Sons of Liberty: Patriots or Terrorists?

Sons of Liberty: Patriots or Terrorists?

Perspective is critical when trying to decipher history. It is very important that we view the events of yesterday in a sense that leaves our biases out of the equation. There are many events in history that are clouded by the predispositions we have. The events are either too close to our hearts to be impartial, too far away to understand, or have our prejudices forced upon them. One such event that can be misinterpreted because it holds a special place in every American’s heart are the colonial times/American Revolution era. This time is taught in American schools as the thirteen colonies uniting and defeating a tyrannical king, but were the actions of the colonists’ terrorism by nature? To answer that question, we must look at the events that took place from a different perspective.
The first thing we must look at when determining if the colonists were terrorists, is the definition of terrorism. In the 2015 version of the Oxford English Dictionary, it defines terrorism as “the use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims”. If you look closely at what the legendary Sons of Liberty did to separate themselves from British rule, it is obvious that this definition fits. Some would claim that the colonists were simply patriots fighting for freedom. The definition of patriotism on the other hand is “to have vigorous support and love for one’s country”. Yes, you can support your country, but using violence such as the tar and feathering the colonists did to British tax collectors in order to cause fear in the hearts of loyalists is something you cannot not deny. That is, in fact, the use of violence in the pursuit of a political aim.
There are two acts of deviance that were predominant in the American Revolution that are closely related to the terrorism we are facing today: the privateering of vessels to act as the American Navy and the tactic of Asymmetrical warfare. The act of privateering was seen to the British as a violation of the normal...

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