liberty pole

American  

[lib-er-tee pohl] / ˈlɪb ər ti ˌpoʊl /

noun

1. Also called liberty tree.  American History. a pole or tree, often with a liberty cap or a banner at the top, usually located on a village green or in a market square, used by the Sons of Liberty in many colonial towns as a symbol of protest against British rule and around which anti-British rallies were held.

2. a tall flagpole, traditionally with a liberty cap at the top, serving as a symbol of liberty.

---

Etymology

Origin of liberty pole

First recorded in 1760–70

Example Sentences

They have put up a liberty pole, which is essentially just that: a big wooden pole.

From Slate

The liberty pole tradition traces its roots to ancient Rome, where a group of senators celebrated the emperor’s assassination by sticking a red cap on top of a pole.

From Slate

Back in 1774, our dudes set themselves to the task of removing a 10-ton boulder from the sand to get it into a cart where 30 strong oxen would haul it up Cole’s Hill, and then they would place it atop the liberty pole to tell every redcoat in the area that Plymouth was ready for a fight, that the spirit of the Pilgrims, brave and defiant, still flowed through their veins.

From Slate

They put one broken half of Plymouth Rock into the wagon, and the 30 oxen had an easier trip up Cole’s Hill, and they deposited it beside the liberty pole.

From Slate

Last April, early in the pandemic, Washington’s two distilleries – Liberty Pole Spirits and Red Pump – made hand sanitizer from high-proof grain alcohol.

From Washington Times