Loyalty or Daintiness in Time of War?

At the time of our Revolutionary War, historians say, there was a sizeable segment of the American population that was loyal to King George, III. That is, they did not want to separate themselves from England, and didn’t care that England was dealing harshly with its American colonies. Liberty was not for them.

No doubt some folks were loyal to the Crown. But if today is any index, many of the “loyalists” were just too dainty for war. Liberty was not all that important—certainly not worth dying for. Of course, they found that they had chosen the wrong side and faced hanging or imprisonment under the new American government.

My wife’s ancestors were in that group who were on the losing side. They were given land in Ontario, Canada that was due west of Rhode Island, their former home. I prefer to think they were loyalists and not faint-hearted. Over the next 100 years they worked themselves down the north side of Lake Ontario and crossed over the US boundary near Chicago (best guess) and wound up in Iowa, no doubt semi-illegal aliens. Others stayed in Ontario and are Canadians to this day. They are still subjects of the Crown.

The moral of the story is that one should choose the right side before refusing to fight for one’s liberty. The wrong side will not take their decision lightly.

Revolutionary+War King+George+III American+History