The Post Revolutionary Era, (war, Great Britain, general, colonies)

[TheWiseWino]

I ran across an article published by Salon.com that eluded to a period that has intrigued me for many years but answers for which have eluded me for just as long; if all revolutions in history were followed by periods of political retribution, so what really happened to those who remained loyal to the Crown during and after the Revolution?

Generally speaking most of the histories that I have read, point to minor incidents, the self-exile of loyalist but not much else, yet historians Andrew Burstein and Nancy Isenberg professors at Louisiana State University alluded to a darker period following the war.

While the article was about the history of natural born citizenship the included the following paragraph:

In June 1775, the Continental Congress passed a resolution declaring that all living within the United Colonies, under the protection of its laws, were now members of a new government. Here, the measure of civic belonging was residence, and the purpose of the law was to force a divided population to lean to the rebellious Patriots. Because the act was considered an insufficient test, George Washington, commander of Continental forces, and other military and state officials, demanded that Americans swear allegiance by taking a loyalty oath. By war’s end, Americans who remained loyal to Great Britain (perhaps 20 percent of the population) were prosecuted as traitors; some were executed, and many had their property confiscated. Citizenship, then, was both voluntary and coerced.

Now before the American history myologist start accusing me and others of trying to tear down America, I think that a clear and factual counting of American history is not only informative for its own sake it also helps to understand in this case what naturally follows violent revolutions and the American revolution was no exception in that regard. It was also a revolution, as all are, that was carried out by if not a minority but a plurality of American colonist. Historian Robert Calhoon estimates that at most the Revolution was actively support by 40% to 45% of the white population.

[Snowball7]

the sentence in bold is way off the mark.
20 percent of the American population was not prosecuted as traitors.
The "property confiscation" part has more to do with the transference of
sovereignty than taking personally acquired property (in contrast to property
that was granted by the Crown).

[TheWiseWino]

Originally Posted by Snowball7

the sentence in bold is way off the mark.
20 percent of the American population was not prosecuted as traitors.
The "property confiscation" part has more to do with the transference of
sovereignty than taking personally acquired property (in contrast to property
that was granted by the Crown).

Well that's fine all fine and good if you are correct and I have no way of knowing one way or another, but I will say that just "saying it ain't so" doesn't quite cut it. For example, you could site Dan Edelsteins The Terror of Natural Right" Republicanism, the Cult of Nature, and the French Revolution that makes the claim that any repression or confiscation of property was momentary.

Who's right? I don't know which is why the thread is here.

[SunGrins]

"By war’s end, Americans who remained loyal to Great Britain (perhaps 20 percent of the population) were prosecuted as traitors; some were executed, and many had their property confiscated. Citizenship, then, was both voluntary and coerced."


I think that the wording (By war’s end) is a little misleading because there were reprisals and barn burnings all through the war. I have some remote ancestors who had their barns burned and had to vacate their land during the war. Two other direct ancestors were thrown into jail in Albany by the Committee of Correspondence for not signing a loyalty oath. They later signed and joined the local militia. The revolution in New York and some other areas was very much a civil war and loyalists were fair game. Local Patriot committees began to take on the role of local government during the war because the loyalist judges or administrators ran off or were locked up. The minutes of the Albany Committee of Correspondence are published and make interesting reading on the committee activities.


That 20% figure seems high but in some places it could have approached that. I don't know about executions unless there was a military or spying issue involved.

[Grandstander]

Compared to most revolutions, the aftermath of America's was relatively mild. That would not be the attitude of the victims, those who were compelled to flee to Canada or other parts of the British empire, losing whatever property they left behind in the process. However, there was no bloodbath, no series of trials and executions, no lingering guerrilla warfare, no rounding up and imprisoning of the masses from the losing side. No dictator had to emerge to restore order.

The same thing happened after America's second revolution, the attempt to establish an independent Confederacy. In the aftermath of the Civil War there was but a single trial and execution (Henry Wirtz, Andersonville commander) of one of the revolutionaries. Any Confederate who had fled, was eligible to return and receive a pardon. Jefferson Davis was incarcerated for two years and then released without a trial. He could have received a pardon had he applied for it, but he refused to do so.

America has staged the most civil of civil wars.