The plight of Massachusetts Loyalists
It’s been said that history is written by the victors, so it’s not surprising that the story of Loyalists to the Crown who lived in the American colonies is not as widely known as that of the Revolutionary War’s victors. Loyalists suffered not only their Patriot neighbors’ scorn; many also suffered the agony of fleeing their towns and homes for another country. A noted historian characterized the Revolutionary War as “America’s first Civil War.” Various historians estimated between 60,000 and 100,000 people fled the colonies by the time the war ended. In letters Loyalist Anne Hulton wrote from Brookline, Massachusetts,…
