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Many Americans fought for the British cause in the American Revolution. These men were Loyalists (often called Tories, or, occasionally, Royalists or King's Men). They were Americans who remained loyal to Great Britain and the British Crown during the conflict. When the war ended, the great majority of Loyalists remained in the United States, and became citizens, but a substantial number of those who actually fought on the British side left the country with their families--see The fate of the Loyalists below. The opponents of the loyalists called themselves "Patriots," which at the time was a term of ridicule in Britain. For a detailed analysis of the psychology and social origins of the Loyalists, see Loyalist (American Revolution). This article is an overview of some of the prominent Loyalist military units of the Revolution, and of the fighting they did for the British Crown against fellow Americans. ==The Loyalists== John Adams, the second President of the United States, discussing the Continental Congress in 1774, said "We were about one third Tories (), and one third timid, and one third true blue."〔McCullough, David, John Adams, Simon and Schuster, 2001, p. 78〕 The number of Loyalists is still debated. One historian estimates that about 500,000 Americans remained loyal to Britain during the Revolution. This would be about sixteen per cent of the total population, or a little more than nineteen per cent of Americans of European origin. The Loyalists were a minority in every colony. However, they were as socially diverse as their Patriot opponents. The ranks of the Loyalists included many Anglicans (Episcopalians), many tenant farmers in New York and people of Dutch origin in New York and New Jersey, many of the German population of Pennsylvania, some Quakers, Highland Scots in the South, and many Iroquois Indians.〔Middlekauff, Robert, The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution, 1763-1789, Oxford University Press, 1982, pp. 549-550〕 In every colony, some of the wealthy and socially established families never wavered from their loyalty to the Crown. Other Loyalists came from outside these religious, social or ethnic categories. Many African-Americans became Loyalists. These men were escaped slaves. They fought for the British not out of loyalty to the Crown, but from a desire for freedom, which the British promised them in return for their military service. (Other African-Americans fought on the Patriot side, for the same motive). The story of the black Loyalists is outlined, with references, later in this article. The longer the Revolutionary War went on, the more fluid and dynamic the "Patriot" and "Loyalist" categories became; and the larger the population became that did not fit neatly into either camp.〔Ellis, Joseph J., American Creation: Triumph and Tragedies at the Founding of the Republic, Vintage Books, 2007, p. 75〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Loyalists fighting in the American Revolution」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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