Loyalists / Tories

On November 23, 1775, about 75 armed men rode into Westchester, New York. They came from Connecticut. Their leader was Isaac Sears, a Patriot. The men grabbed Samuel Seabury. He was the minister of the town church. They took him 70 miles to New Haven, Connecticut. They held him there for more than a month. Seabury had written papers against the Patriots. He had signed them "A Westchester Farmer."

Who the Loyalists Were

Not every colonist wanted to break from Britain. About 15 to 20 of every 100 white colonists stayed loyal to the king. They were called Loyalists. A Loyalist was a colonist who stayed on the king's side. Patriots called them "Tories" to insult them. Some Loyalists worked for the king. Some were traders who sold goods to Britain. Some were farmers who were afraid of Patriot mobs. Some belonged to churches that did not allow fighting. Many enslaved people went to the British too. The British had promised them freedom.

A Civil War

The war split families. Benjamin Franklin's son William was the king's governor of New Jersey. He stayed loyal. In 1776 Patriots arrested him. He was held in Connecticut for two years. In 1782 he moved to Britain. He and his father met one more time, in 1785. They never made up.

Oaths, Tar, and Feathers

Patriot groups made people sign a loyalty oath. An oath is a serious promise. Crowds attacked some Loyalists. They poured hot tar on them and stuck feathers to the tar. States passed laws to take Loyalists' land and homes.

Leaving America

About 60,000 to 80,000 Loyalists left the country for good. Most went to Canada. Some went to Britain. Some went to islands in the Caribbean. Seabury stayed in the United States. In 1784 church leaders in Scotland made him a bishop. He was the first bishop of the Episcopal Church in America.

On November 23, 1775, about 75 armed men on horseback rode into Westchester, New York, from Connecticut. Their leader was Isaac Sears, a Patriot from New York City. The riders seized Samuel Seabury, the minister of St. Peter's Church, and carried him 70 miles to New Haven, Connecticut. They held him there for more than a month. A year earlier, Seabury had written pamphlets against the Continental Congress and its boycott. He had signed them "A Westchester Farmer."

Who the Loyalists Were

Not every colonist wanted independence. Historians estimate that 15 to 20 percent of white colonists stayed loyal to Britain. That was about 400,000 to 500,000 people. They were called Loyalists, colonists who stayed on the king's side. Patriots called them "Tories" as an insult. Some Loyalists held jobs under the king. Some were merchants who traded with Britain. Many were farmers who feared Patriot mobs more than British taxes. Some belonged to churches, like the Quakers, that did not allow fighting. Tens of thousands of enslaved people went to the British, who had promised them freedom. About 12,000 served with the British army.

A Civil War

The war split neighbors and families. William Franklin, the royal governor of New Jersey, was Benjamin Franklin's son. He stayed loyal to the king. Patriots arrested him in 1776 and held him in Connecticut for two years. In 1782 he moved to Britain. He and his father met once more, in 1785, and never made peace. Seabury wrote that if he had to be ruled, "let it be by a King at least, and not by a parcel of upstart, lawless committee-men."

Oaths, Tar, and Feathers

Patriot committees made people sign a loyalty oath, a sworn promise to support the Revolution. Crowds tarred and feathered some who refused. They poured hot tar on the person and covered it with feathers. States passed laws to confiscate, or take away, the land and homes of Loyalists.

Leaving America

About 60,000 to 80,000 Loyalists left the country for good. About 36,000 went to Nova Scotia and New Brunswick in Canada. Others went to Quebec, Britain, and the Caribbean. The British army left New York on November 25, 1783. Seabury had moved behind British lines in 1776 and served as an army chaplain. After the war he stayed in the United States. In November 1784, bishops in Scotland made him the first bishop of the Episcopal Church in America.

On November 23, 1775, about 75 armed men on horseback rode into Westchester, New York, from Connecticut. Their leader was Isaac Sears, a Patriot from New York City. Earlier that day the riders had smashed the printing press of James Rivington, a New York printer who published Loyalist writing. In Westchester they seized Samuel Seabury, the minister of St. Peter's Church, and carried him about 70 miles to New Haven, Connecticut, where they held him for more than a month. A year earlier, Seabury had written pamphlets against the Continental Congress and its boycott of British goods, signing them "A Westchester Farmer."

Who the Loyalists Were

Not every colonist wanted independence. Historians estimate that 15 to 20 percent of white colonists, perhaps 400,000 to 500,000 people, stayed loyal to Britain during the war. They called themselves Loyalists, colonists who stayed on the king's side. Patriots called them "Tories," the name of the British political party that backed the king's power, and meant it as an insult.

Loyalists came from every kind of family. Some held offices under the Crown or were merchants whose trade depended on Britain. Many were farmers who feared Patriot committees and mobs more than they feared taxes. Some belonged to churches, such as the Quakers, that forbade fighting. Others thought that a rebellion would bring disorder. Tens of thousands of enslaved people went to the British, who had promised freedom to those who left rebel owners, and about 12,000 served with the British forces.

A Civil War

The war set neighbors and families against each other. William Franklin, the royal governor of New Jersey, was Benjamin Franklin's son. He stayed loyal to the king. In June 1776 New Jersey's Patriot government arrested him, and he spent about two years as a prisoner in Connecticut. After a prisoner exchange in 1778 he went to British-held New York and organized Loyalist raids. In 1782 he moved to Britain. Father and son met once more, in 1785, and did not make peace.

