Resisting Independence: Popular Loyalism in the Revolutionary British Atlantic by Brad A. Jones

Reviewed by: Resisting Independence: Popular Loyalism in the Revolutionary British Atlantic by Brad A. Jones Nicholas Truax (bio) Resisting Independence: Popular Loyalism in the Revolutionary British Atlantic By Brad A. Jones. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2021. 314 pages, 6" × 9", 15 b&w illus., 1 map. $49.95 cloth, $32.99 e-book. Significant scholarship exists covering the Patriots and their cause during the American Revolution. While this scholarship is important, it tells only part of the story. Much of the historiography's focus remains on the Patriots of the thirteen British North American colonies, providing much less insight on the Loyalist population within these colonies and on the rest of the British Atlantic. Brad A. Jones's monograph, Resisting Independence: Popular Loyalism in the Revolutionary British Atlantic, seeks to address this gap by expanding upon the research of historians who have looked at the role Loyalists played in the colonies and their experiences during the American Revolution and throughout the twenty-six British Atlantic colonies. Jones's work broadens the scope and understandings of the American Revolution and continues the narrative to consider the effects it had on colonies and citizens within the larger British Atlantic. Focusing his study on four cities within the British Atlantic—New York, Halifax, Kingston, and Glasgow—Jones shines light on the conversations and sentiments within those cities before and during the American Revolution. Previous scholarship often focuses on the ideology and messages of the Patriots, which narrows the geographic focus to the thirteen North American British colonies and leaves the voices of Loyalists throughout the British Atlantic on the periphery. Jones brings those voices to the forefront, analyzing the politics behind their loyalty. Through his use of newspapers and letters, Jones shows how information and news of larger events spread throughout the British Atlantic. In doing so, he shows how Loyalist thought developed in places like Jamaica, where the idea of representation was similar to places like Philadelphia; but he also shows how the decision to stay loyal to the Crown was driven by the fear of slave revolts, making necessary British military protection. Similarly, in Halifax, despite concerns over funding and [End Page 416] defense against the Mi'kmaq, Haligonians became tacit supporters of the Patriot cause. Local Haligonian leaders, however, attempted to suppress Patriot support by controlling the information that flowed into and out of the colony. Again, relying on newspapers, Jones shows how the policing of information in Halifax suppressed a rise in support for the Patriot cause and prevented both material and intellectual support from leaving Halifax. Local leaders in Glasgow were also far more concerned about their economic interests, particularly in places like the Chesapeake, and were thus more outwardly supportive of the Crown. By looking at print shops and the proliferation of pro-British news articles, Jones demonstrates how Glasgow's economic success took precedence over support for the Patriot cause. The print shops of New York City also proved to be a significant source for Jones, and he utilizes the work of prominent printers such as James Rivington. Rivington was an ardent Loyalist, and his paper spread throughout the British Atlantic, proliferating Loyalist sentiment and ideology out of New York. A major strength of Jones's work is his ability to demonstrate how, despite having similar Whiggish ideals, Patriots and Loyalists ended up on opposite sides of the Revolutionary conflict. Similar to Linda Colley's Britons, which Jones cites, he shows how the development of British identity in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries influenced the development of Patriot and Loyalist ideologies. The concept of creating a common identity through the construction of a common enemy put forth by Colley is reinforced by Jones's analysis of Loyalist and Patriot identity. On the one hand, Jones makes the claim that Loyalists reinforced their defense of their Britishness once the Catholic French became involved. On the other hand, he also shows how Patriots reinforced their identity as British through their opposition to Parliament's perceived assaults on British natural rights. Jones thus attempts to paint a comprehensive picture of how the two sides developed and interacted during the Revolution. By using these four cities, Jones allows modern...

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