Divided Loyalities: How the American Revolution Came to New York

Ketchum comes up aces with a remarkable chapter in American colonial history,long ignored and oft forgotten within a rich legacy. This should be required reading for anyone interested in the begining flames of the American republic. Ketchum fills in the gaps with information leading up to the Boston area conflicts including the political climate of England, it's ill placed and executed ideals full of contempt and power.The effects of the stamp act on an American economy in recession. It's effects on trade and the different factions who opposed the act, from the aristocrats who influenced and used the working class to rebel to their benefit. Had British policy in regards to the French treaty after the French and Indian Wars, assigned Canada to the French, perhaps the revolution would have taken on a much different aspect. Ketchum reveals the instrumental role that New York played out in the begining trials and tribulations of the new Republic while maintaining a unique style of writing that will appeal to anyone interested in the subject. Meticulously researched, Ketchum remains the authority for all things revolutionary in our historic past.

Richard Ketchum's remarkable "Divided Loyalties: How the American Revolution Came to New York" makes you shake your head and wonder how this country ever got it together enough to fight Great Britain. Certainly the chaos surrounding the official break from England has been well-documented in recent books: Ellis' "Founding Brothers", Chernow's "Alexander Hamilton" and McCullough's "John Adams" quickly come to mind. However, by focusing on New York's population of many religions and races, its diverse business needs, competing powerful families, wily politicians and volatile citizenry, Ketchum has truly captured the confusion, panic, and passions of the time and place.In an interesting manuever, Ketchum details the workings and feelings of only two of the city's more influential families--the Delanceys and the Livingstons. However, the choice is is a shrewd one, as these clans had their fingers and voices in just about every event leading up to and during the Revolution. Also, these two groups represented the polar views on the break with Great Britain. The letters and diaries of other New Yorkers, prominent and otherwise, really complete the picture. "Divided Loyalties" is a lengthy book, over 450 pages, but much to Ketchum's credit, the pacing is fairly brisk. The peppering of diary entries, letters, and newspaper accounts gives the reader true, first-hand accounts of the passions that swept through what was America's fastest growing city, in what was the newest nation on Earth.

A book describing the runup to the Revolutionary War from the point of view of New York is an ingenious idea. I wonder why someone didn't think of it before. From high school on, we learn about the Revolution from the perspective of Massachusetts or Virginia where almost all the founding fathers lived. Can you think of an important New York figure in the disputes of the 1760s and `70s? Hamilton was too young; John Jay a minor figure.New York was actually the most prosperous and cosmopolitan colony during the middle of the eighteenth century. Unlike Massachusetts whose churches were mostly dissenter and Virginia which were mostly Anglican, New York had roughly equal numbers of both, and they disliked each other intensely. New York politics was also a nasty business.No one looks good in this book. Lord North and the British establishment are as stupid and short-sighted as we've come to expect. But there's nothing to admire on the other side. The more I read about this period, the more I suspect our Revolution was not fought for the freedoms listed in the Bill of Rights but for freedom from taxes (not "taxation without representation" - just no taxes.) The colonies had grown accustomed to not paying taxes, and it was foolish of Britain to try to impose them. No New York leader wanted to pay. Both factions - bitter enemies - appealed to England. One faction was willing to pay if appeals failed. The other - less from idealism than simple contrariness - insisted it would never pay and moved steadily to espousing revolution. The loyalist faction was doomed from the start because their opponents had the mob on their side - the mob meaning the urban poor. This was no minor advantage since there were no police in the eighteenth century. Soldiers were stationed in the city, but they were called out only for major riots. So disputes were often resolved when a loyalist was tarred and feathered or his house burned down or when a dozen ruffians trashed an annoying loyalist newspaper. Freedom of speech or freedom of the press were definitely not part of the revolutionary agenda. The war doesn't began till well after page 300, but there's plenty of entertaining history along the way.

Ketchum has done it again...turning revolutionary war figures into flesh and blood, using their own words and actions to explain "how the revolution came to New York". His re-examination of the Seven Years' War, the community and family dynamics within New York is beautifully written. Ketchum's fans won't be disappointed, and anyone not familiar with his work should start here.