The Other Loyalists: Ordinary People, Royalism, and the Revolution in the Middle Colonies, 1763-1787

Fascinating stories of ordinary people in the Middle Colonies who remained loyal to the Crown.In The Other Loyalists we meet for the first time the ordinary people of the Middle Colonies who remained loyal to Britain during the American Revolution. The first important new scholarship in decades, these essays uncover the reasons why middle- and lower-class citizens chose to become Loyalists, how they participated in and endured the Revolution, and what happened to them because of their defeat. In unprecedented clarity we are allowed to see the tragedy, violence, and suffering of places such as the lower Delaware and Hudson valleys, the Delmarva Peninsula, western Pennsylvania, and northern Virginia. This book fills an important void in our understanding of the American Revolution, reminding us that not all Loyalists were members of the elite and that their motivations were a complicated medley of political beliefs, religious convictions, and self-interest.“This volume is well written, annotated, and organized … [a] fine academic accomplishment.” — Journal of American History“…aims to fill significant gaps in our understanding of the American Revolution by focusing on loyalism among ‘ordinary people’ in the middle colonies … The Other Loyalists addresses subjects that deserve more attention, and scholars interested in its main themes will want to read these essays.” — The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography“Generally, more is known about the patriots than the loyalists in the American Revolution. This volume helps to correct that imbalance … Coeditor Tiedemann, in particular, has done excellent work to portray the complexities of America’s loyalists; this volume adds substantially to the work he and others have done.” — CHOICEJoseph S. Tiedemann is Professor of History at Loyola Marymount University and author of Reluctant Revolutionaries: New York City and the Road to Independence, 1763–1776.Eugene R. Fingerhut (1932–2006) was Professor Emeritus of History at California State University, Los Angeles and author of Survivor: Cadwallader Colden II in Revolutionary America. Tiedemann and Fingerhut are coeditors of The Other New York: The American Revolution beyond New York City, 1763–1787, also published by SUNY Press.Now retired, Robert W. Venables was Senior Lecturer in the Cultural Landscapes Program at Cornell University and author of the two-volume American Indian History: Five Centuries of Conflict and Coexistence.List of Figures Acknowledgments Introduction Joseph S. Tiedemann and Eugene R. Fingerhut Part I. Places 1. “The Ghost of Clow”: Loyalist Insurgency in the Delmarva Peninsula Wayne Bodle 2. “Loyalty Is Now Bleeding in New Jersey”: Motivations and Mentalities of the Disaffected David J. Fowler Part II. Groups 3. Black Loyalists and African American Allegiance in the Mid-Hudson Valley Michael E. Groth 4. Northern Virginia’s Quakers and the War for Independence: Negotiating a Path of Virtue in a Revolutionary World A. Glenn Crothers 5. “Faithful Allies of the King”: The Crown’s Haudenosaunee Allies in the Revolutionary Struggle for New York Robert W. Venables Part III. People 6. The Ordeal of John Connolly: The Pursuit of Wealth through Loyalism Doug MacGregor 7. From Revolutionary to Traitor: The American Career of Herman Zedtwitz Eugene R. Fingerhut Conclusion Joseph S. Tiedemann and Eugene R. Fingerhut About the Contributors Index Read more