In praise of the American Loyalists
From our UK edition
As the United States marks 250 years since the country's unilateral declaration of independence, most of the 4 July celebrations have focused on the rebels. But Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson have hogged the limelight for too long. What about the American Loyalists, those who defied the intense social pressure and stayed loyal to the British Crown? Loyalists were often bad writers who simply lacked the flair of radicals such as Thomas Paine In popular imagination, the American Revolution was a contest between the Americans and the British. In reality, however, only about 40 per cent to 45 per cent of the colonial population joined the rebellion. Around a fifth stayed loyal. The rest backed neither side.
