- Also called:
- Tory
- Date:
- 1775 - 1783
loyalist
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Who were Loyalists during the American Revolution?
During the American Revolution, Loyalists were colonists who remained loyal to Great Britain. They represented about one-third of the American colonies' population and came from various groups, including officeholders, Anglican clergymen, pacifists, large landholders, and wealthy merchants.
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Why did some colonists choose to remain loyal to Britain?
During the American Revolution, colonists who remained loyal to Great Britain, known as loyalists, constituted about one-third of the American population. Their reasons varied across different groups and classes. Loyalists included officeholders and those who served the British crown, Anglican clergymen, pacifists, large landholders, and wealthy merchants whose businesses were affected by the war.
Common traits among loyalists were innate conservatism and devotion to Britain. While some actively supported the British army, others initially sought moderation before being driven into active loyalism by radical colonists. After the war, many loyalists faced repressive measures, leading approximately 100,000 to flee into exile.
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How were Loyalists treated by Patriots during the war?
During the American Revolution, Patriots treated Loyalists with hostility, viewing them as traitors. Congress recommended repressive measures against Loyalists, and states passed laws that forbade them from holding office, disenfranchised them, and confiscated or heavily taxed their property.
Loyalist fighters aroused vengeful hatred among the Patriots, and if captured in battle, they were treated as traitors. George Washington expressed his disdain for them, considering their opposition even more insulting than that of the British regulars.
Approximately 100,000 Loyalists, about 3β4% of the colonial population, fled into exile beginning in March 1776. Many went to Canada, where the British government offered asylum and compensation for lost property. After the U.S. Constitution was adopted in 1789, public sentiment against Loyalists decreased, and remaining state laws against them were repealed after the War of 1812.
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What types of people commonly became Loyalists?
Loyalists were American colonists who remained loyal to Great Britain during the American Revolution, making up about one-third of the colonial population.
Loyalists came from various groups and classes, but were strongest among officeholders, Anglican clergymen, Quakers, members of German religious sects, large landholders, and wealthy merchant groups. They were most common in the South, New York, and Pennsylvania, with New England having the fewest.
Their defining trait was conservatism, coupled with devotion to Britain. Initially, many urged moderation but were driven to active loyalism by radical colonists.
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What happened to Loyalists after the Revolutionary War?
After the Revolutionary War, Loyalists faced harsh treatment from the American states, including the loss of civil rights, property confiscation, and banishment. Congress recommended repressive measures against Loyalists, and state laws forbade them from holding office and heavily taxed their property.
Around 100,000 Loyalists, about 3β4% of the American population, fled into exile beginning in March 1776. Approximately 37,000 migrated to Canada, where the British government offered asylum and compensation for their losses. Those who met certain criteria were known as United Empire Loyalists in Canada. Public sentiment against Loyalists in the United States decreased after the new government was formed in 1789, and remaining state laws against them were repealed after the War of 1812.
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How did the Loyalists influence the history of Canada and other British territories?
Loyalists, colonists who remained loyal to Great Britain during the American Revolution, significantly influenced the history of Canada and other British territories. After the war, many faced persecution and exile, with approximately 100,000 fleeing, primarily to Canada.
The British government offered asylum and compensation to these refugees, known as United Empire Loyalists, particularly in Nova Scotia and Quebec. This influx altered Canada's population, adding people of American origin deeply attached to British institutions. The arrival of Loyalists also led to the creation of New Brunswick in 1784 and the Constitutional Act of 1791, shaping the governmental landscape of these regions.
Beyond Canada, some Loyalists migrated to the United Kingdom and the British West Indies.
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loyalist, colonist loyal to Great Britain during the American Revolution. Loyalists constituted about one-third of the population of the American colonies during that conflict. They were not confined to any particular group or class, but their numbers were strongest among the following groups: officeholders and others who served the British crown and had a vested interest in upholding its authority; Anglican clergymen and their parishioners in the North, who had likewise taken vows of allegiance and obedience to the king; Quakers, members of German religious sects, and other conscientious pacifists; and large landholders, especially in the North, and wealthy merchant groups in the cities whose businesses and property were affected by the war. The most common trait among all loyalists was an innate conservatism coupled with a deep devotion to the mother country and the crown. Many loyalists at first urged moderation in the struggle for colonial rights and were only driven into active loyalism by radical fellow colonists who denounced as Tories all who would not join them. Loyalists were most numerous in the South, New York, and Pennsylvania, but they did not constitute a majority in any colony. New York was their stronghold and had more than any other colony. New England had fewer loyalists than any other section.
The loyalists did not rise as a body to support the British army, but individuals did join the army or form their own guerrilla units. New York alone furnished about 23,000 loyalist troops, perhaps as many as all the other colonies combined. The loyalist fighters aroused a vengeful hatred among the patriots (as the American Revolutionaries called themselves), and when taken in battle they were treated as traitors. George Washington detested them, saying as early as 1776 that βthey were even higher and more insulting in their opposition than the regulars.β
Congress recommended repressive measures against the loyalists, and all states passed severe laws against them, usually forbidding them from holding office, disenfranchising them, and confiscating or heavily taxing their property. Beginning in March 1776, approximately 100,000 loyalists fled into exile. (This was between 3 and 4 percent of the total number of settlers in the colonies, which is estimated at 2,500,000β3,000,000 during the Revolutionary period.) The largest portion of those who fled ultimately went to Canada, where the British government provided them with asylum and offered some compensation for losses in property and income; those who met certain criteria (based, in part, on when they left America and their contribution to the British war effort) were known as United Empire Loyalists in Canada. Public sentiment in the United States against the loyalists died down significantly after government began under the new U.S. Constitution in 1789. In fact, one member of the Constitutional Convention, William Johnson of Connecticut, had been a loyalist. The remaining state laws against them were repealed after the War of 1812.
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