Liberty's Exiles: American Loyalists in the Revolutionary World

Maya Jasanoff

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2011

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Introduction

Part 1, Chapters 1-3

Part 2, Chapters 4-6

Part 3, Chapters 7-10

Conclusion

Key Figures

Themes

Index of Terms

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

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Discussion Questions

Index of Terms

Loyalist

The key focus of this book, the term loyalist refers to Americans who chose to support the British government in the Revolutionary War. Despite the current connotation of the word as describing a fanatic or true believer, loyalists during and after the Revolutionary War were ideologically diverse, choosing to remain faithful to King George III for widely varied reasons. Loyalists often advocated for reforms to the relationship between Britain and the American colonies short of revolution.

Metropolitan

This term refers to the perspective from the center of the British Empire, namely London. Throughout the book, metropolitan contrasts with provincial, points of view from Britain’s colonies.

Patriot

Patriot refers to those Americans who supported revolution against the British monarchy and full independence for the United States. Patriots believed that the relationship between the British government and the American colonies was beyond peaceful reform.

Provincial

Referring to perspectives from the British colonies, the term contrasts with metropolitan, the view from London. Since circumstances and cultures differed between colonies, provincial perspectives were diverse and sometimes contradictory.

Tory

A term referring to a conservative British political party founded in the 1600s, tory was a pejorative for loyalist during and after the Revolutionary War. However, not all loyalists held conservative political beliefs. Jasanoff considers the term to perpetuate a stereotypical view of loyalists that is contradicted by the true diversity of loyalists’ beliefs.