"Sons of Liberty" 1776 Fleece vest

Updated December 1: These embroidered shirts are only available during limited times. (We do not stock them.)  To be notified of the next time we will do a run so you can place an order, enter your e-mail address in the "Notify me" box above. 

— Lee Wright | Founder | The History List | History Camp | The Pursuit of History

The "Sons of Liberty" flag embroidered on the chest and "1776" on the back.

The vest:

• Dark grey — 100% spun soft polyester fleece with non-pill finish on surface. Highly breathable for all day comfort.
• Sizes: S-4XL. Please check the size chart carefully because there are no returns on this item.

Also available: 100% Cotton polo shirt for men and women and a long sleeve button down shirt.

Historical Background Behind the Design

"When Britain imposed the Intolerable Acts throughout the 1750s and 60s, a great number of men became extremely angry, and began to act violently against British Loyalists in the colonies. Mobs sprung up all over the colonies, reigning terror on those who remained faithful to the crown.

"One of these groupings would be a secret Boston association known as the The Loyal Nine, composed of elite gentleman, mainly law men and artisans, who met discretely to organize ways to begin to effectively oppose the actions of the crown. The Loyal Nine were responsible for putting boundaries on the rampant violence of Boston, and set limits on how far the demonstrations should progress. They actively stood against British policies they found to be immoral and unlawful, and had their hands in projects such as The Boston Tea Party.

"The original members were Henry Bass, Joseph Field, John Smith, Thomas Chase, John Avery, Stephen Cleverly, Benjamin Edes, George Trott and Thomas Crafts, but Samuel Adams would eventually become involved in the group, adopting a role as one of its leading members. John Adams, aware of his second cousin's role in the group, did not exactly approve of the methods used, and kept his distance from the organization.

"As time progressed, and frustration with the crown began to heat up in the colonies, the Loyal Nine merged into the more famous organization known as the Sons of Liberty. The members of this group were Samuel Adams, Joseph Warren, Paul Revere, Benedict Arnold, Benjamin Edes, John Hancock, Patrick Henry, John Lamb, William Mackay, Alexander McDougall, James Otis, Benjamin Rush, Isaac Sears, Haym Solomon, James Swan, Charles Thomson, Thomas Young, Marinus Willett, and Oliver Wolcott.”

From Constitution Facts from Oak Hill Publishing.

Learn more about the Sons of Liberty in this article from the Journal of American Revolution and this column from John Bell’s Boston 1775.