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The Loyalists in BNA
The Loyalists in BNA
The Thirteen Colonies
The Thirteen Colonies
Starting in the 1770’s people began arriving in North America in large numbers from many different European countries like England, Scotland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Germany. These people settled in the British controlled Thirteen Colonies (what is now the eastern part of the United States).
Getting Angry with Britain
Getting Angry with Britain
The population had grown so much in the Thirteen Colonies that the people living there needed more land. The colonists wanted to move west into the Ohio Valley. This was the area where First Nations traded with the French fur traders. Some First Nations did not want the new settlers taking their land.
When the British passed the Quebec Act in 1774, the borders changed so that the Ohio Valley belonged again to the colony of Quebec. Colonists from the Thirteen Colonies were not allowed to settle in the Ohio Valley. This made many of the colonists angry at Britain. They had been loyal to the British during the Seven Years’ War. They thought they deserved this land. Britain still made the laws in the Thirteen Colonies. Many colonists wanted British rule to end so that they could govern themselves.
Divided Loyalty
Divided Loyalty
Britain still had troops in North America to defend the Thirteen Colonies from First Nations’ attacks. However, it cost a lot of money to
keep troops there. The Seven Years’ war also cost Britain a lot of money, and there was a large national debt. So, to cover the high costs of supporting the colonies, the British government began to collect taxes from the colonists to help repay the debt. The colonists protested because they did not think the taxes were fair and felt that the British government was making decisions that affected their lives without consulting them first.
Loyalists and Patriots
Loyalists and Patriots
Some settlers wanted to break free from Britain and create their own country. They called themselves Patriots. The British government saw the Patriots as rebels, guilty of treason, or betrayal. Other settlers wanted to stay loyal to Britain because they did not believe the Patriots could create a strong country. These people were called Loyalists.
American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution began in 1775, when tensions between the Patriots and the Loyalists reached a tipping point. Battles raged throughout the Thirteen Colonies for six years, until the Patriots won decisively. In 1783, the war officially ended with the Treaty of Paris, in which the British gave up their control of the Thirteen Colonies to the Patriot forces. This is how the United States of America became an independent country and the lands to the north of the United States became known as British North America.
The American Revolution began in 1775, when tensions between the Patriots and the Loyalists reached a tipping point. Battles raged throughout the Thirteen Colonies for six years, until the Patriots won decisively. In 1783, the war officially ended with the Treaty of Paris, in which the British gave up their control of the Thirteen Colonies to the Patriot forces. This is how the United States of America became an independent country and the lands to the north of the United States became known as British North America.
This a political cartoon published by a British newspaper. In the cartoon, a tax collector is being tarred and feathered by Bostonian Patriots, and also forced to drink tea, all under a copy of the Stamp Act (a tax on printed paper) tacked to a tree. Why do you think public humiliation was a popular way to harass Loyalists?
Loyalists Living in Fear
Loyalists Living in Fear
After the patriots won the American Revolution, life in the Thirteen Colonies became even more difficult for Loyalists. Patriots would harass and attack them, have their property taken away, and risk being publicly humiliated. A popular way of attacking Loyalists was tarring and feathering—pouring hot tar over them and then covering them in feathers.
Loyalists on the Move
Loyalists on the Move
When the American Revolution broke out, many Loyalists chose or were forced to leave the Thirteen Colonies and settle elsewhere. Even before the American Revolution, Loyalists were moving north. The chance to own land was the main pull factor.
After the fall of Louisbourg and the Acadian Expulsion, many farm lands were available in Nova Scotia and Loyalists were invited to find safety there. In the late autumn of 1758, the British government began posting newspaper ads throughout New England, targeting Loyalists to move north promising them free land, tools, and seeds to grow crops. Britain even provided transportation for many Loyalists.
This proclamation was posted in the Boston Evening Post in October 1758, shortly after the fall of Louisbourg. What skills would the Loyalists need to live successfully on the new land in Nova Scotia?
This painting, entitled Tory Refugees on Their Way to Canada by Howard Pyle, was created in 1901, long after the actual event. Loyalists were often called “Tories” by the Patriots. Analyze: Look closely at the foreground and background. What story is told by the details in each?
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