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by Peggy Harrell Jennings (Author)
The American Revolution. Not just about tea and taxes! Complex and complicated issues including religious ideology - Anglican dedication and the establishment of the "Episcopacy," Tory respect of historical tradition and the sovereignty or divine right of the King, logical analysis that the colonial upstarts could not defeat Great Britain, monetary gain, and rewards from the Crown contributed to the degeneration of the colonies into a bloody and savage civil war. After brutal attacks and coercion by the Whigs, Liberty Boys, and rebels, many of those sympathetic to the Crown sought refuge in Canada, Great Britain, or migrated to St. Augustine, Florida, an important port for the British. The Continentals attempted numerous invasions of East Florida but were repulsed by the Florida Militia, East Florida Rangers, Native allies, and British regulars. The furthest southern battle of the war? Thomas Creek near Jacksonville, Florida which assured East Florida remained under British control until the end of the war.
A British observer stated, "In America, the distinction between Whigs and Tories prevails as much at present as ever it did in England. Every man who will not drink destruction to the king, is a Tory, and liable to tar and feathers." As the rebellion intensified throughout the colonies, the distinction between rebels and those loyal to the crown became hardened. Both loved their new country. Both loved liberty, but the Loyalists had faith in the British constitution and embraced reason instead of revolt. The Whigs used rhetoric of condemnation - "Join or Die" - propaganda, arbitrary decrees, and violent confrontations which escalated to personal revenge and recrimination on both sides in this brutal civil war where force compelled bitter obedience and compliance.
Two "rascals" dedicated to preventing the Continentals from overtaking Loyalist St. Augustine were Thomas Browne and Daniel McGirtt. Brutally mistreated by the Whig colonists, McGirtt and Browne were intent on defending St. Augustine, promoting the Loyalist cause, and seeking personal revenge. As present-day East Florida Ranger Captain Robert Samson stated, "If people lose their rights and freedoms, must they become "rascals" to regain them?"
