 |
Activity
1: Music and the American Revolution
Overview:
John Adams thought that a third of the colonists supported the
Revolution, a third remained loyal to Britain, and a third was
undecided or neutral. The popular songs of the Revolutionary reflect
a deep divided within the colonial population.
Loyalists
were those Americans who affirmed Britain's authority over the
colonies. Although revolutionaries vilified them as elitists who
personally benefited from British colonial rule, many were genuinely
commitment to maintaining a colonial bond with the mother country.
Not only did loyalists risk their lives and property in opposing
the Revolution, but at the end of the conflict 80,000 or more
chose to go into exile. Among these were many ordinary farmers,
artisans, and shopkeepers, as well as several thousand African
Americans who migrated to Nova Scotia. While members of the Church
of England were particularly likely to remain loyal to the Crown,
many members of the more radical Protestant sects, including the
Mennonites, Quakers, and Methodists opposed the revolutionaries'
resort to violence. Many loyalists and feared the disruptive effects
of the revolutionary's radical ideology.
Exploration
1: Select one loyalist and one revolutionary ballad.
Analyze the songs' arguments and the differences in ideologies.
(Links
will open in a new window; close that window to return to this
page)
|
|
