Bringing back that old school vibe with our redesigned Retro T-shirt. These Heather Gray Next Level tees feature a green highlighted Wise Men Company Retro logo on the front, and the right sleeve shows off our Pine Tree Riot tagline. Read the story of the Pine Tree Riot below. These tees are Next Level 60/40 Cotton Poly blend shirts.
The Pine Tree Riot was one of the first acts of resistance against the British Crown by the Thirteen Colonies. It took place in New Hampshire in 1772. The British Empire needed the White Pines from New England to build and repair their ships. This lead to laws being passed that prohibited the colonists from using their own trees. The "Surveyors of the King's Woods" were assigned by the Crown to police all suitable "mast pines" and mark them with a “broad arrow”.
On the night of April 14th, 1772 a group of colonist men seized the local law enforcement (Sheriff Benjamin Whiting & Deputy John Quigley) who had handed out fines for every tree that the colonist cut down. They gave the sheriff and his deputy one lash for every tree being contested. The Sheriff and his deputy tried to resist the Pine Tree Rioters but were greatly outnumbered. When the flogging was finished they were ran out of town.
All the Pine Tree Rioters plead guilty to rioting and disturbing the peace. The judge fined them 20 shillings each and ordered to pay the cost of the court hearing. These light fines emboldened colonists as it was one of the first real test of the British royal authority. The Pine Tree Riot is believed to be the inspiration for the Boston Tea Party...
