Paper Topic:
Discuss the division of opinion among the American colonists at the beginning of the American Revolution. What were the major factors that determined a persons loyalties?
Division of Opinion Among the American Colonists at the Beginning of the American Revolution The American Revolution was in fact performed by the will of the minority of the colonists . Calhoon 's estimates that about 15 to 20 percent of the colonists stayed loyal to the crown , while among the rest many hesitated before they took the side of independents , or avoided the struggle . Freedom fighters constituted about 40-45 of the colonies population . The majority either did not want freedom , or had no certain position (Calhoon 1991 Freedom fighters came mostly
from old American families whose ancestries migrated to America decades ago , while among recent immigrants the majority did not yet feel that America was their land They felt like living in a part of the British Empire but not in a separate country . This especially related to settlers from countries other than Britain (like Germans in Pennsylvania ) and some religious groups like Quakers who simply did not understand the idea of independence (Middlekauff 550
Revolution meant changes . Imperial domain had to become a separate nation , the God Anointed King had to be replaced by a President and royalism had to give place to democracy . Old economic and political ties would be ruined and many of the colonists feared those changes . Older and wealthier colonists were quite content with conditions of their living . Revolution meant risk of losing everything for them (Calhoon 1991
Trivial fear should not be disregarded as factor that divided colonists Britain seemed strong enough and the...
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