How One Historic Tree Became a Symbol of American Freedom

Maryland’s Liberty Tree may be gone, but its roots still tell a powerful story.

Before the American Revolution, Liberty Trees served as gathering places where patriots protested British rule. In Annapolis, one tree became the rallying point for Maryland’s own “tea party,” when protest over a tea ship ended with the vessel being burned.

Scott Watkins of the Sons of the Revolution shares how roots from Annapolis’ last standing Liberty Tree were preserved after Hurricane Floyd forced the 400-year-old tulip poplar to be removed in 1999.

Today, pieces of those roots live on in historic objects, including crosses gifted to Pope Francis and King Charles III, and a gavel now tied to Maryland’s Old Senate Chamber.

For more, watch Amazing America: 250 Celebrating from Neighborhood to Nation.

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