Loyalists vs. Patriots Believe it or not there were some colonists during the American Revolution that supported British rule. Loyalists are what they were called. They remained loyal to England and King George. However, there were also two other groups along with the loyalists' which include the patriots and the people who were neutral. The few colonists that remained loyal to Great Britain, during the American Revolution, were wrong in doing so, even though Britain had a nice, stable government. If you were a loyalist you were hated by the patriots. The patriots were people who wanted to gain independence from Britain. U.S.history.org states, "Patriots subjected loyalists to public humiliation and violence. Many loyalists found their property vandalized, looted, and burned." This shows that the colonists' who were loyalists had a tough life during the American Revolution. So, it wasn't a smart choice to become a loyalist during that time period. …show more content…
One of the things they did was tax the colonists on things they didn't get to vote on in parliament. NC Pedia states, "Parliament did not have the right to take their money by imposing taxes. "No taxation without representation" became their rallying cry." This means that colonists didn't want to get taxed for something they didn't have a say in. They know that taxes are needed to help run the country but, they didn't get to help decide what should be taxed. Great Britain also made some unfair laws. For example, they decided to make it legal that a British soldier come and sleep in your home and you would have to feed them. So, as you can tell, the British did some pretty unfair and cruel things so, who would want to be a part of
The next grievance the colonies faced would be the British forcing taxes upon the colonists, without their consent. During this time, Parliament was full of British people and no colonists. This was a problem because the Colonists then had no vote or say in anything they passed. Through not having any colonists vote, they passed an act that put taxes on all colonial good exported and bought. After it was voted in, the colonists were made and coined the term “No taxation without representation”. This term meant that they can not get taxed if they were not apart of the vote or in Parliament. The colonists agreed and put this into the document of declarations and resolves, and said “every idea of taxation internal or external, for raising a revenue on the subjects, in America, without their consent.”
Many loyalists moved to England after the war ended. A lot of them lost their fortunes and land that they had built up over years in the Americas. In some cases the British government paid them for their loyalty, but it was usually not nearly as much as they had lost. The United States government wanted the loyalists to stay. They felt the new country could use their skills and education. Few stayed, however.
The Patriots wanted freedom from the British and the loyalists were “loyal” to the British There were many different reasons why colonists were revolutionaries or loyalists. Sometimes they chose sides according to what was happening in their own communities and what their personal needs were or If people they did not get along with did not want independence, they might take the revolutionary side. If their rivals were the ones who came up with the idea of independence, they are known as loyalists because of their rivalry with the revolutionists. Some people felt it would be better off if the colonies stayed in British power. Some of these people were afraid that if they defied against the British they would be killed or worse. Some had
On April 18, 1775 Paul Revere took his legendary ride, saying that the British troops that were stationed in Boston began to move, having the order to raid Concord. The patriots had anticipated this for a long time. They grabbed their firearms and prepared to meet the enemy. Loyalists felt like they should remain loyal to the king. The start of this divide came from 1750’s, The French and Indian war. This war put a strain on money in the colonies and a vaster empire to take care
As new people of this nation, some of us these days may not have much information on how early, people came to have their own independence in this country of America. All we know was that because of the war and all those waring to another nation. We do not understand how things gotten into a war though and how much we literally understand how our ancestors got their own land dispute with all those historic wars. I believe that loyalists in the American revolutionary war have so many things to explain regarding the success of the lives of the Loyalists.
