 Home Index Freedom Documents Constitution In-Depth About Us Contact Us Education Site Map Links Archives E-Mail The History of America 
Chapter III - Choosing Sides: Loyalists, Patriots and Neutrals
Choosing Sides: Loyalists, Patriots and Neutrals 1775
John Adams once compared the outbreak of the American Revolution to "thirteen clocks striking at once." In an upsurge of patriotism, people from all the colonies proclaimed commitment to defending their rights. After taking up arms to preserve those rights, a break from England was the logical, almost inevitable next step. When rebellious Americans declared their independence in 1776, they began to speak for themselves, not just as citizens of thirteen separate colonies, but as a single people united in the common cause of liberty.
Emphasis on common cause and unity, however, could not disguise the fact that deep divisions existed among the diverse inhabitants of the colonies. Though a large number of colonists cried for liberty, nearly one-fifth of the colonial population remained completely loyal to Great Britain, actively opposing independence. These loyalists included British-appointed government officials, successful merchants whose trade depended upon the British, Anglican clergy and non-English minorities such as the Scots. All of these very different groups had one thing in common - the firm conviction that radical patriot leaders were the enemy and any call for independence from England was an outright act of treason.
Patriots accounted for about two-fifths of the population and came from numerically or politically dominant groups including small, independent farmers, Protestants, Chesapeake planters, New England merchants and urban artisans. Even though these dedicated patriots all enthusiastically supported the struggle against Britain, because of their varying special interests they had different answers to the serious question of who should rule at home. Some sought limited political reform, others extensive political change, and still others desired sweeping economic and social reforms.
The remaining two-fifths of the population attempted to remain neutral. Among this group were devout Quakers and other reluctant colonists who wanted no part in any fight for independence. Some patriots considered neutrality as villainous a crime as loyalism. In fact, the Continental Congress recommended to the states that "all disaffected persons be disarmed and arrested." Various state governments also legislated strict penalties for loyalists including enforced oaths of allegiance and confiscation of property. Approximately one hundred thousand stubborn loyalists were forced into exile. The majority settled in Nova Scotia, Canada, the Bahamas and other parts of the West Indies.
|