2. Loyalists

3.  ‘And what is a Tory? Good God what is he? I should not be afraid to go with a hundred Whigs against a thousand Tories, were they to attempt to get into arms. Every Tory is a coward; for servile, slavish, self-interested fear is the foundation of Toryism; and a man under such influence, though he may be cruel, never can be brave.’  Thomas Paine The Crisis

4.  This idea is typical of American patriots and early historians of the revolution  The loyalist is seen as  an individual, not as part of a group  driven by self-interested greed  Is this a real representation?  If not why not?

5.  Most loyalist were proud to be Colonials  identified strongly with their local communities and government  Often resented the British Governments attempt to tax  Agreeing with patriots that this violated their rights as British subjects

6. What is a loyalist?  An American who favored reconciliation with Great Britain during conflicts that begin with the Stamp Act and concluded with the War of 1812  They opposed the Revolution for a variety of reasons  Sentimental  Economic  Political  Religious  Philosophical

7.  However, they were proud of their British heritage  It was after all this heritage which had taught them to cherish these rights  Wanted to remain part of the British Empire  at the time the most powerful nation in the world (or at least the world they knew)

8. Numbers  John Adams in 1815 stated that the American population could be split into thirds  1/3 Pro-revolution  1/3 anti-revolution  1/3 uncommitted to either side  Historians have debated this number and estimates range from 1/5 to 1/3 of the population

9.  As for hard physical numbers it is hard to come up with a satisfactory number  Records show that 40-50,000 went to Nova Scotia  Causing such a swell in Canada’s numbers that the new colony of New Brunswick was formed  It is thought that approx another 30-40,ooo left to go to other locales  Britain  West Indies  But these are only those that left America

10.  There were many more who elected to stay in America  It was after all their home  Loyalists who stayed often unrecognized as such  The pressure to be a patriot, and the difficulty of not being so where obvious  Remember John Agnew  Many kept their thoughts secret  Many tried to put out the idea that they were neutral  Many would sign patriot oaths to protect themselves

11.  Their reason to stay and become loyalist were also varied, driven by multiple factors  Economic  Familial  Political  Intellectual  For many the choice was something to be avoided  Many deferred making the commitment, unable to make the difficult choice

12.  Only deciding when forced with the question of whether or not to fire on an approaching army  If they took the loyalist side, they could not return home after the fighting moved on  Eventually it was thought that approximately  19,000 men  in 40 units  Fought along side the British  loyalist in most of the major battles

13.  Back to the original questions  If loyalists were not all cowards and driven by greed why are they viewed that way?  The answer lies in the need for America, like any other country, to create a unified creation narrative

14.  Loyalists have been omitted from the story because there is no place for them in the story of triumphal democracy and freedom  Erasing loyalists,  dismissing them as self-interested cowards  Portraying them as crazy hard-liners  Or simply alienating them by lumping them with the British invaders  Allows the creation of an American beginning with no meaningful domestic opposition to the patriot plan