On the Fence Often overlooked are the fence-sitters who made up the largest group. The Colonists also gained help from other countries such as France and Spain; France provided up to 90% of the Americans' gunpowder in the war's first two years. Most American colonists, however, did choose sides. As John Smith later wrote of English merchants' reluctance to invest in American colonies where fishing was . According to Robert Calhoon, between 40 and 45 percent of the white population in the Thirteen Colonies supported the Patriots' cause, between 15 and 20 percent supported the Loyalists, and the remainder were neutral or kept a low profile. . Northern Loyalists largely migrated to Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. ", "Lord Dunmore's Ethiopian Regiment - The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed", "Only 1/3 of Americans Supported the American Revolution? John Graves Simcoe, 1752-1806: A biography. Highland Scots in the Carolinas, a fair number of Anglican clergy and their parishioners in Connecticut and New York, a few Presbyterians in the southern colonies, and a large number of the Iroquois stayed loyal to the king. The American Revolution was not simply a series of impersonal events. There were probably an equal number of The American Revolution as civil war, "An Imperial Disaster? Multiply that number by 13 states, and you get 531,035 militiamen (Connecticut was a middle-sized state in the 1790 Census). The oppression by the local Whigs during the Regulation led to many of the residents of backcountry North Carolina sitting out the Revolution or siding with the Loyalists. Though not all colonists supported violent rebellion, historians estimate that approximately 45 percent of the white population supported the Patriots' cause or identified as Patriots; 15-20 percent favored the British Crown; and the remainder of the population chose not to take a vocal position in the conflict. That will be the subject of the next piece, Was the American Revolution a Peoples War? intended to end the Minority Myth view. That number also doesnt count the men and women who worked to feed our troops, clothe our troops, provide supplies, gather information, and protect our frontier and shores. Perhaps 10% of the refugees to New Brunswick returned to the States as did an unknown number from Nova Scotia. Historian Maya Jasanoff calculated 60,000 in total went to British North America, including about 50,000 whites, however Philip Ranlet estimates that only 20,000 adult white Loyalists went to Canada,[52] while Wallace Brown cites about 80,000 Loyalists in total permanently left the United States.[53]. The Americans, with help from Spain, the Netherlands and France, defeated the British during the American Revolutionary War. Most history experts today think that about twenty percent of the colonists supported Britain. The majority of these Loyalists belonged to the wealthy merchant class in the colonies, their livelihood dependent on trade and good relations with Britain. The colonists themselves were divided. Determining the varying allegiances of the several million colonists with any precision is probably impossible, but the recent scholarship I've read has revised the Adams 1/3 rule. A year later, the Declaration of Independence was signed. The legislature named 232 Loyalists liable for the confiscation of their property, but most appealed and were forgiven. As a result of Dorchester's statement, the printed militia rolls carried the notation: Those Loyalists who have adhered to the Unity of the Empire, and joined the Royal Standard before the Treaty of Separation in the year 1783, and all their Children and their Descendants by either sex, are to be distinguished by the following Capitals, affixed to their names: U.E. About 80,000 of them fled to Canada or Britain during or just after the war. Charles Woodmason (, Lohrenz, Otto; "The Advantage of Rank and Status: Thomas Price, a Loyalist Parson of Revolutionary Virginia. [31], As a result of the looming crisis in 1775, the Royal Governor of Virginia, Lord Dunmore, issued a proclamation that promised freedom to indentured servants and slaves who were able to bear arms and join his Loyalist Ethiopian Regiment. Religious practice suffered in certain places because of the absence of ministers and the destruction of churches, but in other areas, religion flourished. One rich Patriot in Boston noted in 1779 that "fellows who would have cleaned my shoes five years ago, have amassed fortunes and are riding in chariots." How did the Sons of Liberty protest British actions? Nelson. Please feel free to fill out our Contact Form. [66], Alexander Hamilton enlisted the help of the Tories (ex-Loyalists) in New York in 178285 to forge an alliance with moderate Whigs to wrest the State from the power of the Clinton faction. Many peopleincluding former Regulators in North Carolina refused to join the rebellion, as they had earlier protested against corruption by local authorities who later became Revolutionary leaders. 40 to 45 percent of colonists were Patriots, colonists who supported the Revolutionary War. [33] After 1787 they became Sierra Leone's ruling elite during the colonial era[34] and their descendants, the Sierra Leone Creoles, are the cultural elites of the nation. They were often passive unless regular British army units were in the area. The 50,000 or so white departures represented about 10% of the Loyalists (at 20-25% of the white population). "How Many American Loyalists Left the United States?. At the time of the American Revolution, slaves made up at least 25 percent of the population of North Carolina. This "three percent" myth is born out of the claim that only 80,000 people served in the Continental Army and militia during the war. The Moderates prevailed. For one thing, there were a number of seriously conflicted individuals. So, I think the 3 percenters are just people who have difficulty with basic math. The "well-known" letter of Adams was to James Lloyd, dated January, 1813. A group of African-American Loyalists settled in Nova Scotia but emigrated again for Sierra Leone after facing discrimination there. In fact Dr [sic] Wallace Brown went as far as to call it more of a civil war than the 1861-1865 hostilities. are rarely seen today, but the influence of the Loyalists on the evolution of Canada remains. History in Charts is a website dedicated to writing about historical topics and diving deeper into the data behind different events, time periods, places, and people. [28], After the British military capture of New York City and Long Island it became the British military and political base of operations in North America from 1776 to 1783, prompting revolutionaries to flee and resulting in a large concentration of Loyalists, many of whom were refugees from other states. 