Patriot (American Revolution)

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This article is about the Patriots in the American Revolution. For other uses, see Patriot (disambiguation).

Patriots (also known as American Whigs, Revolutionaries, Congress-Men or Rebels) was the name that the colonists of the British Thirteen United Colonies, who rebelled against British control during the American Revolution, called themselves. It was their leading figures who, in July 1776, declared the United States of America an independent nation. Their rebellion was based on the political philosophy of republicanism, as expressed by pamphleteers, such as Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, and Thomas Paine.

They called themselves Whigs after 1768, identifying with members of the British Whig party (including the Radical Whigs and Patriot Whigs), who favored similar colonial policies.

As a group, Patriots represented an array of social, economic, ethnic and racial backgrounds. They included college students like Alexander Hamilton; planters like Thomas Jefferson; merchants like Alexander McDougall; lawyers like John Adams; and plain farmers like Daniel Shays and Joseph Plumb Martin.

Contents

[edit] About the Patriots

The Patriots came from many different backgrounds. Among the most active of the Patriots group were highly educated and fairly wealthy individuals. However, without the support of the ordinary men and women, such as farmers, lawyers, mechanics, seamstresses, homemakers, shopkeepers, and ministers, the struggle for independence would have failed.

In 2000 historian Robert Calhoon estimated that in the Thirteen Colonies between 40 and 45 percent of the white population supported the Patriots' cause:

Historians' best estimates put the proportion of adult white male loyalists somewhere between 15 and 20 percent. Approximately half the colonists of European ancestry tried to avoid involvement in the struggle — some of them deliberate pacifists, others recent emigrants, and many more simple apolitical folk. The patriots received active support from perhaps 40 to 45 percent of the white populace, and at most no more than a bare majority.[1]

Those colonists who remained loyal to the British Crown called themselves Loyalists, "Tories", or "King's men." In addition, many people remained neutral or said nothing. Examples of this were some merchants, who did not want to lose trade ties with the British. Many Patriots were active before 1775 in groups such as the Sons of Liberty. The most prominent leaders of the Patriots are referred to today by Americans as the Founding Fathers of the United States.

It was estimated that about 80,000 Tories fled the colonies at the time of the Revolution. Most went to Canada, including 3,500 ex-slaves who earned their freedom by remaining loyal to the crown. They were poorly treated in Nova Scotia and eventually sailed to Africa where they founded the country of Sierra Leone. Other Tories moved to Florida. The Tories believed they outnumbered Revolutionaries, but it is estimated that one-third were Tories, one-third were Patriots and one-third were people who didn't feel one way or the other.[2]

[edit] Psychology

One way to understand the Patriots is to compare their psychology with that of the Loyalists. Labaree (1948) has identified eight characteristics of the Loyalists that made them essentially conservative; opposite traits characterized the patriots. Psychologically, Loyalists were older, better established, and resisted innovation. They thought resistance to the Crown—the legitimate government—was morally wrong, while the Patriots thought morality was on their side. They were alienated when the Patriots resorted to violence, such as burning houses and tarring and feathering. Loyalists wanted to take a middle-of-the road position and were angry when forced by the Patriots to declare their opposition. Many Loyalists, especially merchants in the port cities, had a long-standing sentimental attachment to Britain (often with business and family links to other parts of the British Empire). Some Loyalists were procrastinators who realized that independence was bound to come some day, but wanted to postpone the moment; the Patriots wanted to seize the moment. Loyalists were cautious and afraid of anarchy or tyranny that might come from mob rule; Patriots made a systematic effort to use and control mob violence. Finally, Labaree argues that Loyalists were pessimists who lacked the Patriots' confidence that independence lay ahead.[3][4][5]

[edit] No taxation without representation

Americans rejected taxes not imposed by their own legislatures. "No taxation without representation," was their slogan—referring to the lack of representation in the British parliament. The British countered there was "virtual representation," that is, all members of Parliament represented the interests of all the citizens of the British Empire.

Though Patriots declared that they were loyal to the king, they believed that the assemblies should control issues relating just to the colonies. They should be able to run themselves. In fact, they had been running themselves after the period of "salutary neglect" before the French and Indian War. Some radical Patriots tarred and feathered tax collectors and customs officers, making those positions dangerous, especially in New England, in which lived the most Patriots.[6]

[edit] List of prominent Patriots

Most of the individuals listed below served the American Revolution in multiple capacities.

[edit] Statesmen and office holders

[edit] Pamphleteers and activists

[edit] Military officers

See also: Military leadership in the American Revolutionary War

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Robert M. Calhoon, in 'A Companion to the American Revolution', (2000); p 235.
  2. ^ Allen, Thomas B., 'Tories.' Harper Collins Publishers, NY 2010. p XIX.
  3. ^ Leonard Woods Larabee, Conservatism in Early American History (1948) pp 164-65
  4. ^ See also N. E. H. Hull, Peter C. Hoffer and Steven L. Allen, "Choosing Sides: A Quantitative Study of the Personality Determinants of Loyalist and Revolutionary Political Affiliation in New York," Journal of American History, Vol. 65, No. 2 (Sept. 1978), pp. 344-366 in JSTOR
  5. ^ The most in-depth study of the Patriot psychology is Edwin G. Burrows and Michael Wallace, "The American Revolution: The Ideology and Psychology of National Liberation," Perspectives in American History, (1972) vol. 6 pp 167-306
  6. ^ Benjamin H. Irvin, "Tar and Feathers in Revolutionary America," (2003)

[edit] Bibliography

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