The Loyalists
There were many reasons why a colonist might choose to be a Loyalist.
Some loyalists believed that the taxes that the colonists were required to pay to the King were fair and reasonable. England had just finished defending the colonies in the French and Indian War. Wars can be expensive and the colonies were expected to pay their share. Joseph Galloway held this opinion. He was a delegate to the First Continental Congress and tried to remind that group of the millions that England had spent in the protection of the colonies.
Some loyalists agreed that the colonists should have a voice in their government but didn't believe that it was possible because they lived so far away. Thomas Hutchinson, who was the governor of Massachusetts, felt that the colonists couldn't have the same liberties as people in England because they lived 3,000 miles away.
Many loyalists were concerned that a war with England would ruin the colonies. Joseph Galloway tried to tell Congress that a war with Great Britain would ruin America. The Reverend Samuel Seabury believed that the England would win the war after just one battle. During the war, Benedict Arnold would call America "a land of widows, orphans, and beggars."
Some loyalists believed that the taxes that the colonists were required to pay to the King were fair and reasonable. England had just finished defending the colonies in the French and Indian War. Wars can be expensive and the colonies were expected to pay their share. Joseph Galloway held this opinion. He was a delegate to the First Continental Congress and tried to remind that group of the millions that England had spent in the protection of the colonies.
Some loyalists agreed that the colonists should have a voice in their government but didn't believe that it was possible because they lived so far away. Thomas Hutchinson, who was the governor of Massachusetts, felt that the colonists couldn't have the same liberties as people in England because they lived 3,000 miles away.
Many loyalists were concerned that a war with England would ruin the colonies. Joseph Galloway tried to tell Congress that a war with Great Britain would ruin America. The Reverend Samuel Seabury believed that the England would win the war after just one battle. During the war, Benedict Arnold would call America "a land of widows, orphans, and beggars."
