The Loyal Traitor

Book excerpt: History portrays the Revolution as united Americans rising up against British tyranny. In fact, the colonists were equally divided between Rebels, Loyalists and neutrals. Joseph Galloway was a leading Loyalist. Before the war, he was one of the most powerful and respected men in the colonies. As Speaker of the Pennsylvania Assemebly and a prolific writer, he worked to perserve the peace during two decades of unrest. As a member of the Continental Congress, he argued for consitutional reform instead of rebellion. When war broke out, he joined the British, who made him superintendent of occupied Philadelphia. When the British abandoned the city, he went to London and became spokesman for the refugees there. He died in exile, barred from the country he loved. His story deals with forgotten aspects of the Revolution, such as the persecution of Quaker pacifists, the British command's reluctance to wage war, and how the rebellion divided friends and families.