AP United States History
  • AP United States History
  • Chapter 3: Southern Colonies
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  • Chapter 7: The War for America
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  • Chapter 8: Building a Republic
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The Home Front, pp. 225-232
Battlefield victories alone did not determine the war's outcome; struggles behind the lines were equally vital. One of the most important issues on the home front was the contest between patriots and loyalists for the hearts and minds of the thousands of Americans who were neutral. 

Patriotism at the Local Level
Committees of correspondence, safety, and inspection became the revolution's most important political agencies at the local level, supporting the war effort in many ways—from the procurement of arms and men to the rounding up and prosecuting of suspected traitors. These committees could sometimes be oppressive in their treatment of loyalists. Also at the local level, increasing numbers of white women not only assumed many traditional male roles but also, in the process, became politicized. 

The Loyalists
Between 20 and 30 percent of the American population remained loyal to the British monarchy in 1776. Their motivations varied. Some were royal officeholders; others were merchants whose businesses were linked to the imperial system; still others were cultural, ethnic (most notably Native Americans and African slaves), and religious groups that had no reason to believe they would fare better under an independent American government than they had under the British. Loyalist strongholds thus could be found everywhere, although the largest pockets were in the middle colonies and in the South. 

Who Is a Traitor?
In June 1775, the First Continental Congress passed a resolution declaring loyalists to be traitors. Over the course of the war, hounded by patriots in their communities and harassed by legislative and judicial actions, many loyalists found their position intolerable. For women, the position was less clear because there was no consensus on whether women had the political will to decide to be loyalists or not, particularly if they were married. Thousands of loyalists eventually fled the country, seeking sanctuary in England or Canada. The British military strategy depended on using loyalists to hold occupied territory, but in many colonies that strategy was implemented poorly and ended in disaster when the British decided to withdraw and left loyalists in the hands of their enemies. 

Financial Instability and Corruption
One of the nation's biggest problems was finding ways to finance the war. The Continental Congress printed money, but its value fell rapidly. One way to pay for the war was through borrowing hard money from wealthy men, who were given certificates of debt in return. Congress also resorted to paying soldiers with promises of land. As the war progressed, prices rose to exorbitant levels, and a brisk black market in prohibited imports emerged. In vain, the congress tried to stem the inflationary spiral by instituting price controls. 
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