This image is the cover for the book Consequences of Loyalism

Consequences of Loyalism

This anthology examines the role of Loyalism in the American Revolution, building on the pioneering work of historian Robert M. Calhoon.

Calhoon’s work on American Loyalists redefined their role in the Revolution, showing them to be dynamic figures adapting to a society in upheaval. In The Consequences of Loyalism, editors Rebecca Brannon and Joseph S. Moore shed light on Calhoon’s foundational influence and explore the continuing scholarship in the wake of his prolific career.

This volume unites sixteen previously unpublished essays that build on Calhoon’s work and consider Loyalism’s relationship to conflict resolution, imperial bureaucracy, and identity creation. In the first of two sections, scholars discuss the complexities of Loyalist identity, while considering Calhoon’s earlier work. In the second section, scholars work from Calhoon’s later publications to investigate the consequences of Loyalism both for the Loyalists, and for the legacy of the Revolutionary War.

This book brings Loyalist dilemmas alive, digging into their personalities and postwar routes. Loyalists from all facets of society fought for what they considered their home country: women wrote letters, commanders took to the battlefield, and thinkers shaped the political conversation. This volume complements Calhoon’s influential work, expands the scope of Loyalist studies, and opens the field to a deeper, perhaps revolutionary understanding of the king’s men.

Rebecca Brannon, Joseph S. Moore

Rebecca Brannon is an associate professor of history at James Madison University. Her first book, From Revolution to Reunion: The Reintegration of the South Carolina Loyalists, published by the University of South Carolina Press, won the 2016 George C. Rogers Jr. Award and was named to the Journal of the American Revolution'a 100 Best Books on the American Revolution list.



Joseph S. Moore is an associate professor of history, department chair, and special assistant to the president at Gardner-Webb University. He is the author of Founding Sins: How a Group of Antislavery Radicals Fought to Put Christ into the Constitution. Moore's work has appeared in Slavery & Abolition, the New York Times, and a range of journals and newspapers.

University of South Carolina Press