True Americans: Loyalists Fighting for Liberty Before, During, and After the American Revolution
Abstract:
The Loyalists in the American Revolution are an often neglected and misunderstood group of people. They are often demonized and forgotten by historians writ large, and their impact on the course of the Revolution goes unstudied. This project aims to correct this hole in the literature. Through the life of James Moody and other Loyalists like him, it can be said that the terms Patriot and Loyalist are historically inaccurate and that further exploration of Loyalists will lead to a more nuanced understanding of the American Revolution as a Civil War. In addition, through analyzing the lives of Loyalists, one comes to the conclusion that many of the Loyalists believed that they were the ones fighting for liberty, the liberty of being able to make one’s own political opinions and decisions. This will be shown through analyzing James Moody’s Narrative and documents and reports from other Loyalists throughout the American Revolution.