Maryland - 8th post

Loyalist or Patriot?

In Maryland during the 1770s, opinions were divided on the issue of loyalty to Great Britain. Many of the power elite of colonial Maryland were immersed in their own interests and maintaining their power. However, many others, who might have been expected to declare loyalty to England in order to maintain their position, instead decided to support the American cause.
Question: How would American autonomy affect these power elite?
Answer: Some would lose their positions, but others saw the opportunity to get out from under the heavy hand of the British government.

In her study of Maryland proprietary elite during the time of the Revolutionary War, Anne Alden Allan came to the conclusion that those who identified themselves as Patriots was higher than might have been expected.

The Fate of Loyalist Women after the War

Norton writes that 468 Loyalist women applied for assistance from the British government. In her study Norton theorizes that while many of the women described themselves as "helpless", this was not necessarily an accurate portrayal of their circumstance. Women at that time, according to Norton, had "internalized" an attitude of helplessness because that is what was expected of them.


Sources:

Eighteenth-Century American in Peace and War: The Case of the Loyalists
Mary Beth Norton
The William and Mary Quarterly, Third Series, Vol. 33, No.3(July 1976). pp. 386-409

Patriots and Loyalists: The Choice of Political Allegiances by the Members of Maryland's Proprietary Elite
Ann Alden Allan
The Journal of Southern History, Vol. 38, no. 2 (May 1972) pp. 283-292