Loyalists

“Toryism” in the American colonies at the time of the American Revolution was virtually synonymous with “Loyalism.” The term described those who were critical of colonial resistance to British imperial authority and remained loyal to the Crown. Evidences of such “loyalty” appeared tentatively in the pre-Revolutionary crises. After the Revolution, the term embraced those who supported the British imperial cause, the idea of colonial subordination, or who regarded all colonial remonstrance and resistance as morally wrong. Some 80,000 Loyalists and their dependents, including a large number of Anglican clergy, went into exile after the Revolution. They went to Great Britain, Canada, or the West Indies. See Loyalty Oath to the English Sovereign.