LOYALISTS, or TORIES. ID American his tory, those persons in the thirteen original colo nies who at the time of the Revolutionary War remained loyal to the British Government. They represented various classes and seem to have act ed upon varying and widely divergent motives. In their ranks were included: (1) a large ma jority of the office-holders and their immediate following; (2) a large majority of those who stood for the moneyed and commercial interests of the colonies; (3) probably a majority of those who belonged to the so-called learned professions; (4) a majority of those who were conservatives by temperament or training; (5) numerous hang ers-on, opportunists, and low politicians, who. be lieving that the revolting colonists would ulti mately be subdued, ostentatiously adhered to the Crown in the hope of securing gain and prefer ment. With regard to the total number of the Loyalists estimates have varied widely, some writers asserting that they constituted a clear majority of the colonial population, others that they constituted at the best but a small minority. John Adams, at the close of the Revolution, esti mated that fully a third of all the people in the colonies—one million out of the total population of about three millions—were opposed to the measures of the Revolution ht all its stages. In New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, North Carolina, and South Carolina, Loyalists were found in greatest numbers. The Patriots or Whigs in all the States, being thoroughly organ ized and aggressive, early got the upper hand, and, advancing from social ostracism, boycott, and horseplay, passed rigorous acts against the Loyalists, banishing many, often under penalty of death, deporting many more, attainting others of treason, confiscating the estates of many, and subjecting all who remained within the American lines to a more or less constant surveillance. During the progress of the war many Loyalists fled to England or to some British possession, many took refuge in places such as New York, held tem porarily by the British troops, and a large num ber enlisted for active duty against their fellow colonists, frequently rendering services of great value to the British commanders. Some Loyal
ist companies, recruited from the lower and baser elements, committed numerous atrocities and did much to accentuate the hatred felt for the Loyalists as a class by the Whigs. In the treaty of peace closing the war the commission ers of the United States agreed that the Conti nental Congress should recommend to the various States the rescinding of their anti-Loyalist laws. the permitting of Loyalists to buy hack their confiscated estates, and abstention from the pass ing of new confiscation acts or other acts directed against the lives or property of Loyalists. Con gress accordingly made the specified recommenda tions, which, however, were little heeded by the States: and in the years immediately following the cessation of hostilities thousands of the Loy alists fled from the country, taking refuge prin cipally in Canada, whither between 40,000 and 50,000 are said to have gone prior to 1786. It was by these emigrants, who styled themselves "United Empire Loyalists." that New Brunswick and Upper Canada (Ontario) were founded. The British Government made liberal provision for the Loyalists after the Revolution, and paid out a large sum of money to those who had "suffered in their rights, properties, and professions—in consequence of their loyalty to his Majesty and attachment to the British Government." Con sult: Van Tyne, The Loyalists in the Ameriran Revolution (New York, 1902); Ryerson, Loyal ists of America, 1620-181t (2 vols., Toronto, 1880) ; Sabine, Biographical Sketches of Loyal ists of the American Revolution, with an torieal Essay (2 vols., Boston, 1864) ; Flick, Legalism in New York During the American Revolution (New York, 1001) ; Tyler, Literary History of the American Revolution (2 vols., New York. 1897) ; Canniff, History of the Province of Ontario (Toronto, 1872) ; and a chapter. with bib liography, in Winsor, lVarratire and Critical His tory of America, vol. vii. (Boston, 1888).