Loyalists

[1] The Loyalists were colonists who stayed loyal to Britain and King George III during the American Revolution. They were against American independence. There were about 500,000 Loyalists when the American Revolution started in 1775. That was about 16 percent of the total population.

[2] Loyalists, also known as Tories, lived in all the colonies. They were strongest in the south, especially Georgia and South Carolina. Many also lived in the Mid-Atlantic colonies. New York had at least three times as many Loyalists as any other colony.

[3] Many important and powerful people were Loyalists. Thomas Hutchinson was a famous historian and governor of Massachusetts. John Copley of Massachusetts was a famous painter. Peter Harrison of Rhode Island was the greatest architect of the time. Some Loyalists, like Joseph Galloway of Pennsylvania, did not like Britain’s harsh treatment of the colonies. But they remained loyal to Britain. They did not want to break away from their country.

[5] Most colonists who worked for Britain as crown officials were Loyalists. But Loyalists came from other groups as well. Rich people and poor people joined the Loyalist ranks. They were bakers and bankers, farmers and sailors. Every religious group had its share of Loyalists, too. Their ancestries were English, Irish, Welsh, Scottish, German, and Dutch.

[6] The patriots fought hard for their cause during the Revolution. The Loyalists did too. Some were spies. Some served in the regular British Army. Others fought in militias. About 19,000 men fought in more than 40 Loyalist units. The largest of these was Cortlandt Skinner’s New Jersey Volunteers.