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 suspended from an elm that became known as the Liberty Tree. It stood in silent witness to countless meetings, speeches, and celebrations and became 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.