Description

Loyalists, the American colonists who remained loyal to the British Empire during the American Revolutionary War, have long suffered under the pervasive belief that the American Revolution was due solely to the oppression and tyranny of the British, and that George Washington, Franklin, Adams, Hancock, and the host of other Revolutionary patriots, possessed all the admirable qualities ever exhibited by men in their respective spheres, and that the Tories or Loyalists, such as Hutchinson, the Olivers, Saltonstalls, Winslows, Quincys and others, were to be detested and their memory execrated for their abominable and unpatriotic actions. This near universal view led the author to inquire and to examine whether there might not be two sides to the controversy which led to the Revolutionary War. This volume represents his conclusions for the Loyalists in Massachusetts. The book, basically, contains two parts. The first part of the book describes the causes of the American Revolution, treatment of Massachusetts' Loyalists and confiscation of their property, their emigration to Canada, and much more. Part II contains "Biographical Sketches of the Loyalists of Massachusetts," including family histories for many, and their lives following the War. This volume is profusely illustrated with more than 50 engravings, paintings, and drawings and, at the collusion of the book, two Indices: (1) An Index of names; including the names of identified Loyalists whose biography does not appear in this work; and (2), an Index of Subjects.