By the end of it all the majority of people living in the colonies supported the Revolution. Initially it's difficult to think who would want to stay loyal to the British but now I realize that there would be several equally good reasons to not abandon them. There would have obviously been petty reasons like a rivalry between a family or maybe a company or a more legitimate reason like what community you lived in, and one other reason that determined what side you were on was because that's just who you were. If I had to label myself more a loyalist or more a Revolutionary I would say I’m more of a loyalist: now in circumstances like in the Revolution there was obviously a better side. The biggest group that did not support the Revolution
They treated their regulations very badly when they rebelled against the king. In fact the subjects opposed to the taxes oppressed on them even though it was rightfully laid upon. The colonists protested “No taxation without representation” but the British Parliament had all rights to tax because it was the sovereign of the British Government. At the same time the British Government taxed its citizens as well using their way to tax. There was no difference between the way they were taxed, and the rebels opposed to it thinking it was violating their rights. What rights state that even if the British taxed their own English subjects the rights of the colonists were violated? Plus it seems silly of an idea to allow a nation more than 3000 miles apart to have a say in government that may not only affect their nation. The colonists pleaded for a say in Government but it was ridiculed by the Parliament because the colonists didn’t realize the stature in England present at that time. Their main motive behind it was to get a say for their own nation which is not only what the Parliament
During the mid-1700s, the British had incurred an extensive amount of debt. This debt was the result of British participation in the French and Indian War. Because Britain had protected the colonies during the war, Britain believed the colonies should be responsible for the reparations. Also, “King George III refused to disband the large standing British army stationed in North America” (Bixby, Sugar Act of 1764), so the only alternative was to tax the colonists. The British levied numerous taxes on the colonies throughout the mid to late 1700s which angered the colonists greatly and eventually led to the American Revolution.
The loyalists during the time were mainly American colonists who stayed loyal to the British crown. There are many reasons why they stayed loyal its because most of the loyalists were older, resisted radicle change and were better established. Another reason is that they wanted to take control of the middle road but were forced to declare their resistance by the patriots making them bitter along with the patriots. The loyalist had a long standing relationship with Britain wither in family or business. The supporters also believed in the king and anyone rebelling against crown was
Given these points, the colonists should stick to following the British rules. The colonists have disrespected and caused many conflicts which only made things more troublesome to both the patriots and the loyalists. We have been hounded by patriots in communities (Brinkley, 143) and rebelled against our taxes when we were only trying to regulate trade and placed more restrictions to keep everything in order. It has been clearly shown that the colonists have no respect or discipline to British authorities. Hence, why colonists should continue remain loyal to
What a great post! The Loyalists had caused many problems for the Patriots. Many Loyalists moved, but some had stuck around and collected territory. The best thing that the Patriots did to win the war was getting the French on their side. France and Spain was the British greatest enemy and the Patriots were able to use their assistance.
As a slave I would not want to be a part of the Patriots or the Loyalists, because no matter who I choose both group of people will see me as a slave and not as a person. After being punished for something that she did not do, Isabel went to fetch some water, and encounter some slaves that were arguing about the war. The slaves fought between them and tried to convince themselves and the others which side should they choose the Patriots or the Loyalists. However, an old man said “ British or American, that is not the choice. You must choose your own side, find your road through the valley of darkness that will lead you to the river Jordan ”(167). I agree with this quote because, that both Patriots and Loyalists owen slaves and treated them
Prior to the Revolutionary War, during the 1760s, the contradicting opinions among the colonists living in England’s thirteen colonies separated them into two major groups, those loyal to the king and to Great Britain and those patriotic to colonial America. While the loyalists were content to be English subjects and wanted to remain under the protection of England, the patriots felt that it was essential that the colonies obtain their liberty from England. Some colonists were strongly opinionated, while others were undecided. However, a series of events, including the Proclamation of 1763, the Stamp Acts, the Townshend Duties, the Quartering Acts, the Boston Massacre, and the Intolerable Acts, caused the majority of colonists to desire
While the loyalists were satisfied, and wanted to stay under the security of England, the patriots felt that it was essential that the colonies obtain their freedom from England. “It was a matter not of patriotism but of fairness” (McDonnell 146). They thought and felt that the colonists had taken advantage for a period that was longer than necessary. The colonists merely wanted to proceed with their original ways of life. The colonists did not want to live their lives by being ruled by another country. From a different perspective though, it appears it was a myth to say King George was tyrannical. This myth can without a doubt be debunked by utilizing a few pieces of evidence. The British government mildly struck back, they did not capture
I am a Loyalist for I believe that Britain has a right to control the rules that are being made in the colonies. All because you move to a different land does not mean that you can ignore us and not do what we say. You were born in Britain and we sent you there so you are still under are rule.