The loyalists of Lynn, Salem, and Marblehead, Massachusetts

The history of the American Revolution was as much about the people as it was about politics. Up to one-third of the colonists maintained their allegiance to Great Britain. When they are discussed, these men and women, the loyalists, are usually portrayed as traitors. Yet from their perspectives, the rebellion was traitorous; the words and actions of misguided men. The Revolution was far more than an argument over taxation, it was also about loyalties and allegiances, major concerns from the perspectives of the loyalists, who are the subject of this work. The loyalists of three Massachusetts towns, Lynn, Salem, and Marblehead are the focus. Chosen for their location, each was distance enough from Boston to be considered separate from the colonial capitol, yet each was vital to the economy of the colony.;In 1909, Howard Sanderson argued that Lynn contained no Tories, the pejorative label for loyalists. I wanted to gain a better understanding of his words and the accuracy of his assertions. We grew up in the same town, but were taught different histories. Was Sanderson was correct?;The work defines the terms loyalist and Tory and examines why they remained steadfast in their loyalty to Great Britain. Further, it also addresses a paradox of the Revolution: the liberty and freedom fought for by colonists was denied to loyalists. As John Adams wrote in 1816, the history of the Revolution will be incomplete until their story is understood.