Essay 2

The Passion of a New Jersey Loyalist
----Freedom is in the eye of the beholder. A man, who burns a government building due to supposed unjust causes, is one man's freedom fighter and another man's terrorist. Difference of opinion is inevitable, in future, present, and past. In present times of the revolution, freedom has become a complicated thought, dividing my colony of New Jersey and the remaining 12 colonies in conflicting groups of loyalists and patriots. "We have it in our power to begin the world over again ... 'Tis time to part" ( Cook A12). A speech given by Thomas Paine , making evident the Patriots hope for a new beginning. This is something identical to what I, as a loyalist hope for. It’s my belief that the best way to commence this new beginning is with sturdy support, with Britain by our side. I believe by staying loyal to Great Britain, what the patriots and loyalists both wish to achieve will fall into place. To have economic freedom, which the colonies are striving for, you must have an economy first. Without Britain's economy, ours would be nonexistent due to their economic support. By observing influences of Britain within my colony of New Jersey and neighboring ones, realizing the economic support, and witnessing the irrationality shown by the patriots, I choose to remain loyal to Great Britain.
---By living in the colony of New Jersey, my loyalist standing is well supported. “British domination of the trade outlets in the southern part of Bergen County by strongholds of Paulus Hook and Staten Island provided practical reasons for supporting the royal cause”(Keesey 560 ). New jersey is strongly dominated by British, and the loyalists view is especially dominant in my county of Bergen, which means views are easily spread. Not to mention our head influential leaders , such as governor William Franklin who believed in adhering to Strahahn advice of “ Looking upon England as our home” (Fennelly 363). Who is in agreement with the men of the New Jersey Provincial Congress who delivered resolves to the continental congress stating “ That it is our duty to render true and faithful allegiance to George the Third, King of Great Britain, and to support and maintain the just dependence of his colonies upon the Crown of Great Britain.” (Burgess 18). This resolve is one I believe took courage to present to the colonies, makes me proud of my colony and their standing. Bergen country has “the largest number of proportion of active loyalists in the state… slightly less than 20 per 1,000 white citizens , as compared with just under 7 per 1,000”( Keesey 559) as a result of the good trade brought by Britain, which is one reason why they have received my , and obviously as well as my colonies, loyalty,
----Economically, the British have done wonders for us, fifty-five percent of our exports go to great Britain(Roark and Johnson 159). Great Britain is one half of our trading economy not to mention their large amount of imports that keep us going. The result of British trade being taken out is already showing in colonies from the Boston ports being shut down! What if all trading ceased, this situation would only worsen. England is a key partner in the foundation of our economy, I believe the patriots have lost sight of all the Britain and our king have done for us and remain persistent on looking at the negatives and not realizing the results of their actions.
-----“King George III's offenses were countless: cutting trade, declaring war against his own subjects, imposing taxes without consent”(1 Cook), comments like these are numerous in this time, twisted to the most dramatic affect. When one requests land from a noble, it was never without a price, you have a debt to pay, or work it off. Nothing has been free not in Britain nor here, and I believe it’s a misconception that has been formed. The King has the right, the land being lived on being his property and such. The Patriots are disrespectful and even act as traitors, throwing their fellow colonists into the streets along with other numerous brutal acts. If freedom is what they preach then the must learn to tolerate it, their immaturity, harshness and lack of preparation they have shown for what they wish to take on, has turned me away from their cause. Finding no good reasoning in their actions or arguments, I have continued to keep my loyalist views.
-----, " the rebels sought the Whig ends of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness; "( 82 Reid ) Both sides hope for the same outcome. The goal being the same, I believe if what became the opposing , worked as a group, We could of reached a conclusion together in peace, rather then in chaos, that’s my wish. I have more thoughts on this issue, and believe that lack of communication and sympathetic views pushed these issues further.
----A truth commonly overlooked is the reason this revolution occured. This revolution and division of the people was simply and naturally a difference in opinion. Yes, it's a well known fact that many loyalists were wealthy and of a good ranking within their communities. They were happy with where they were at, so an automatic assumption by the patriots is that therefore they saw no need for the change that the less fortunate patriots did. The truth is, those who remained loyal did so with the possibility of their house being ransacked, torched, and torn to bits and pieces. These wealthier families had more to loose than most. Numerous family friends, such as, the Bayards, Doremus, Dr. Abraham L. Van Buskirk, Zabriskie , were wealthy and by choosing to stand up for what they felt to be the way to freedom, they gave up more than most had. They choose where to stand "not for the government but for the right and freedom is represents" ( 3 Burgess). "[T]he rebels sought the Whig ends of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness; "( 82 Reid ) Both sides hope for the same outcome. The goal being the same, I believe the issue that split us, we should of come together and worked as one united. We could of reached a conclusion together in peace, rather then in chaos, that’s my wish. As I watch those who claim "Freedom" as the reason they spur into action destroying homes and putting families onto the streets, if that’s what their "freedom" takes, I want no part. I am pushed even further away from them towards the opposing side from what I’m seeing done by those who claim us the “Tories”. I will not willingly place my future into their hands but into the ones whose empire has lasted, remained sturdy and shown their accuracy.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
1: Title: Economic Burden: Spark to the American Revolution? Author(s): Joseph D. Reid, Jr. Source: The Journal of Economic History, Vol. 38, No. 1, The Tasks of Economic History (Mar., 1978), pp. 81-100 Publisher(s): Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Economic History Association Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2119317
2:Record: 1
Title:Tyranny to terrorism
Authors:Jane Hampton Cook
Source:Washington Times, The (DC); 09/11/2008
ISSN:0732-8494
Accession Number:4KB520080911031459000
Persistent link to this record (Permalink):
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3: EBRARY BOOK: Burgess, Susan. "So Obstinately Loyal: James Moody 1744-1809." (2000):
4: Title: Loyalism in Bergen County, New Jersey Author(s): Ruth M. Keesey Source: The William and Mary Quarterly, Third Series, Vol. 18, No. 4 (Oct., 1961), pp. 558-576 Publisher(s): Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1921101
5: Title: William Franklin of New Jersey Author(s): Catherine Fennelly Source: The William and Mary Quarterly, Third Series, Vol. 6, No. 3 (Jul., 1949), pp. 361-382 Publisher(s): Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1919982
6: Title: Economic Burden: Spark to the American Revolution? Author(s): Joseph D. Reid, Jr. Source: The Journal of Economic History, Vol. 38, No. 1, The Tasks of Economic History (Mar., 1978), pp. 81-100 Publisher(s): Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Economic History Association Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2119317
7: Roark, James, and Michael P. Johnson. The American Promise. 4th. Boston: Bedford'St. Martin's, 2009.