Loyalty Introduction

“The oppostition to parliment will undo us” – Jonathan Sayward, January 20, 1774 

The question of loyalty concerned all New Englanders as political tensions worsened between the colonies and Great Britain. While most New England colonists supported America’s right to self-governance, many remained conflicted about the prospect of a civil war, and a vocal minority made it clear they would continue to support the Crown’s authority.

Discussion and debates over loyalty took place not only in taverns, churches, and meetinghouses, but also in the home. Families found themselves on opposite sides of the conflict, leading to separation and heartbreak. Meanwhile, enslaved members of households broke their involuntary bonds of servitude to enlist in the army and gain their freedom. The objects in this gallery explore the various meanings of loyalty during the American Revolution and show how colonists navigated a new political landscape.