Notes from the article “Loyalism” by Edward Larkin

This article provides an overall view in regards to this topic. It intends to go beyond the traditional perspective that separates loyalists and patriots in two different and opposite groups in the early American society.

It offers the concept of loyalists that has been highly demonized by the scholars, as a bunch of people who considered themselves American who preferred the colonies to remain apart rather than become a separate country (p, 298). They admired the British Empire, its culture and its legacy that were seen as example to follow. Those feelings were also shared by other patriots. However, they separated from one to another by the fact that Loyalists disagreed with independency.

It was also thought that most of loyalists returned to England once the war started and the British were defeated by American.  In fact, the most of loyalists remained in America and integrated themselves in the new America that was being consolidated.

Since those people who believed in remain loyal to the British empire were also part of the new-born America, the society aspect in the discussion was quite remarkable. For loyalists to have to decide between both parties was not an easy task.  The tendency is to believe that most loyalists were wealthy people, but most of them were common people who felt some admiration from the British Empire; therefore, for them to have to make their minds and stand for what was considered right, directly affected their society relationship among relatives, neighbors, and friends. In one of the novels used as a reference, the author described this phenomenon, the revolution itself, “as killing his father or killing his brother” So, with the metaphor the author could illustrate how those common people struggled with the ideas and beliefs that were not any issue before and the current society they were living at that particular moment.

So in terms of society, the author stands by the idea that the revolution divided and broke a common and peaceful community.

Finally, the slavery and the loyalism were also considered.   The novel by Boston King was presented as a reference, a slave man who saw becoming a loyalist as an opportunity to seek their own individual independence without any political or society interest, his main goal was to become free and loyalism was the perfect chance for him.

As a conclusion, the author intends to provoke a discussion from the readers and different scholars, inviting them to think about all the different perspectives exposed through the reading.