



On a snowy Christmas night, one might expect to see images of unity and camaraderie along with the massing of people for festivities, however one Christmas night in particular stands out in American history. In 1776, George Washington accompanied by nearly 5,400 other men and women set out to ambush the Hessians stationed in Trenton, New Jersey on that late Christmas night in hopes of performing a surprise attack to turn the tides of war (Washington). In the painting from 1851, you can see an image of General George Washington standing in a dominating pose with James Monroe at his side. In the boat along with him there also appears to be several frontiersmen, a man of Scottish background, a black male in military clothing, several other Colonial army males, a woman dressed in red and two farmers. This variety of people represents the diversity of the colonies during that time in history. In an attempt to aid his budding new country, General George Washington needed a victory to spur his fellow patriots into supporting his cause. Although the American Revolution is well known and is overwhelmingly supported by Americans in today’s society that was not necessarily the case in colonial times. In 1776, approximately only one-third of colonial Americans supported the Revolution, while another one-third remained loyal to the British Crown and the remaining one-third were largely undecided on the matter or neutral. The image we see in Emanuel Leutze’s Washington Crossing the Delaware shows us how identifying as a common people despite obvious differences is necessary in order to succeed. This is important because during the American Revolution, the popular decision was not always American patriotism, but more so remaining neutral or loyal to the British Empire.

It is important to notice in Washington Crossing the Delaware that almost none of the members of the boat crew are identically dressed or come from the same background. This is the idea behind the Revolution. Background, whether it is country of origin, race or gender, was not to be a determining factor in who was part of this new America. Although obviously equality at the time was not extended to all people in the colonies, every person played their part. For some members of society, establishing a new country separate from British rule and King George was seen as an outlet in which change could prosper. These men and women were known as the American Patriots and their goal was to gain independence at any cost. These patriots believed that in separating themselves from Britain and the Crown, they could finally unite as a nation and have a new start at prosperity. Creating change and breaking out of complacency is arguably one of the hardest tasks presented to any group of people regardless of who they might be. The idea of a Revolution might have seemed like a mere fairytale to some of the colonists when they first heard about it. Without an overwhelming reason to rebel, starting a revolution did not seem like the right choice for many. The farmers during this time frame were largely split on their decision because on one hand they had an opportunity to escape the extreme taxes they were facing from British rule, however if they chose to rebel their lands could be torn from them and they could possibly lose their entire lifestyle. In order to gain support from these farmers and common people, the Committee of Correspondence created list of grievances in order to show the colonists what they believed was wrong and had to be changed (Committees). By creating this list twelve grievances the farmers were given ideas to rally behind and ultimately they began to support the Patriots. The list from the Committee of Correspondence also appealed highly to manufacturers in the iron and wools industries as well seeing as how they were no longer allowed to carry their goods by ferry and had many restraints placed upon them. The list identified these issues and gave a sense of unity based on the fact that oppression was not limited to any one group of individuals. These working class men and women were also forced to quarter the British troops without question, so the urge to make a change was a large push towards revolution and supporting the Patriot agenda. Although at the beginning of the American Revolution only an expected one fifth of the population were Patriots, the number grew significantly thanks to specific issues being identified that related to the common people (American).

When it comes to overthrowing a government, not everyone benefits from the outcome. At the time, many of the upper-class citizens of the colonies were loyal to the British Empire and to King George. These Loyalists were opposed to the idea of an American Revolution mainly because of their investments into the British government. Should the current British rule be overthrown, they would lose land and nobility. This idea was not a fond one to them and they were willing to do whatever it would take to keep British rule. Since the British had imposed many taxes upon the colonists, they had to have tax collectors as well. With the tax rates changing frequently, the tax collectors would often allow corruption to control them and they made fortunes off of seizing additional fees they imposed themselves (Committees). Since these taxes would also pay the provincial government officers, these men were in the pocket of the King. Without the British taxes on manufactured goods these officials would not receive paychecks, which is not an appealing idea to anyone. By this logic, the Loyalists and the Patriots were enemies because of where their personal interests laid. Many households were divided by this matter to include Benjamin Franklin and his son William Franklin, who was at the time of the Revolution a Loyalist governor in New Jersey. Although the majority of Loyalists only remained loyal to maintain their personal status and protect their wealth, the Patriots saw them as traitors. After the Patriots won the Revolution, nearly 80,000 Loyalists fled to Britain or Canada to avoid persecution (American).

Having a common goal will bring together people of different backgrounds in order to accomplish that goal. Despite being from various countries and parts of life, the men and women of colonial America came together to establish a new country. Not all members of society at that time agreed on the Revolution, but the need to escape oppression and taxation was more than enough for the majority. Even though some people remained loyal to King George, the masses demanded change and that need brought them together.




