around the world. Captain Benjamin Hallowell, who as Mandamus Councilor in Massachusetts served as the direct representative of the Crown, was considered by the insurgents as one of the most hated men in the Colony, but as a token of compensation when he returned from England in 1796, his son was allowed to regain the family house. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. This Fourth of July marks the the 228th anniversary of the signing of the American Declaration of Independence. [60], The post-nominals "U.E." The American Revolution was principally caused by colonial opposition to British attempts to impose greater control over the colonies and to make them repay the crown for its defense of them during the French and Indian War (175463). Early Patriots alienated some by resorting to violence against tax collectors and pressuring others to declare a position in the conflict. Source: A Companion to the American Revolution, Your email address will not be published. In 1787 the last of any discriminatory laws were rescinded. Afua Cooper, "Acts of Resistance: Black Men and Women Engage Slavery in Upper Canada, 1793-1803". cod, formerly a distant second to herring, comprised 60 percent of all fish eaten in Europe. What percent of colonists supported the American Revolution? A year later, the Declaration of Independence was signed. Philips Church, Brunswick Town. In the British colonies, differences among Puritan and Anglican remained. Patrick Henry "Give me liberty, or give me death!" The British government acted in expectation of that, especially in the southern campaigns in 178081. The British were forced out of Boston by March 17, 1776. At no time did more than 45 percent of colonists support the war, and at least a third of colonists fought for the British. "[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. Some estimate that at least [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. [5] Many Loyalists eventually returned to the US after the war and discriminatory laws had been repealed. Colonists had various reasons for whichever side that they chose. [32] Most of the English-speaking settlers had arrived following the British conquest of Canada in 17591760, and were unlikely to support separation from Britain. 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. The British, however, assumed a highly activist Loyalist community was ready to mobilize and planned much of their strategy around raising Loyalist regiments. The American Revolutionary war lasted just over seven years, with the end of conflict coming after British forces were removed from Charleston and Savannah in late 1782. Chopra, Ruma. [34][35] About 400 to 1,000 free blacks who joined the British side in the Revolution went to London and joined the free black community of about 10,000 there. Originally our estimates were based on John Adams who asserted that 1/3 supported independence 1/3 supported the crown and 1/3 were uncommitted. At the time, the loyalties among the colonists were divided. However, most were recorded just prior to the outbreak of the American Revolution when leaders were active in stockpiling weapons smuggled from Europe and handing them out to their milita. Benedict Arnold and Ethan Allen come to mind, not "middle-of-the-roaders," but "men-of-both-extremes." Please feel free to fill out our Contact Form. After 1783 some former Loyalists, especially Germans from Pennsylvania, emigrated to Canada to take advantage of the British government's offer of free land. Although only a minority of Canadians openly expressed loyalty to King George, about 1,500 militia fought for the King in the Siege of Fort St. Jean. So not a minority, but hardly overwhelming support, either. [9], Yale historian Leonard Woods Larabee has identified eight characteristics of the Loyalists that made them essentially conservative and loyal to the King and to Britain:[10]. 9240 views On the Fence Often overlooked are the fence-sitters who made up the largest group. The 36,000 or so who went to Nova Scotia were not well received by the 17,000 Nova Scotians, who were mostly descendants of New Englanders settled there before the Revolution. British forces seized control of other cities, including Philadelphia (1777), Savannah, Georgia (177883), and Charleston, South Carolina (178082). "[71], John Copley's "The Death of Major Pierson". The wealthiest and most prominent Loyalist exiles went to Great Britain to rebuild their careers; many received pensions. Religious practice suffered in certain places because of the absence of ministers and the destruction of churches, but in other areas, religion flourished. Estimates of the number of Loyalists range as high as 500,000, or 20 percent of the white population of the colonies. 2. By July 4, 1776, the Patriots had gained control of virtually all territory in the Thirteen Colonies and expelled all royal officials. 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. About 800 did so; some helped rout the Virginia militia at the Battle of Kemp's Landing and fought in the Battle of Great Bridge on the Elizabeth River, wearing the motto "Liberty to Slaves", but this time they were defeated. The Loyalists in the Revolutionary War were the American colonists who supported King George III of England and did not want independence. He worked to build Loyalist military units to fight in the war. Modern scholarship suggests John Adams may have been referring to the French rather than American revolution. Once the revolutionary war was lost, some in Britain argued that it had been unwinnable. In September 1775, William Drayton and Loyalist leader Colonel Thomas Fletchall signed a treaty of neutrality in the interior community of Ninety Six, South Carolina. ", Brown, Wallace. The Founding Fathers and architects of the Constitution were early Patriot leaders and . Not all Americans shared in the boom. At no time did more than 45 percent of colonists support the war, and at . Estimates of the number of Loyalists range as high as 500,000, or 20 percent of the white population of the colonies. Maryland lawyer Daniel Dulaney the Younger opposed taxation without representation but would not break his oath to