The Turmoil Within New Jersey

At a glance, New Jersey during the American Revolution was the location of many major battles, this middle colony was pivotal in the war and the ultimate victory of the American colonists. Dubbed the "Crossroads of the Revolution" and the "Military Capital of the Revolution", New Jersey not only served as key location but it also underwent a period of political turmoil, probably one of the most politically turbulent times in the history of New Jersey. This time was not only differentiated by a feeling of importance, but it was also defined by significant changes in lifestyle and society. It was in this era that a variety of social issues would rise in the midst of a rapidly changing world; conflicts arose concerning the English and their authority over the colonies. Discontent spread among the people of New Jersey. Citizens were torn over the decision to encourage the rebellion or to support the English; many were caught in between the two. This was because of the conflicting pre-existing attitudes towards British involvement in the colonies. English actions upset a majority of the colonists, while simultaneously putting others ate ease. Most but not all of the population of New Jersey advocated for independence, yet some of the colonists had emigrated from England and felt a sense of loyalty to the King of England and the English government. The varying perspectives and diverse population of the New Jersey colony complicated the overall success of the American Revolution in New Jersey.

Loyalists, in particular, composed a small, but decent, portion of the New Jersey population. These simple New Jersey countrymen suffered throughout the war, as well as after even though they were often "people of integrity who were no less courageous or honorable, no less committed to constitutional government and civil liberties than the patriots. But they preferred reformation, rather than revolution, a compromise to a confrontation, law and order to disrespect for government and disregard for laws" One farmer, a man by the name of James Moody, had originally opted for a neutral stance from the onset of the war. He never thought that one day he would "beat his ploughshare into a sword, and commence a soldier..... Yet necessity and a sense of duty, contrary to his natural inclination, soon force him to appear in the former [of these characters]," (Moody, 235) He had a home and a family, he was clear of debt and without need. But when he felt his mother country being threatened, disgraced, and undone before his very eyes, he resolved to do anything and be anything, to fight, rather than to see the Constitution of his mother country completely lost. James Moody was obviously upset by the extreme measures Americans had taken in order to redress their "great" grievances against them. These same circumstances lead him to become a loyalist, were often the reasoning behind many Loyalists opinions, they felt threatened by the acts of American colonists. And because of their stance on the war, Loyalists faced lost property and shattered dreams, imprisonment and exile. Even Moody after "finding it impossible either to convince these associators or to be convinced by them" (Moody, 236) found that "any longer stay among them was useless....and he escaped ...to take shelter behind British lines." (Moody, 236) However, even after the war many Loyalists still faced repercussions such as ostracism, discrimination, and shame; leading to the realization that for the New Jersey Loyalists, the success of the American Revolution was not a success for them.

Nearly, all Jerseymen were upset with the grievances against them, but what set them ,apart was the way they chose to act. Some chose to rebel, others chose to support the English, yet there were a few that decided to do neither. These people feared that "the excesses of the protest activities would hinder rather than help secure a redress of grievances" ("A Lover of Liberty, 24) These people had conflicting opinions inside themselves, they wanted to demand a repeal of the law, while not upsetting their King with thoughts of treason. They were not strictly Loyalist, nor were they strictly patriots. Instead they were people who believed that careful planning, and though-out actions were needed in finding a solution to the British problem. They had to "take care that the spirit of liberty was so effectively roused, not from the views of bad men degenerate into licentiousness." ("A Lover of Liberty", 25). They believed a meticulous plan was what this current