The Loyalists of America and Their Times

The United Empire Loyalists receive a defence of their conduct in Egerton Ryerson's account of Britain's American colonies. In his preface, Ryerson argues that their opponents have shaped the accepted history and sets out to present the Loyalist side through original records. The work covers the period from 1620 to 1816, linking colonial government, the American Revolution, settlement in the British provinces and the War of 1812. Its opening contents separate the Pilgrim government at Plymouth from the Puritan government of Massachusetts Bay.

Letters, proclamations, addresses and other documents supply the basis for Ryerson's arguments. He describes collecting papers from Loyalist families and checking quotations in libraries. His discussion of military leadership covers campaigns involving British and French forces, with particular attention to colonial troops. For readers studying how historical accounts are constructed, the book offers a declared political viewpoint alongside the records used to defend it. Its documentary form makes the author's choices of evidence part of the reading experience.