(upbeat music) - [Narrator] Why did British soldiers chop down a tree?

When American revolutionaries needed to vent and plan, they usually met up at the local tavern.

For the Loyal nine, it was the Liberty Tree, a large Elm in Boston, the birthplace of the revolution.

The Loyal Nine was a secret society of patriots who used the landmark to plan protests against the Stamp Act.

Using public outcry, demonstrations, and intimidation, this moment became one of the first waves of resistance against the king 10 years before the revolution.

Across early America, towns named their own liberty trees, but most have been lost to time.

While a treasured symbol, you can't visit the Elm in Boston today.

Due to its use by the Loyal Nine, and later, the Sons of Liberty, British soldiers chopped down the tree in 1775.

Not even a stump remains today.

But in 2018, the city built Liberty Tree Plaza across from the original trees' location to commemorate this revolutionary landmark.