[radar101]

The loyalists also feared the “madness of the multitude,” the violence and anarchy of rebellion and the possible despotism of an American Caesar........They still do, although now, the Conservatives are feared

[Raycpa]

These days, the Colonists who opposed the revolution have been all but forgotten.

Not in the church I used to go to. There the pastor was warned not to support the King again from the pulpit. He did and was forcibly removed by the men of the parish. He was about to be tarred and feathered when one of the leaders talked them out of it. That was the man's last time at the church.

And no, he was not forgotten.

[Raycpa]

Some were tarred and feathered. Hundreds were jailed. One Delaware loyalist, convicted of aiding and abetting the enemy, was sentenced to be hanged “but not 'til you be dead for you must be cut down alive ... and then your head must be severed from your body and your body divided into four quarters and these must be at the disposal of the Supreme Authority of the state.”

How times change.

Today he would be awarded a Pulitzer or a Profile in Courage Award.

[DejaJude]

These days, the Colonists who opposed the revolution have been all but forgotten.

Men with little ambition, little vision and even less daring are very forgettable. Wonder what the world would be like today if we had remained a colony?

[Phsstpok]

Kenneth Roberts, considered by many to be the finest novelist writing about the Revolutionary War period (see link above for examples - you'll probably recognize some), wrote an excellent book about the loyalists called Olver Wiswell. It makes a very good read and puts forward reasonable and understandable motivations, both base and noble, for why these folks took the positions they did.

The core motivation of the main character is a combination of loyalty and fear.  Their loyalty was to what was then the most free and equitable political system on the planet. The traditions of Great Britain included things such as the Magna Charta, noble things to be revered as guarantors of freedom as well as bulwarks against anarchy and mob rule.  The English form of government was arguably the best avaialble at the time and the arguments for throwing it off provided no promises that what replaced it would be better or even anywhere near as good.

You have only to study the French Revolution that happened not long afterwards to see just what it was these people had to fear. The fact that our revolution turned out as it did is a credit to the extraordinary men who saw us through that period. They were people who showed rare selflessness and discipline. We are truly blessed that we had them to lead us. Other people have not been so lucky.

I can forgive someone for being skeptical of a "great leader" claiming to be "above all that," given the ample evidence we can all point to.  All men are subject to temptation and very few have what it takes to carry through and do the right thing.  Washington's character, perhaps above all, set the moral tone for our government and the men who run it.  His rejection of a crown and insistence on serving only two terms as president have left an amazing example that has served us well.  FDRs rejection of that honorable tradition did much to tarnish the nobility of government service, particularly within his party.  It's all about them, not about us.  It explains a lot.  They are much closer to Robespiere than Washington.

I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who has an open mind and an interest in our history.

[King Moonracer]

Its called the dustbin of history and these objectors are in it.  Maybe we should hunt down the descendants of these losers and allow them to open casinos too; it seems to be the American way lately.

[MarkL]

Something else that's lost here is the fact that things most definately would NOT be the same today if there were no Revolutionary War. They seem to think that had we not broken from the British, we would be the same as we are today. We would be independant today, like Canada and Austrailia, they say.

I say, NOT SO!

It was the fact that we were independant of Britian long before WWI that allowed us to enter that war the way we did. And in WWII, would the US have been the "Arsenal of Democracy" that we were, had we not been independant?

I would love to see a book by a (an?) historian who looks at how things might have been different at every key juncture in American history, had we NOT fought the Revolutionary war, and become independant. For instance, does anything doubt for a moment that in the British military, George Patton, Douglass MacArtur, and Omar Bradley would have had a very hard time getting commands, due to their "personalities?"

Mark

[longtermmemmory]

AMAZING the GALL of the anti-american NYT has to publish THIS tripe on the Fourth of July celebration.

How can anyone advertise on the NYT?

[The Great RJ]

They made a decision to keep living under a despotic British regime and paid the price for their decision.

[Donald Rumsfeld Fan]

The loyalists also feared the “madness of the multitude,” the violence and anarchy of rebellion and the possible despotism of an American Caesar........They still do, although now, the Conservatives are feared

Throughout history the "multitude" has always been feared by the aristocracy and their clients.

Julius Caesar was feared by the aristocracy because of his bond with the common people.

Likewise the intelligentsia and their clients feared and loathed Ronald Reagan while the common people loved him.

[McGavin999]

They were cowards, the same cowards that we have here today. Weak, small minded people who can't see beyond their own soft lives, who care nothing for others or for how the world really is.