fully. At the first rays of dawn, the houses about it,
even the steeple of the church, all blossomed out with banners, and at
night the tree itself was aglow with lanterns. In New York a liberty
pole was set up with a splendid new flag on which was inscribed, "The
King, Pitt, and Liberty." It almost seemed as if "liberty" meant
having whatever sort of flag might suit one's whim.

This New York pole had rather a hard time. British soldiers cut it down
twice, and when a third pole was raised, sheathed with iron around its
base, they managed to cut that down also, although it bore the legend,
"To His Most Gracious Majesty George III, Mr. Pitt, and Liberty." The
city authorities would not risk planting another pole on city land, and
thereupon the Sons of Liberty bought a piece of land for themselves, and
marched up in brilliant procession; first a full band, playing with all
its might, then six horses, made gorgeous with bright ribbons, drawing
from the shipyard a fine new pole, sheathed in iron two thirds of its
length. It was escorted by the Sons of Liberty in full numbers. Three
flags floated over the little procession, but their mottoes were not so
impressively loyal as the earlier ones. These read, "Liberty and
Property." Nevertheless, "liberty" did not yet mean separation from the
mother country; it meant only freedom in making some of their own laws;
and what was known as the "Union Flag" did not refer to any union of the
colonies, but rather to the union of Scotland and England. This flag,
the regular flag of England, was red, with the crosses of St. George and
St. Andrew on a blue field forming the Jack.

Once, however, more than twenty years before the Revolutionary War,
there had been some talk of a union of colonies, beginning with the
suggestions of the most far-sighted man in America, Benjamin Franklin.
In 1754, when war between France and England was on the point of
breaking out, there was a meeting at Albany of delegates from several
colonies. They had come to see if they could make sure of the aid of
the Six Nations of Indian tribes; and here the sagacious Franklin
brought forward his plan for a union. His scheme was for the colonies
to elect a Grand Council, which should meet every year in
Philadelphia, to levy taxes, enlist soldiers, plan for defense, and,
in short, to attend to whatever concerned all the colonies. Whatever
affected them separately was to be managed by the colony interested.
This Council