What do you think when you think of American’s who remain loyal to England during the American Revolution – aka Tories or Loyalists? If you are like me some common images come to mind: white, wealthy, church of England, maybe arrogant.That is the image we get of Tories before and during the revolution from movies, television and fiction. Until recently there hasn’t been a lot written about the experience of Loyalists.
One of the first things Jasanoff does in her book Liberty’s Exiles: American Loyalists in the Revolutionary World is dispel those myths. Loyalists are a cross section of colonial American society. There are ones that indeed fit the stereotype but there are plenty who are poor back country farmers, There were small time artisans in cities and towns. There reasons for remaining loyal were equally deserve. In some cases it was simple self-interest. In others it was ideological loyalty to the King. Still others were patriots who supported reforming the relationship between the colonies and government but couldn’t take the final step into treason.
African Americans and Native Americans were a major part of the loyalist movement. In the case of African Americans both as slaves and freemen. The British freed the slaves of patriot planters and in some cases incorporated them into the military. At the same time Loyalist planters’ slaves remained with their maters and in many cases had to flee with them when the war went against the crown. For the Iroquois and Creek backing the British was about protecting their land rights.
Jasanoff’s book not only looks at the whys and wherefores of being a Loyalist but also examines their role of the war and the depredations they suffered at the hands of the Patriots. She also looks at what happened to the Loyalists after British withdrawal. Some try to stick it out in America with varying levels of success. Others flee to the hinterlands. And still others become essentially the foot soldiers of the British Empire travailing to other colonies to rebuild their lives.
This is an excellent book on a topic that has received very little attention. Although she’s breaking new historical ground Jasanoff is always careful to make sure the narrative is compelling. To do this she focuses on individual Loyalists and their families and follows them before, during and after the revolution. This gives the book a very personal and compelling touch. Anyone interesting in the American Revolution from a different perspective would love this book.
