'That ever loyal island': Loyalism and the coming of the American Revolution on Staten Island, New York.

摘要

This dissertation traces the factors that made Staten Island, New York, an overwhelming stronghold of Loyalism as the American Revolution began and the experiences, under British occupation, that eroded this Loyalism.; Staten Islanders refused to fully participate in the colonial resistance movement. Instead, they preferred reconciliation. It was only when threatened with the use of military force and economic sanctions by Whigs in New York and New Jersey that Staten Islanders reluctantly complied with the Whig cause. Yet, while seemingly in compliance with the Whigs, Staten Islanders' actions demonstrated that strong Loyalist sentiments remained.; This study also explores the impact of Staten Island's Loyalism on the Whigs' plans to defend New York City and eastern New Jersey from a potential British invasion during the summer of 1776. Any successful defense of New York City and its environs required the Whigs to secure Staten Island. Continental soldiers and New Jersey Whig militia units were dispatched to secure the Island. The actions taken to secure Staten Island heightened the residents' animosities toward the Whigs.; The British eventually captured Staten Island in early July 1776 and it remained under British occupation until December 1783. The nearly 99 percent of Staten Islanders who were Loyalists initially viewed the British troops as liberators. However, wartime experiences would lead many of them to a change of heart.; Recently, historians have treated the American Revolution as a civil war in the southern colonies, ignoring the extreme partisan warfare that occurred in the North. Yet, Staten Islanders' wartime experiences demonstrate that atrocities such as those committed in the backcountry of the southern colonies also occurred in northern communities. Loyalists and Hessians stationed on the Island frequently made forays into New Jersey, plundering Whig farms and taking prisoners. New Jersey Whigs retaliated by raiding Loyalist farms and businesses on Staten Island. Whig vigilantes also committed brutal acts of violence against Staten Islanders. In addition, the Island's residents suffered daily abuse from their British occupiers. Through an examination of Staten Islanders' wartime experiences, this study extends the notion of the Revolution as civil war beyond the South.