Contrary to popular belief, and despite the best efforts of the Sons of Liberty and their allies, not all of the American colonists supported breaking away from Britain and forming a new nation. In fact, as many as 500,000 white colonists didn’t support the Revolution, a full 20% of the white population.
These people called themselves Loyalists, and those who supported the Sons and groups like them called them Tories, a somewhat derogatory term for the day. Some of the Loyalists even took up arms for the British against their fellow colonists. So, in this sense, the American War for Independence was more than just a revolution, it was also a civil war.
Loyalists came from all parts of society in the colonies. The majority were small farmers, artisans and shopkeepers. Not surprisingly, most British officials remained loyal to the Crown. Wealthy merchants tended to remain loyal, as did Anglican ministers, especially in Puritan New England. Loyalists also included some blacks (to whom the British promised freedom), Indians, indentured servants and some German immigrants, who supported the Crown mainly because King George III was of German origin.
Their reasons for remaining loyal varied from group to group and sometimes from person to person. Merchants were worried that they would be cut out of Britain’s mercantile system if the colonies successfully broke away, limiting their trading opportunities with the British Empire. Nearly all the Loyalists shared gripes with the revolutionary colonists.
Both groups believed in John Locke’s idea of natural rights and limited government, and Loyalists protested and complained about the Stamp Act and Townshend Acts as much as the revolutionaries did. But the difference lies in how the two groups chose to address the issue. Whereas a military solution was eventually adopted by those supporting liberty, the Loyalists largely wished to take a more pacifist and peaceful route of protest. Many Loyalists believed, sometimes rightfully so, that violent confrontation would result in mob rule or tyranny.
Most of the Loyalists either hid their loyalties, silently rooting for the redcoats, or fled to Canada. Indeed, nearly 100,000 emigrated north, including such prominent colonists as William Franklin, the son of Benjamin, and John Singleton Copley, the greatest American painter of the period.
A Minority, about 17,000, took up arms and fought for the British side
According to McDougal, Loyalists also did things like inform on the revolutionaries and incite warring Indian tribes to attack the frontier settlements. In this sense, the Loyalists did more to subvert the American effort than support the British one.
The revolutionaries, and especially the radicals represented by the Sons of Liberty, didn’t take kindly to this subversion by their countrymen. Tensions quickly escalated from slander and propaganda until Congress had ordered every state (following the ratification of the Declaration of Independence) to define and punish acts of treason, and each state readily complied. According to McDougal, “trading with the enemy, expressions of fealty to the king, opposition to state governments, and the spreading of rumors and falsehoods” could be construed as treasonous acts.
In a period that is eerily similar to McCarthyism in the 1950’s, neighbors turned against each other and informed, loyalty oaths became required, local committees on safety were established with the power to jail anyone they suspected of remaining loyal to the crown, and mobs and townspeople were allowed, sometimes even empowered, to confiscate land and banish it’s owner out of suspicion. Often times, Loyalists were at the mercy of the other colonists, unless British soldiers were there to provide protection. But sometimes even that would bring reprisals as soon as the soldiers left.
This classic act of paranoia is typical of American history. Loyalists were made a stereotype and grouped together as one enemy, regardless of their motivation and level of support for the Crown. The merchant who was worried about the future of his business outside the British economic system was grouped together and treated the same as the spy who instigated Indian violence on the frontier.
Eventually, the Sons and groups like them were able to create a tidal wave of nationalism and patriotism that swept through every colony. It’s a human psychological condition to want to be considered part of the group, and as more and more prominent people came out in support of the Revolution and of liberty, it brought more and more people to their side. Those who resisted this spread and remained loyal to England, were harassed, threatened and jailed, but there was no widespread violence against them. The role the Tories played in the Revolution is largely forgotten because it was relatively tame.
Zac Johnson - My name is Zac Johnson. I'm a 22 year old senior at Arizona State University in Tempe, majoring in political science. I'll graduate in ...
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