868 Words4 Pages. The survivors joined other Loyalist units and continued to serve throughout the war. (Youtube video)", African Americans in the Revolutionary War, Committee for the Relief of the Black Poor, Bibliography of conservatism in the United States, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Loyalist_(American_Revolution)&oldid=1142280576, Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from January 2012, Short description is different from Wikidata, All articles with vague or ambiguous time, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2011, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2019, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. In 1787 the last of any discriminatory laws were rescinded. [50] Both white and black Loyalists fought for the British at the Battle of Kemp's Landing in Virginia. [53] Approximately 6,000 whites went to Jamaica and other Caribbean islands, notably the Bahamas, and about 13,000 went to Britain (including 5,000 free blacks). Britain was able to effectively protect the people only in areas where they had military control, and in return, the number of military Loyalists was significantly lower than what had been expected. "[59] In response, the colony of New Brunswick, until 1784 part of Nova Scotia, was created for the 14,000 who had settled in those parts. They crossed the US/Can border during the war. I doubt anyone can establish the figures with such precision. The Causes of the Dust Bowl in the Great Depression. Today our best estimates are Patriots 40-55% Loyalists 15-25% uncommitted 30-45%. It could be a bit lower, but that figure a lot closer to Robert Allisons numbers, which are 375,000 serving, or almost 15 percent of the population. "The Loyalists and the American Revolution. So not a minority, but hardly overwhelming support, either. The Germans in Pennsylvania tried to stay out of the Revolution, just as many Quakers did, and when that failed, clung to the familiar connection rather than embrace the new. Roberts, . . Why did King George III issue the Proclamation of 1763? The American Revolution was a time of political turmoil and conflict that happened between the British and the thirteen colonies during 1765 to 1763. . Many of the Loyalists were forced to abandon substantial properties to America restoration of or compensation for these lost properties was a major issue during the negotiation of the Jay Treaty in 1794. [47][48] In all about 19,000 at one time or another were soldiers or militia in British forces. America typically celebrates the 4th of July as a unifying victory for the country, but the road to independence was more divisive and violent than most people realize, according to Thomas Slaughter, the Arthur R. Miller Professor of History and author of the 2014 bookIndependence: the Tangled Roots of the American Revolution. In another migration-motivated mainly by economic rather than political reasons-[57] more than 20,000 and perhaps as many as 30,000 "Late Loyalists" arrived in Ontario in the 1790s attracted by Lieutenant-Governor Simcoe's policy of land and low taxes, one-fifth those in the US and swearing an oath[when?] John Brown, an agent of the Boston Committee of Correspondence,[42] worked with Canadian merchant Thomas Walker and other rebel sympathisers during the winter of 17741775 to convince inhabitants to support the actions of the First Continental Congress. When looking back at the outset of the American Revolution most assume that the colonies were united in their quest for independence. [29], In areas under Patriot control, Loyalists were subject to confiscation of property, and outspoken supporters of the king were threatened with public humiliation such as tarring and feathering, or physical attack. Nearly 40% of the colonists were neither Patriot nor Loyalist, but neutral. To read more on what we're all about, learn more about us here. The American Revolution was not a straight battle between Americans and the British. . About 15 to 20 percent of the population still supported the British Crown, however. France had not yet allied with the Americans. Effective tax rates in England exceeded 11 percent of national income; in the colonies, they were but a fraction of a percent, and most of that local. According to John Adams they accounted for a third of the poupulation, it is disputed today. These were 'state owned' weapons, not privately owned. Before its demise, the church was considered one of the finest religious structures in North Carolina.St. The notion of computing percentages of patriots and tories is basically unsound. Essentially, the British were only able to maintain power in areas where they had a strong military presence. ", Patrick Bode, "Upper Canada, 1793: Simcoe and the Slaves.". Significantly, for over a century, a number of American intellectuals, ranging recently from Daniel Elsberg of Vietnam War Pentagon Papers fame, to Irving Kristol, the "Godfather" of today's Neoconservative Iraq Hawks, have cited the Adams' letter as gospel. Many Americans switched allegiance and changed signs during the revolution depending on which side was winning. In the end, many Loyalists simply left America. war in any form. As well, the Nova Scotia government used the law to convict people for sedition and treason for supporting the rebel cause. "[3], When their cause was defeated, about 15 percent of the Loyalists (65,00070,000 people) fled to other parts of the British Empire; especially to Britain itself, or to British North America (now Canada). The African-American soldiers made an. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. We get these figures by reading writings such as journals. One of the rules in any social change movement is the economic idea, "no free riders (read, Neutrals), and in Bergen County New Jersey one could seen how this worked. Loyalist, also called Tory, colonist loyal to Great Britain during the American Revolution. Although both women's works were unpopular, during this time, it pushed them to learn from social critique. He can be reached at jtures@lagrange.edu. ", "Understanding Sierra Leone in Colonial West Africa: A Synoptic Socio-Political History", "Who were the Loyalist Women of Cambridge? 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