Daniel Leonard. Daniel Leonard (May 18, 1740 – June 27, 1829) was a lawyer from colonial Massachusetts and a Loyalist in the American Revolution .
Americans either remained Loyalists or joined the Patriot cause based on which side they thought would best promote their interests. Prominent merchants in port cities and men with business or family ties to elites in Great Britain tended to favor the Loyalist cause.
He fled to British-occupied Boston for safety. In 1774 and 1775, Leonard, writing under the name " Massachusettensis ," wrote a series of letters in support of royal government that were published in a Loyalist Boston newspaper, the Massachusetts Gazette. John Adams, writing as "Novanglus," answered the letters in the Boston Gazette.
Born in Norton, Massachusetts, Leonard was a member of a prominent family who made their fortune from their iron works in Taunton, Massachusetts. After graduating from Harvard College, Leonard began to practice law in Taunton.
Lawyer Daniel Leonard became one of the most notorious Loyalists in Britain's North American colonies. In 1774 Leonard published "Massachusettensis," a series of widely reprinted articles in support of British efforts to quash the colonial rebellion.
Leonard was a convinced Loyalist; he denied the notion of a mere common allegiance to the Imperial Crown. The king could only appear under such a system as king of each seperate colony and if these were constitutionally and not absolutely governed, the consequence would be chaos.
Loyalist- a colonist who supported the crown/king of England • Patriot- a colonist who rejected British rule over the colonies during the American Revolution Activity: 1.
Patriots subjected Loyalists to public humiliation and violence. Many Loyalists found their property vandalized, looted, and burned. The patriots controlled public discourse. Woe to the citizen who publicly proclaimed sympathy to Britain.
How did Leonard think the patriots had affected everyday life in the colonies? They had sent everyday life into chaos, and now people struggled to complete even the most basic tasks.
Thus monarchy is apt to rush headlong into tyranny, aristocracy to beget faction and multiplied usurpations, and democracy to degenerate into tumult, violence and anarchy. A government formed upon these three principles in due proportion, is the best calculated to answer the ends of government, and to endure.
Because one side lost and the other won, many people today tend to think that the Patriots were the right side and the Loyalists were the wrong side. However, both sides of the war had many reasons for fighting. Both Patriots and Loyalists believed they were doing the best thing for their country and their families.
Many had valuable ties with the British and jobs in the government. Loyalists believed in peaceful reconciliation but were met with insults and mistrust because they did not believe in the Patriots' cause. Most Patriots resisted enlisting African Americans to the cause, but the British had no such compunctions.
Loyalists: colonists of the American revolutionary period who supported, and stayed loyal, to the British monarchy. Patriots: colonists who rebelled against British control during the American Revolution.
How were Loyalists treated by the Patriots during the war? Known Loyalists who remained in the United States faced difficult times. Their neighbors often shunned them. Some became victims of violence.
Great Britainloyalist, also called Tory, colonist loyal to Great Britain during the American Revolution. Loyalists constituted about one-third of the population of the American colonies during that conflict.
Loyalists After the WarThe wealthiest loyalists moved to England after the war. ... The poorer loyalists lost their fortunes and their land. ... The United States government wanted loyalists to stay in the country. ... The British evacuated 20,000 slaves. ... Many ordinary Loyalists went to Canada.
Massachusetts Patriots were outraged, and attacked Leonard's house. He fled to British-occupied Boston for safety. In 1774 and 1775, Leonard, writing under the name " Massachusettensis ," wrote a series of letters in support of royal government that were published in a Loyalist Boston newspaper, the Massachusetts Gazette.
During the War of Independence, Leonard left with the British when they evacuated Boston in 1776. His property, like that of other Loyalists, was confiscated. Exiled from Massachusetts, he served as Chief Justice of Bermuda from 1782 to 1806, and later retired to London.
Born in Norton, Massachusetts, Leonard was a member of a prominent family who made their fortune from their iron works in Taunton, Massachusetts. After graduating from Harvard College, Leonard began to practice law in Taunton.
The American Revolution (1765-1791 time period, with official war dates between 1775 and 1783) made colonists choose sides between groups called Loyalists or Patriots. Loyalist was a term used to describe someone who remained loyal to the British crown and British rule.
Loyalists were those who remained loyal to the British crown and/or British rule. Other names used to describe Loyalists included: Tories, Royalists, King's Friends, and Redcoats (specifically British soldiers).
Confident that independence lay ahead, Patriots alienated many fellow colonists by resorting to violence against tax collectors and pressuring others to declare a position in this conflict. Sons of Liberty Broadside, 1765: The Sons of Liberty were the earliest Patriots and incited the Boston Tea Party.
Nonetheless, people from all socioeconomic backgrounds could be found on both sides. Loyalism was particularly strong in the Province of Quebec. Although some Canadians took up arms in support of the Patriots, the majority remained loyal to the King.
In limited areas where the British had a strong military presence, Loyalists remained in power. For example, during early 1775 in the South Carolina backcountry, Loyalist recruitment outpaced that of the Patriots. Also, from 1779 to 1782, a Loyalist civilian government was re established in coastal Georgia.
In all, about 50,000 Loyalists served as soldiers or militia in the British forces, 19,000 Loyalists were enrolled on a regular army status, and 15,000 Loyalist soldiers and militia came from the Loyalist stronghold of New York.
“Patriots, ” as they came to be known, were members of the 13 British colonies who rebelled against British control during the American Revolution, supporting instead the U.S. Continental Congress. These Patriots rejected the lack of representation of colonists in the British Parliament and the imposition of British taxes.
Historians estimate that between 15 and 20 percent of European-American colonists supported the Crown; some historians estimate that as much as one third of the population was sympathetic to the British, if not vocally.
Though not all colonists supported violent rebellion, historians estimate that approximately 45 percent of the white population supported the Patriots’ cause or identified as Patriots; 15–20 percent favored the British Crown; and the remainder of the population chose not to take a vocal position in the conflict.