largely unrestricted free market in a country with vast resources and opportunity.

Richard Maybury in his excellent book, "What Would Thomas Jefferson Think?" (no doubt TJ thoughts would include the word "refresh") gives us another perspective.

And I paraphrase below for simplicity.

The Crown declared no colonist could harvest straight tall pine trees.
So in essence, on your own land, your best trees were already confiscated by the Crown.
The King's lumberjack tree inspectors, would trespass on your land and mark the trees for use on the British Navy Warships.
These same warships that were built and used to block the harbor destroying the colonist's very existence/survival, fire upon us, attack our smuggling ships, etc.

Eventually these British cavalry jackboots, came to find these previously "marked trees' had already been cut and either used, sold or smuggled out by the colonists. And like much of the Kings treasonous actions and various acts, it was getting futile to deal with this "rebellious lot".

Regardless, the Pine Tree was a symbol on many of our Revolutionary War era flags.

More reading here:
http://www.newsmax.com/RonaldKessler/America-Boston-Liberty-Tree/2011/10/03/id/413067

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberty_Tree

Maybury's books are guidelines for living based on the principles of America's Founders and are written with simplicity and precision so they are right  to the point!

[FiremanBob]

The pine tree story is interesting. Are there other sources, especially contemporary references, that corroborate Maybury's version?

[mtmisfit]

The Pine Tree flag predates the White Pine Act of 1722 by many years. The act remained largely unenforced until about 1771 when the Crown began using it as a way to coerce the colonists. This led to the Pine Tree Riots of 1772.

Pine Tree Flags and Naval Ensigns
The term Pine Tree flag is a generic name for a number of flags used by the New England and Massachusetts colonies from 1686 to 1778. The Pine Tree has been a popular symbol of American independence in New England for years.

The New England Flag and Ensign:
The history of the Pine Tree as a symbol of New England predates the European colonial settlements. In eastern Massachusetts, southern New Hampshire and the southern corner of Maine, there lived a nomadic tribe of Native Americans known as the Penacook. "Penacook" is an Algonquin word meaning "Children of the Pine Tree." The Penacook people have been credited with teaching the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony much needed survival skills when the colonists were starving to death during the winter of 1621-22.

A common way to customize English Red Ensigns for ships sailing out of New England was to modify the Cross of Saint George in the canton by adding a pine tree in the first quarter.

During the revolution variations of the pine tree flag were adopted by Colonial forces.

The Massachusetts Naval Ensign 1776-1971:
Massachusetts is one of three states with its own naval ensign, the others being South Carolina and Maine. In April 1776, the Massachusetts Navy adopted as its flag (naval ensign) a white field charged with a green pine tree. It also flew this flag over the floating batteries which sailed down the Charles River to attack the British in Boston. This naval militia was active during most of the American Revolutionary War. It was founded to defend the interests of Massachusetts from British forces. The navy used 25 vessels over the course of the war, acting in various roles such as prison ships, dispatch vessels, and combat cruisers. Unlike most other states, the Massachusetts State Navy was never officially disbanded and simply became part of the United States Navy.

In the New England colonies it was considered patriotic to have floor-boards in your home wider than 12 inches.

[TaosGlock]

The pine tree story is interesting. Are there other sources, especially contemporary references, that corroborate Maybury's version?

There are other sources indeed.
The White Pine War was among the many skirmishes between the Kings men and the colonists:
http://ccrpa.org/km/King's%20Mark%20Why%20The%20Name%20King's%20Mark.htm

Quote from link:
The Revolutionary War was about many things, and Eastern White Pine weighed heavy on the minds and hearts of the colonists desire for independence. Some historians believe that denial of use of these trees was at least as instrumental as taxation of tea in bringing about the American Revolution. In fact, the Eastern White Pine was the emblem emblazoned on the first colonial flag.

[FiremanBob]

Thank you. I always try to get multiple sources for secondary materials. This is a great story. The arbitrary claim that all land and trees belonged to the King while the colonists took all the risks and did all the work, is one of those bone-headed acts of hubris that cost Britain her colonies. The Pine Tree Riot story, helps us explain why the Americans were so motivated to fight for freedom.