the King or take up arms against him. There were in fact at least three distinct phases relating to what we can in general call the American Revolution. [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. The African-American soldiers made an. Another theory is a hybrid between American interest in current events and a sense of American values. The Treaty of Paris (1783) ended the war, and Britain lost much of this territory to the newly formed United States. of the estimated half million who had sided with the British The Massachusetts political leader, John Adams, thought about thirty-three percent of the colonists supported independence, thirty-three percent supported Britain, and thirty-three percent supported neither side. American Loyalists, or "Tories" as their opponents called them, opposed the Revolution, and many took up arms against the rebels. this group would be considered as unenthusiastic at best. Many Southern Loyalists, taking along their slaves, went to the West Indies, particularly to the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas. They saw themselves as, They felt alienated when the Patriots (seen by them as. The most common piece of evidence cited in numerous books about the Revolution is a letter of John Adams indicating that one third of the Americans were for the Revolution, another third were against it, and a final third were neutral or indifferent to the whole affair. An imperial law in 1790 assured prospective immigrants to Canada that their slaves would remain their property. He can be reached at jtures@lagrange.edu. South Carolina, North Carolina, and Maryland each had over 100,000 slaves. At no time did more than 45 percent of colonists support the war, and at least a third of colonists fought for the British. and the estimated 55,000 who served on American Privateers. Although some Canadians took up arms in support of the rebellion, the majority remained loyal to the King. Historian John Ferlingfinds that the Continental Army size was actually 100,000, not counting the militia. 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. Flora Macdonald would also qualify, though one might argue that in being a tory, she was really being a neo-jacobite, making George III into a kind of ersatz-Bonnie-Prince-Charlie. Unlike the Civil War, which pitted regions against each other, the war of independence pitted neighbor against neighbor. Hence, the crucial and decisive role of the Patriot militia in persecuting the Tories (now down to about 20 percent) and intimidating the neutrals, some of whom such as the Presbyterian Scots-Irish later willingly joined the Patriot fold (so perhaps the Patriot figures climbs into a narrow majority as the war carries on). Check out our timeline of the history of the United States for a great place to start and navigate through American history! Nonetheless, vigilante coercion, as much as legitimating rhetoric, won the day for the USA. Your email address will not be published. population was living below the poverty line in the 1920's. Patriots were active supporters of independence, and willing to fight for it. Though not all colonists supported violent rebellion, historians estimate that as many as 45 percent of colonists supported the Patriots' cause. There were probably an equal number of "Loyalist Historiography. In the opening months of the Revolutionary War, the Patriots laid siege to Boston, where most of the British forces were stationed. That doesnt include the U.S. Navy, state navies, Continental Marines (2,000 by one estimate) and the estimated 55,000 who served on American Privateers, which gets us from 15 percent to perhaps as high as 25 percent participation. The majority of these Loyalists belonged to the wealthy merchant class in the colonies, their livelihood dependent on trade and good relations with Britain. Americans who elected not to choose a side were called Neutrals. What percent of colonists supported the American Revolution? 40 percent of the American About 1,200 left Nova Scotia for Sierra Leone, where they named the capital Freetown. Abigail Adams was quite right to question her husbands statement about just all men being created equal. (Gail Saunders, Bahamian Loyalists and Their Slaves [MacMillan Education LTD, London and Oxford: 1983] p. 1) ", Middlekauff, Robert. As well, the Nova Scotia government used the law to convict people for sedition and treason for supporting the rebel cause. These people were the type that were either pacifists, recent immigrants, or simply apolitical. The First Capitalist Factories. Second, during the American Revolution, that maximum age of service rose to 55 in Connecticut. Source: Political cartoon - Join or Die May 9, 1754 Pennsylvania . By comparing the frequency of these events, where they occurred, and who was involved we can get a reasonable idea of how the population was divided. It really boggles the imagination to suggest that Adams would have regarded a neutral third so highly with respect to the American Revolution. Third, the state expanded their regiments from 18 to 28, which would provide an estimated 14,588 men (estimated by dividing the 1774 regiment size by 18 regiments, multiplying that number by 10 for the new regiments), giving us 40,849 militiamen. Many of the slaves in the South joined the Loyalists with intentions of gaining freedom and escaping the South. Of the 46,000 who went to Canada, 10,000 went to Quebec, especially what is now modern-day Ontario, the rest to Nova Scotia and PEI. Following these actions, support for the Revolutionist grew to about 40 to 45 percent of the colonial population. Below are steps you can take in order to whitelist Observer.com on your browser: Click the AdBlock button on your browser and select Don't run on pages on this domain. Nearly 40% of the colonists were neither Patriot nor Loyalist, but neutral. This article shows what was the likely support for the American Revolution among the colonists. ", This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 14:54. Northern Loyalists largely migrated to Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. 