A grand dinner was coordinated for Aug. 14, 1769, in Dorchester, a suburb of Boston, to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the Stamp Act Riots. The dinner, held under a massive tent near the “Liberty-Tree-Tavern” (Robinson’s Tavern), hosted 300 Sons of Liberty. The cause of liberty, as well as the sound of music and cannon shots, filled the air.
The Sons of Liberty made 45 toasts that early evening (this after 14 toasts earlier in the day), celebrating “All true Patriots throughout the World” and cheering the “Speedy Removal of all Task Masters.” In spite of so many toasts, John Adams, a member of the Sons of Liberty and an attendee of the dinner, recalled that he “did not see one Person intoxicated, or near it.” The Sons of Liberty had no need for alcoholic intoxication. They were already intoxicated with the spirit of revolution.
