Essay On The Loyalists

Words: 650
Pages: 3

Not all of the Americans chose to separate themselves from the British Empire during the American Revolution, and those who remained loyal were known as Loyalists or “Tories”. They were often called Tories by the Patriots, who were supporters of the Revolution. As many as one third of the population sided with the British during this time. Remaining loyal to the crown during the Revolution didn’t come easy, in fact, it was quite difficult, but the Loyalists still had a significant number of followers. The line between supporters and non-supporters of Independence wasn’t clear until the Declaration of Independence was created. The motivation behind the Loyalists included the acceptance of John Locke’s theory of natural rights and restricted …show more content…
The Loyalists varied from wealthy powerful men to slaves and everything in between. Furthermore, the Loyalists expressed their belief in various ways. Loyalists who expressed their belief very publically by spying on their rivals or defying agreements were sometimes called Overt Loyalists. Many other Loyalists disapproved as well, but were just quieter about it. The Loyalists endured several hostile punishments because of their difference in beliefs, such as harassment and personal attacks. A well-known hostile punishment was the process called “Tar and Feathering” and it was extremely violent. This process included the removal of one’s clothes and the covering of hot tar upon the person’s body, once the hot tar was applied, the person was then covered in feathers and forced to show this off in public. The number of Loyalists began to dwindle down and this was undoubtedly because of the mistreatment placed upon them by the Patriots due to their allegiance being known to the public. However, those who dealt with the punishments and remained loyal, became some of the best