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. Another small group in terms of percentage were the dedicated patriots, for whom there was no alternative but independence. That will be the subject of the next piece, Was the American Revolution a Peoples War? intended to end the Minority Myth view. The late William Marina was a Research Fellow at the Independent Institute, Oakland, CA, and Professor Emeritus in History at Florida Atlantic University. 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 older British colonies, Newfoundland and Nova Scotia (including what is now New Brunswick) also remained loyal and contributed military forces in support of the Crown. 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. 868 Words4 Pages. Why Was the 1836 Battle of San Jacinto Important? The first of these was in the debate over American liberties prior to the war itself. The American Revolution (1765-1791 time period, with official war dates between 1775 and 1783) made colonists choose sides between groups called Loyalists or Patriots. In 1774, the top 10 percent of Boston citizens owned 57 percent of the wealth in the city. A large British army of over 30,000 troops convinced even George Washington of the virtues of a protracted conflict.. According to historian Afua Cooper, Simcoe's law required children in slavery to be freed when they reached age 25 and: Thousands of Iroquois and other Native Americans were expelled from New York and other states and resettled in Canada. They considered themselves to be British citizens and therefore believed revolution to be treason. Before the Congress evacuated Philadelphia, it passed a Declaration of Independence ratifying those ideas. Starting in the mid1780s a small percentage of those who had left returned to the United States. They felt that being a part of the British Empire was crucial in terms of commerce and their business operations. 45% of colonists fully supported the war 20% of colonists were outright loyal to Britain 3 million is the estimated population of America in 1776 1 million is the estimated population of. Before its demise, the church was considered one of the finest religious structures in North Carolina.St. What percent of American colonists supported the revolution? Something might not be right about those American numbers. Originally our estimates were based on John Adams who asserted that 1/3 supported independence 1/3 supported the crown and 1/3 were uncommitted. A form of kinship. [58] "They [the Loyalists]", Colonel Thomas Dundas wrote in 1786, "have experienced every possible injury from the old inhabitants of Nova Scotia, who are even more disaffected towards the British Government than any of the new States ever were. John K. Robertson looks at this very issue of militia size in the Journal of the American Revolution in 2016. Another way is to scrutinize historical events. Then figure out what the total cost of the trip would be.? A precise figure cannot be known because the records were incomplete and inaccurate, and small numbers continued to leave after 1783. [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. Despite this, the Patriots were much more successful at persuading these Neutralists towards their cause. As a result, more people who lived through the American Revolution knew someone who died or lost someone in the war, than in any war we have fought since. 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. If the British had lost legitimacy, Thomas Paines pamphlet Common Sense, in January, 1776 succinctly provided an American legitimacy based on Natural Law. of allegiance to the King. Historians estimate that between 15 and 20 percent of European-American colonists supported the Crown; some historians estimate that as much as one third of the population was sympathetic to the British, if not vocally. Weak Navy, no regular army, lack of fighting experience, shortage of weapons, some people didnt support them. The American Revolution as civil war, "An Imperial Disaster? His Twitter account is JohnTures2. They were opposed by the Patriots, who supported the revolution, and called them "persons inimical to the liberties of America. To read our full stories, please turn off your ad blocker.We'd really appreciate it. For one thing, there were a number of seriously conflicted individuals. They simply had no interest in the matter or committing to either cause. In terms of numbers: 40,000 soldiers fought in the Battle of Long Island, making it the largest battle. Historian Robert Calhoon wrote in 2000, concerning the proportion of Loyalists to Patriots in the Thirteen Colonies: Historians' best estimates put the proportion of adult white male loyalists somewhere between 15 and 20 percent. Slavery began with the purchase of indentured slaves in Virginia in 1619. Simcoe desired to demonstrate the merits of loyalism and abolitionism in Upper Canada in contrast to the nascent republicanism and prominence of slavery in the United States, and, according to historian Stanley R. Mealing: However the actual law was a compromise. Some women involved in political activity include Catharine Macaulay (a loyalist) and Mercy Otis Warren who were both writers during this time. Others recalled the dreadful experiences of many. I doubt anyone can establish the figures with such precision. [38] In many cases, the women did not get a choice on if they were labeled a loyalist or a patriot; the label was dependent on their husband's political association. Last month, a Georgia State senator running for governor posed with an armed militia group at an Atlanta rally, introducing many of us to the III% Militia. Many people in without the support of the majority of the residents of the Timeline of the History of the United States. These were 'state owned' weapons, not privately owned. Loyalists fighting in the American Revolution, Category:Novels set during the American Revolutionary War, List of notable Loyalists (American Revolution), American Revolution - Nova Scotia theatre, List of places named for Loyalists (American Revolution), Refugees after the American Revolution needed money, homes and acceptance, "loyalist | Definition & Facts | Britannica", "Loyalists During the American Revolutionary War: What Happened to Them?