Patriots, Loyalists, and Neutrals Before the American Revolution (2024)

Patriots, Loyalists, and Neutrals

Patriots, Loyalists, and Neutrals Before the American Revolution (1)

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Patriots, Loyalists, and Neutrals

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As Britain attempted to tighten itscontrol over the 13 Coloniesthrough new taxes and regulations, calls for independence grew among the colonists. Those who favored independence from Great Britain were called Patriots. Those who wished that the Colonies remain tied to Great Britain were known as Loyalists. Americans who elected not to choose a side were called Neutrals.

Colonists had various reasons for whichever side that they chose. Farmers, for example, often chose the side that their landowner supported. Others who might be have a large debt owed to British creditors may have chosen the Patriot side in hopes that their debts would be erased.

Conversely, a merchant who had a lucrative contract with the Crown would likely support the Loyalist cause. Their income was tied to the relationship between Great Britain and the Colonies.

Choosing a side could be dangerous depending on where you lived. While there were people of all sides spread across the Colonies, the majority of people inthe New England Colonies were Patriots. You were likely to find more Loyalists in the Southern Colonies.

Patriots, Loyalists, and Neutrals Before the American Revolution (2)

Patriots felt that the recent British laws enacted on American Colonies were unfair and violated their rights. Some of the main grievances of the colonists were taxation without consent, quartering soldiers in citizens’ homes, and denying colonists the right to a trial.

Many Patriots lived in the New England Colonies, and were mostly from the middle and lower class. Most lived in rural areas and labored as fishermen and farmers. Patriots wanted to be free from the Crown and were willing to resort to violence if necessary. Famous patriots included George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and Ethan Allen.

Patrick Henry's famous Patriot speech at theVirginia Convention in 1775 summed up their beliefs when he said,"Give me liberty, or give me death!"

Loyalists, often called Tories, were loyal to the crown for several reasons. They were mostly upper class and lived in cities and wanted to keep their wealth and land. Many had valuable ties with the British or jobs in the royal government.

Loyalists believed in peaceful reconciliation but were met with insults and mistrust because they did not believe in the Patriot cause.

Patriots, Loyalists, and Neutrals Before the American Revolution (3)

Most Patriots resisted enlisting African Americans to the cause, but the British had no such hesitations. The Dunmore Proclamation of 1775, named for the Royal Governor of Virginia, the Earl of Dunmore, promised freedom to any enslaved man that volunteered to serve the King. Within a month of the issuing the decree, as many as 800 formerly enslaved men joined the Tories from Virginia alone. Thousands more would follow from Georgia and the Carolinas.

A military unit was formedknown as Lord Dunmore's Ethiopian Regiment. It was composed of formerly enslaved Loyalist men and saw service from 1775 to 1776.Historians have pointed out that the policy was in fact the first widespread emancipation of the enslaved in American history.

Colonists who chose not to pick a side were called Neutrals. Some neutrals believed that both Patriots and Loyalists had valid points. Others simply did not want to come out on the losing side. Neutral colonists did not participate in the protests or the eventual battles during the Revolution. However, as the Revolution went on over the years it got harder and harder for neutrals to avoid picking a side.

Neutrals came from across all different jobs and classes. Many colonists took a neutral stance for religious or moral reasons. Quakers, for example, believe in pacifism and considered it unethical to serve in a militia or fight for either side.

Patriots, Loyalists, and Neutrals Before the American Revolution (2024)

FAQs

Patriots, Loyalists, and Neutrals Before the American Revolution? ›

Those who favored independence from Great Britain were called Patriots. Those who wished that the Colonies remain tied to Great Britain were known as Loyalists. Americans who elected not to choose a side were called Neutrals. Colonists had various reasons for whichever side that they chose.

What percent of the colonists were Patriots, Loyalists, and neutrals in 1776? ›

John Adams wrote that approximately one-third of the American population supported the move for independence (Patriots), one-third of the population supported the king (Loyalists), and one-third supported neither side (neutral).

