The Liberty Pole

Liberty Pole as Symbol

For many colonists, the patriot cause in fighting for independence from Great Britain represented liberty. Patriots believed that representation in government, economic freedom, and personal liberties defined true freedom. However, this view was not shared by everyone. The fight for American liberty involved an ideological struggle between neighbors and brothers, and in some regions, just as many people loyal to the King as there were patriots. Many doubted which side was right or wrong. These individuals were undecided at first. 

Unfortunately, just as today, some people were indifferent, and many shifted their loyalties from patriot to Loyalist depending on who controlled the area. Not everyone believed the best way to achieve individual freedom was to establish a new government. Many colonists thought that, as Englishmen, the King would protect their rights, and anything else was considered treason. To some, the Liberty Pole symbolized freedom; to others, it represented treason. Stark differences.

Liberty Tree: Boston

But the Liberty Pole actually started as a Liberty Tree. The original Liberty Tree was a large elm tree in the South End of Boston. Angry Boston citizens first used it around 1765 as a rallying point during the Stamp Act crisis, when the British Parliament was threatening a tax on paper goods like legal documents and newspapers. 

The Sons of Liberty, an organization founded in Boston by Samuel Adams to protest British taxes, saw their membership grow quickly across the colonies. As the movement spread from Boston, the Sons of Liberty continued the practice of gathering under a large tree, which was present in many village greens, and these came to be called Liberty Trees. 

Their goal was to shape public opinion and coordinate patriotic actions against Britain. In towns without a sufficiently large tree, patriots sometimes erected tall poles to symbolize a Liberty Tree. These became known as Liberty Poles. Most Liberty Poles were set up in town squares, the centers of civic life, often as tall as 100 feet. These squares served not only as gathering places but also as symbols of resistance to British rule.

Erecting a Liberty Pole G, Goshen, New York

In New York City, where some of the earliest battles of the Revolutionary War eventually took place, there was an ongoing fight over the Liberty Pole. In May 1766, when news spread that the Stamp Act had been repealed, the Sons of Liberty celebrated by erecting a Liberty Pole. It became a rallying point for large meetings and a symbol of the American struggle. In June, two regiments of British soldiers arrived in New York City and were housed in the upper barracks. These troops cut down the liberty pole on August 10th. A second and third pole were erected and also taken down. A fourth pole was raised and encased in iron to prevent it from being cut down again.

First Liberty Pole in New York City

Liberty Pole as Place

And that place would be New Jersey, in a time long ago: before the Sopranos, Bridgegate, or even the Turnpike. In present-day Englewood, New Jersey, there stands a pole erected in 1964. It is believed to be at or near the site of an earlier pole erected almost 200 years earlier to celebrate the repeal of the Stamp Act. This event was more than symbolic, as it served as a catalyst for further action in the defense of liberty in the Hackensack Valley, a hub of political agitation and warfare. The "English Neighborhood" (which included today's City of Englewood) in New Jersey was part of the larger Patriot and Loyalist conflict in the state. Even the name, "English Neighborhood," reveals the division among the people in the valley. The Dutch settlers named it to highlight its position as the settlement closest to the foreign English in Manhattan, then called the Island of New York.

Even before the fighting started, neighbors disagreed on issues of religion and government. The spot in the "English Neighborhood," known to all the colonists (including George Washington) as Liberty Pole, would become a key symbol of liberty. But on November 20th, 1776, the Liberty Pole witnessed a time of great despair. The valley was a strategic crossroads connecting New York City, Long Island, the west, the Hudson Highlands, and the south. 

Along with the waters of the Hackensack, the Kings Highway ran north-south before turning west. At this junction stood a tavern that became the focus of much social, economic, and political activity. In 1776, the inn’s owner, a passionate patriot, followed the example of the Liberty Boys in New York by erecting a Liberty Pole topped with a gold Liberty Cap to celebrate the repeal of the Stamp Act. Known as the Liberty Pole Tavern, the inn was a center of activity, and the surrounding area was also called Liberty Pole.

Watching the Hudson from Fort Lee

Although no major battles occurred here, events crucial to the American cause took place in Englewood. On the night of November 20, 1776, British General Lord Cornwallis crossed the Hudson River with nine thousand men to what is now Alpine, aiming to capture the rebel forces at Fort Lee, commanded by Nathaniel Greene. General Washington, aware of the plan, led his army from Fort Lee down the King's Highway to the Liberty Pole Tavern, then veered onto what is now Teaneck Road toward New Bridge, where he managed to cross the Hackensack River. 

By summer 1776, the fight for independence with real armies pushed closer to the English Neighborhood. The British drove George Washington's army from Long Island and lower New York across the North (Hudson) River. For a time, Washington made his headquarters in Hackensack, trying to organize a defense against a British attack up the Hudson River. He ordered the arming of forts on both sides of the river, Fort Washington and Fort Lee. On November 16, 1776, the British captured Fort Washington in upper Manhattan, leaving Fort Lee unsupported and allowing the Royal Navy free movement up and down the river. The fall of Fort Lee as a defensive outpost was imminent. 

Washington realized he would be vulnerable to a British attack and faced the decision to move his declining force of 2,000 men across the Hackensack—by ferry or via the one bridge located in River Edge at New Bridge. During this crisis, Washington was criticized, and his army’s morale was low. Recognizing Washington's predicament, British Commander Lord Howe permitted Lord Charles Cornwallis to launch an amphibious attack on New Jersey, just miles north of Fort Lee. 

They moved on the night of November 19, 1776. The next day, Washington learned of the British invasion and quickly rode to Liberty Pole. There, he planned to meet General Greene, the commander of Fort Lee, and his men, who were evacuating the fort. The British were about 2 miles away in Tenafly. Most of the soldiers marched together (down what is now Grand Avenue in Leonia) until reaching Liberty Pole and Washington. Amid the chaos of the retreat, some soldiers were ordered to secure the

Cornwallis moves across the North River (Hudson)  to the Jerseys

As the exhausted American army withdrew from the Jerseys, the area around Liberty Pole entered a different kind of warfare—one that symbolized the fight for independence even more than the pitched battles described in most accounts. It became a war of political intrigue, espionage, sabotage, and small skirmishes. Raids were carried out. Loyalties were questioned, as many of the Dutch were at best ambivalent about the struggle. Spies operated and were caught. Chaos and disorder spread throughout the area around Liberty Pole. 

The conflict simmered continuously, flaring up into brief, fierce bursts of action whenever the armies returned. Liberty Pole became the site of a notable skirmish later in the war. In 1779, a tired but resilient band of troops under the famed General "Light-Horse Harry" Lee courageously defended against Tory attacks as a Patriot force returned from a successful raid on the Paulhus Hook, what is now Jersey City. The raid on the Hook was only partly successful, but Lee's boldness and his successful retreat across the Hackensack River earned praise from General Washington and gratitude from Congress.

Light Horse Harry Lee's rear guard fought
bravely at Liberty Pole

In 1780, Washington’s Army was in the Hudson Highlands, and the forward lines around Tappan drew the attention of spies from both sides, Tory bands, militias, Continentals foraging, and various bandits. A British pardon lured American deserters from the Highlands, giving British intelligence a wealth of information. In one recorded act of reprisal, a raiding party of American militia marched down the valley to Liberty Pole and captured several deserters. These examples illustrate the type of fighting that took place around the pole and throughout the valley during the long fight for America's independence.