The Loyalists, also known as the Tories, were American colonists who remained loyal to the crown of Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783). The Tories were conservative and loyal to King George III, and they resisted radical change due to being older and better established; they saw rebellion against the crown as illegitimate and wrong; they opposed the Patriots' use of violence; they held pro-British sentiments due to business and family links; they sought to postpone independence until a later date; they were afraid of chaos and mob rule; they lacked confidence in an American victory; and they felt that the British Parliament was the legitimate authority in America. Around 20% of the American population (around 500,000 people) supported the crown during the war, and several Tories took up arms against their fellow countrymen, especially in the American South and on the frontier. Backcountry Scots were notably in favor of continued British rule, and they fought against the Americans at the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge in 1776. Many Tories fled to New York City to avoid being tarred and feathered or murdered, and 70,000 Tories fled to other parts of the British Empire (such as Great Britain itself, or Canada) upon the war's end in 1783. Loyalists who stayed in the United States were nevertheless allowed to retain their property and acquire citizenship.
Background[]
In the mid-18th century, most American colonists had British origins and even the most ardent Patriots thought of themselves as British. At the outset, the rebellion was a fight for rights and liberties that the Patriots claimed belonged to all the king's subjects - in particular, protection against arbitrary taxation. To many colonists, even those who disagreed with Britain's treatment of the colonies, thoughts of taking up arms against their king, still less ideas of demanding independence, were inconceivable.
History[]
Before the outbreak of hostilities in the spring of 1775, many colonists did not share in the spirit of resistance that permeated places like Boston. Even when the war had begun, a substantial portion of the colonial population - as much as 20 percent - remained steadfastly loyal to the British Crown, despite the dangers of being labeled "Tories". Like any civil war, the divisions tore apart neighborhoods and families. Lieutenant Colonel William Stark, a commander of Loyalist forces, for example, was the older brother of prominent New Hampshire Patriot John Stark, the victor of the Battle of Bennington.
A diverse alliance[]
Many factors persuaded colonists to remain loyal to Britain. For some, close family ties with the mother country, or trading links with British merchants, influenced their decision. For others, it was traditional respect for the authority of the Crown, and the stability that British rule represented. They did not want to be associated with those who were seen as acting illegally. Others had settled in America after fighting in the French and Indian War, having been awarded land grants for their service by the British government. The Scottish Loyalists who fought in the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge fell into this category. Other groups, such as the Quakers, sympathized with the Patriots and their grievances, but were repelled by the use of violence and the tactics that Patriots often used to intimidate their Loyalist neighbors.
Non-Europeans in America - overwhelmingly Native Americans and African-Americans - found that the Patriot cause had little to offer them. For many Native Americans, British authority was the only thing that kept the white colonists from encroaching deeper into their lands. Likewise, African-American slaves had no reason to support the cause of "liberty" when Patriot landowners showed no inclination to include freedom from slavery in the rights and liberties they sought to achieve through war.
Loyalist units[]
British military commanders overestimated the size of the Loyalist population; and more importantly, they overestimated the willingness of Loyalist men to rally to the king's banner. Even so, Loyalists did make significant contributions to the British war effort. In the Southern campaigns, much of the fighting was done by Loyalist militia units rather than by British regular troops. Loyalists were welcomed into the ranks of the British Army, but on the whole, colonists who wanted to fight for the king enlisted in a number of "Provincial" battalions attached to the British Army, such as Butler's Rangers (mostly from New York) and the King's Royal Regiment (raised in Canada). Robert Rogers, a Massachusetts-born hero of the French and Indian War, established and commanded the Queen's American Rangers. In total, at least 50,000 American volunteers served in British military forces during the course of the war.
Life as a Loyalist[]
Some locations were friendlier toward Loyalists than others. In towns under British occupation, Loyalists could live quite comfortably. New York City, held by the British until the end of the war, had perhaps the most significant loyal population. But for Loyalists who did not enjoy the immediate protection of British troops, life during the war could be difficult. The harassment of high-placed officials loyal to the king had been bad enough in places such as Boston in the decade before the war, but once open hostilities began, Patriots often went out of their way to intimidate Loyalists. The tarring-and-feathering of ordinary colonists, often for no greater an offense than just not being enthusiastic about the Patriot cause, became a common occurrence for Loyalists, the majority of whom simply wanted to get on with their lives quietly.
Open persecution was the primary reason that compelled a sizable number, probably close to 10% of the colonial population, to pack their belongings and seek a more peaceful life elsewhere. Some Loyalists sought refuge in Britain itself, others moved to Florida, and large numbers settled in the king's loyal provinces in Canada.
Many pro-British families undertook the northward trek to Canada at the start of the fighting, but they left in far greater numbers at the end of the war, when British military forces withdrew from their posts in the new American republic. Nova Scotia was the most popular destination for these Loyalist emigres. The numbers of new settlers in this territory was so large that in 1784 Britain created a new province - New Brunswick - just for them.
Aftermath[]
After the revolution, the majority of Loyalists stayed in the newly formed republic, living peacefully with their neighbors. Although many Loyalists felt it wise to live discreetly, a tiny number rose to positions of prominence in the newly independent nation. One of these was Tench Coxe of Philadelphia, a political economist and businessman nicknamed "Mr. Facing Bothways," who served in the Second Continental Congress from 1788.
Some prominent Loyalist families in areas such as New York City, where support for the British had been strong, chose to leave America. Their positions of power and influence were filled by Patriots. These newly empowered citizens often came from the "lower classes." Even before the war ended, one rich Bostonian commented, in 1779, that "fellows who would have cleaned my shoes five years ago, have amassed fortunes and are riding in chariots."
Gallery[]
