About this book
The Loyalists of America and Their Times, Volume 1, is a scholarly, documentary‑style history by Egerton Ryerson that opens with a series of footnotes establishing its method: the work is “largely documentary rather than popular” and repeats material to keep essential facts before the reader. Ryerson immediately launches into a dense, source‑driven discussion of early colonial narratives, contrasting the mythic accounts of the Pilgrims with contemporary records such as Bradford’s History of Plymouth Plantation and the Mayflower Compact. The opening pages dissect the language of loyalty to King James, the practical motives behind the 1620 settlement, and the later historiographical embellishments of writers like Bancroft, all while citing a wide range of eighteenth‑ and nineteenth‑century sources. The book’s scope, reflected in its subject headings, American loyalists, colonial politics, the Revolution, and the War of 1812, promises a rigorous examination of the political and governmental landscape from 1620 to 1816.
Ryerson’s voice is that of a nineteenth‑century academic, formal and argumentative, peppered with extensive citations and a tone that seeks to correct romanticized histories. The prose is dense, with long sentences and frequent references to primary documents, making it more suited to readers comfortable with scholarly footnotes and historical debate. Those who relish detailed constitutional analysis, the evolution of loyalist thought, or the minutiae of early American political development will find this volume rewarding, while casual readers looking for a narrative adventure may prefer a more streamlined account.
