An American Liberty Elm was named after the Liberty Tree, regarded as the country's first symbol of freedom. On the morning of August 14, 1765, the people of Boston discovered two effigies hanging from the elm in protest of the Stamp Act, and from that day the tree became known as the Liberty Tree. It stood as the site of countless meetings, speeches, and celebrations and served as the rallying place for the Sons of Liberty. In August 1775, as a last act of violence before their evacuation of Boston, British soldiers cut it down because it bore the name Liberty.