Montco Program Explores 'The Aftermath Of Loyalism'

By HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY

Not every inhabitant of Pennsylvania wanted the Revolution. Many who lived in this region wanted the colonies to remain loyal to Great Britain. Presenter Rene Silva will explore the process of Loyalist reintegration during and after the American Revolution.

The presentation is based on an ongoing study of over 1800 suspected Loyalists or disaffected persons in Pennsylvania.

It will take place on Saturday, from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m., at the Historical Society of Montgomery County, on 1654 Dekalb Street in Norristown.

This program examines the Revolution from the perspective of those Americans loyal to Great Britain or dissatisfied with the Patriot government. It looks at various phases throughout the time period beginning in 1765 to the Declaration of Independence in 1776; the British occupation and evacuation of Philadelphia in 1777-1778; the times of uncertainty prior to the Peace Treaty of 1783; the post-independence Critical Period from 1783 to 1789; and the Age of Federalism from 1789-1800. It also looks at how social, religious, and political factors influenced the evolution of reintegration, specifically among loyal Quakers, Anglicans, and Presbyterians within the English-speaking majority and Lutheran, Reformed, and pacifist sects amid the large German minority. Silva will also explore class and professional distinctions, the wives of exiled Loyalists who stayed behind, and free blacks and slaves from Pennsylvania who sided with the British.

Presenter Rene Silva arrived in the United States as an exile from Havana, Cuba, in late 1960 as a result of the Castro Revolution. Silva holds a B.A. in Communications, M.A.s in American History and International Administration. His is currently a doctoral student at Florida International University.

His dissertation project "Revolution, Reconciliation, and Rupture: The Loyalist Reintegration Conflict in Southeastern Pennsylvania" explores the efforts of Americans loyal to the British during the War for Independence to adapt to the new republican order.