Seabury's pamphlets show how a Loyalist argued. He told New York farmers that the Patriot committees, not Parliament, were the real threat to their liberty. "If I must be enslaved," he wrote in November 1774, "let it be by a King at least, and not by a parcel of upstart, lawless committee-men."

Oaths, Tar, and Confiscation

Patriot committees made people sign a loyalty oath, a sworn promise to support the Revolution, and those who refused could lose the right to vote, hold office, or do business. Crowds tarred and feathered some Loyalists, pouring hot tar on the person and covering it with feathers. State legislatures passed laws to confiscate, or take away, Loyalist property, and sold the land and houses to pay for the war.

Leaving America

Between 60,000 and 80,000 Loyalists left the United States for good. About 36,000 went to Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, and about 6,600 went to Quebec, many of them to the land that is now Ontario. About 13,000 went to Britain and about 6,000 to the Caribbean. The last British troops left New York on November 25, 1783.

Seabury had moved behind British lines on Long Island in 1776 and served as a chaplain to a Loyalist regiment. After the war he stayed in the United States. On November 14, 1784, bishops in Aberdeen, Scotland, consecrated him the first bishop of the Episcopal Church in America. He never admitted in public that he had written the Westchester Farmer pamphlets.

On November 23, 1775, about 75 armed men on horseback rode into Westchester, New York, from Connecticut. Their leader was Isaac Sears, a Patriot from New York City. Earlier that day the riders had smashed the printing press of James Rivington, the New York printer who published most of the Loyalist pamphlets in the colony, and carried off his type. In Westchester they seized Samuel Seabury, the minister of St. Peter's Church, and two other Loyalists, and carried Seabury about 70 miles to New Haven, Connecticut. He was held there for more than a month and charged with four offenses, among them signing a Loyalist petition and writing the pamphlets of "A Westchester Farmer." In his appeal to the Connecticut Assembly he denied writing them.

Who the Loyalists Were

Not every colonist wanted independence. Historians estimate that 15 to 20 percent of white colonists stayed loyal to Britain during the war. The historian Paul Smith put the number at about 400,000 people, or 16 percent of the 2.25 million white colonists in 1780, and older guesses of one-third are now considered too high. They called themselves Loyalists, colonists who stayed on the king's side. Patriots called them "Tories," the name of the British political party that backed the king's power, and meant it as an insult.

Loyalists came from every kind of family. Some held offices under the Crown or were merchants whose trade depended on Britain. Many were farmers who feared Patriot committees and mobs more than they feared taxes. Some belonged to churches, such as the Quakers, that forbade fighting. Recent immigrants from Scotland and Germany, and tenants on large New York estates, often stayed loyal. Tens of thousands of enslaved people went to the British, who had promised freedom to those who left rebel owners, and about 12,000 served with the British forces between 1775 and 1783.

A Civil War

The war set neighbors and families against each other. William Franklin, the royal governor of New Jersey, was Benjamin Franklin's son. He stayed loyal to the king and called the Patriot assembly an "illegal" body. In June 1776 New Jersey's Patriot government arrested him, and he spent about two years as a prisoner in Connecticut, eight months of it in solitary confinement. After a prisoner exchange in 1778 he went to British-held New York and organized the Associated Loyalists, who raided Patriot towns in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. In 1782 he moved to Britain. Father and son met once more, in 1785, to settle legal matters, and did not make peace.

Seabury's pamphlets show how a Loyalist argued. In Free Thoughts on the Proceedings of the Continental Congress, printed by Rivington in November 1774, he told New York farmers that the Patriot committees enforcing the boycott, not Parliament, were the real threat to their liberty. "If I must be enslaved," he wrote, "let it be by a King at least, and not by a parcel of upstart, lawless committee-men." He asked for "the steady, uniform, unbiassed influence of the courts of justice." A King's College student named Alexander Hamilton, then about 18, answered him in a pamphlet of his own.

Oaths, Tar, and Confiscation

Patriot committees made people sign a loyalty oath, a sworn promise to support the Revolution, and those who refused could lose the right to vote, hold office, sue in court, or do business. Crowds tarred and feathered some Loyalists, pouring hot tar on the person and covering it with feathers, and paraded them through town. State legislatures passed laws to confiscate, or take away, Loyalist property, and sold the land and houses to pay for the war. The 1783 peace treaty said that Congress would "earnestly recommend" that the states return confiscated property, but most states did not.

Leaving America

Between 60,000 and 80,000 Loyalists left the United States for good. The historian Maya Jasanoff counts about 60,000, who took about 15,000 enslaved people with them. About 36,000 went to Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, and about 6,600 went to Quebec, many of them to the land that is now Ontario. About 13,000 went to Britain and about 6,000 to the Caribbean. Britain paid some of them for what they had lost. A claims commission in London received 3,225 claims and paid 2,291 of them, on average a little more than a third of what each person had asked. Its final report came out in 1790. The last British troops left New York on November 25, 1783.

Seabury had moved behind British lines on Long Island in September 1776 and served as chaplain to the King's American Regiment. After the war he stayed in the United States and asked the Church of England to make him a bishop. English bishops could not consecrate a man who would not swear loyalty to the king, so on November 14, 1784, bishops of the Scottish Episcopal Church consecrated him in Aberdeen, and he became the first bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States. He never admitted in public that he had written the Westchester Farmer pamphlets.