What is the difference between Patriots Loyalists and Neutrals? ›

Some Americans could not decide which side to choose and remained neutral during the war. Most American colonists, however, did choose sides. Those who supported independence from Britain were known as Patriots and colonists who opposed independence from Britain were known as Loyalists.

Who were the neutrals in the American Revolution? ›

Colonists who were too far away to fight, or embraced the beliefs of both parties were referred to as neutralists. They made up the remaining one third of American colonists during the revolution. Neutrals, or neutralists, didn't partake in the battles that their patriot and loyalist brethren often fought.

Why did Loyalists and Neutrals not support the Revolution? ›

Not everyone who opposed independence did so for economic reasons. Just like Revolutionaries, the ranks of Loyalists included farmers, shopkeepers, and artisans, but some of them were distrustful of the movement for independence. They felt that it was being led by wealthy gentry that they had little in common with.

What were Patriots and Loyalists in at the start of 1776? ›

Loyalists: colonists of the American revolutionary period who supported, and stayed loyal, to the British monarchy. Patriots: colonists who rebelled against British control during the American Revolution.

What 3 colonies had the most Loyalists? ›

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.

Was Thomas Jefferson a patriot loyalist or neutral? ›

Thomas Jefferson was a patriot since he supported the American Revolution, and was, in fact, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A loyalist is a person who supported Britain during the American Revolution. William Franklin, the son of Benjamin Franklin, was a noted loyalist.

Why did the Loyalists not like the Patriots? ›

Patriots subjected Loyalists to public humiliation and violence. Many Loyalists found their property vandalized, looted, and burned. The patriots controlled public discourse. Woe to the citizen who publicly proclaimed sympathy to Britain.

Were slaves Loyalists or Patriots? ›

The great majority were neutral or Loyalist. For black people, what mattered most was freedom. As the Revolutionary War spread through every region, those in bondage sided with whichever army promised them personal liberty.

Did any Loyalists stay in America? ›

The great majority of Loyalists never left the United States; they stayed on and were allowed to be citizens of the new country, retaining for a time the earlier designation of "Tories".

Why did England give up America? ›

Ultimately, after struggling to retain its 13 feisty colonies, British leaders chose to abandon the battlefields of North America and turn their attention to their other colonial outposts, like India. In a global context, the American Revolution was largely a war about trade and economic influence—not ideology.

What did patriots believe? ›

The Patriots were those colonials who were growing weary of British rules and policies, especially when they had no say in how these laws would be made or implemented. They strived for freedom from a tyrannical royal government, often led by Royal Governors who suppressed any utterance of rebellion.

What did Patriots and Loyalists most disagree on? ›

Those who favored independence from Great Britain were called Patriots. Those who wished that the Colonies remain tied to Great Britain were known as Loyalists.

What were the Loyalists fighting for? ›

Loyalists were most often people who were conservative by nature or in politics, valued order, were fearful of 'mob' rule, felt sentimental ties to the Mother Country, were loyal to the King or concerned that an independent new nation would not be able to defend themselves.

Why were the Patriots right? ›

Loyalists felt that the Crown was the legitimate government and resistance to it was morally wrong, while the patriots felt that morality was on their side because the British government had violated the constitutional rights of Englishmen.

What percentage of the population were Loyalists? ›

Historians have estimated that during the American Revolution, between 15 and 20 percent of the white population of the colonies, or about 500000 people, were Loyalists.

Did Patriots outnumber Loyalists? ›

While there is no way of knowing the actual numbers, historians have estimated that about 15-20% of the population remained loyal to the British Crown; they were outnumbered by perhaps 2-1 by the Patriots, with nearly 50 percent of the population favoring revolution.

What percent of colonists fought in the American Revolution? ›

In total, about 231,000 men served in the Continental Army. That is more than 9% of the estimated 2.5 million people living in the colonies at the time. A great many more men served in various colonial and state militias, as well as in naval service and in state run armies, making that percentage much higher.

Were there more black Loyalists or Patriots? ›

In total, historians estimate that approximately 20,000 African Americans joined the British during the Revolutionary War, while 5,000 African-Americans joined the Patriot cause.

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