British Loyalists in North America

Paper Summary:

This paper analyzes the impact of the British loyalists in North America in the period from the American Revolution to the beginning of the 19th century. The paper compares the impact they had during the conflict to that in the period immediately following the cessation of conflict. It also discusses the effect of the conflict between the loyalists and the revolutionaries.

From the Paper:

"Historians estimate that about 70,000 loyalists fled the colonies after the revolution ended, with about 50,000 ending up in British colonies in Quebec and Nova Scotia (Mackenzie par. 5). A common argument has been that this sudden influx of British loyalists into Canada had a dramatic effect on the development of the nation and its relationship with the United States in the years immediately following the Revolutionary War and into the early 19th century. General antipathy toward the United States, a distrust of republicanism, and strong ideological ties with Britain have been attributed as strong influences in Canada's gradual development toward nationhood (Mackenzie par. 8-9). This argument would have us think that there was a dramatic divergence in values between Canada and the United States in the early 19th century as a result of the loyalists (Grabb et al. 373). In fact, this was not the case."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Clark, Frank Oliver. "Why Were Some of Our Ancestors Tories?" Outline of the Revolutionary War in South Carolina. 1999. 20 Nov. 2006 <http://sciway3.net/clark/revolutionarywar/loyalists.html>.
• Grabb, Edward, Curtis, James, and Baer, Douglas. "Defining Moments and Recurring Myths: Comparing Canadians and Americans after the American Revolution." Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology 37.4 (Nov. 2000): 373-419.
• Mackenzie, Ann. "Who Were the Loyalists?" 20 Nov. 2006 <http://www.geocities.com/calgary_uel/loyalist_definition.html>.
• New, M. Christopher. "The Board of Associated Loyalists Fought Behind the Lines against American Independence." Military History 20.6 (Feb. 2004): 18-23.
• "Revolutionary War, The." Africans in America, PBS. 21 Nov. 2006 <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part2/2narr4.html>.

More papers on British Loyalists in North America:

• Analytical Essay # 130778 : "The Impact of British Loyalists in North America"
• Analytical Essay # 139581 : "The Loyalists and British North America: An Analysis"
• Descriptive Essay # 139355 : "Refugees from the American Revolution in Colonial Canada."

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