Selfish, Timid, Tories: Boston in the American Revolutionary War, 1776- 1777.

Abstract

Historians of the American Revolution have celebrated Boston’s role in early resistance to Britain, while neglecting its post-1776 history. After the British evacuation, pre-existing social and economic problems re-emerged in 1776-77. Trying circumstances caused patriot unity to collapse. The issues of army enlistment and price regulation revealed different ideas among the elite and the laboring classes about the people’s obligations to the American cause. The result was elite patriots moving the public discourse around patriotism in a direction that suited their interests and ensured their positions of power. They accused those who disagreed of a lack of virtue and remaining loyal to Britain. This thesis shows how, for Boston, the Revolution was not a solution.