Divided Loyalties: How the American Revolution Came to New York [Paperback]

Richard M. Ketchum (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0805061207 | ISBN-13: 978-0805061208 | Publication Date: November 1, 2003

Years of neglect in the mother country had allowed America's fledgling democracy to gain power, but by 1760 America had become the biggest and fastest-growing part of the British economy, and Britain required tribute. When the revolution came to New York City, it tore apart a community that was already riven by deep-seated familial, political, religious, and economic antagonisms. Focusing on a number of individuals, Divided Loyalties describes their response to increasingly drastic actions taken in London by a succession of the king's ministers, which finally forced people to take sides and decide whether they would continue their loyalty to Great Britain or cast their lot with the American insurgents.

Using fascinating detail to draw us into history's narrative, Richard M. Ketchum explains why men with similar life experiences-even members of the same family-chose different sides when the war erupted.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this magnificent new book, Ketchum (Decisive Days, etc.) shows the falsity of traditional accounts of the Revolution depicting colonies united against a detested oppressor by focusing on one colony's agonizing decision to enter the fray. While Robert Walpole was Britain's prime minister, he pursued a policy of "salutary neglect" he avoided war, kept taxes low and encouraged trade. Walpole's policy allowed the American colonies to prosper and to believe they were the masters of their own destiny. When George III ascended the throne in 1760, however, things changed dramatically. He led the colonists in wars against the French and Indians, and he imposed numerous taxes on goods the colonies exported and imported. For 15 years, unrest grew in the New York colony, and loyalties were divided; as much as one-third of the colony, the author says, remained loyal to the king. Ketchum puts a human face on the conflict by focusing on two families, the Delanceys and the Livingstons. Both families were prosperous landowners. But as tensions rose, the Delanceys moved to England, while the Livingstons joined the Sons of Liberty and encouraged revolt against the throne. Ketchum captures the prosperity of the New York colony, as well as its inhabitants' confusion about which side they should join. His lively narrative offers readers insights into the tension, fear, patriotism and loyalty that marked the beginnings of the American Revolution. 28 b&w illus. not seen by PW.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

When we think of America and the Civil War, we usually think of the blue and the gray. But as historian Ketchum (The Winter Soldiers) points out in his newest book, America's first Civil War occurred nearly a century earlier. Ketchum uses New York City as the backdrop to describe the events that ultimately led to war, beginning with British Prime Minister Walpole's policy of "salutary neglect" (i.e., the Colonies were best served by avoiding war, encouraging trade, and keeping taxes low) to George III's efforts to tax the Colonies to pay war debts and his rejection of a final peace proposal in 1775. Ketchum uses two prominent New York families, the DeLanceys and the Livingstons, one with loyalist tendencies and the other patriotic, to illustrate the complex issues that not only divided the country but split families and set neighbor against neighbor. Ketchum's narrative style and frequent use of firsthand accounts makes for easy reading and brings the participants to life. What results is a good companion to Schecter's The Battle for New York, since Schecter essentially picks up where Ketchum leaves off, on the eve of war, and describes the struggles of the British to hold on to New York City. Ketchum's book also includes an appendix of the principal characters. Recommended for medium to large public libraries. (Index not seen.) Schecter, a professional writer and historian, makes the case for New York City's being the strategic axis around which the Revolutionary War revolved. Schecter shows again and again how Great Britain's desire to hold New York City cost it the war effort, beginning with Gen. William Howe's slow invasion, in which he missed several opportunities to trap Washington in favor of securing the city, and ending with Gen. Henry Clinton's failure to reinforce Cornwallis because of his apprehensions about a possible attack on the city. The easy narrative style is enhanced by numerous quotes, allowing the actual players to tell their part of the story. This book is of special interest to those who live in and around New York, as it includes details about the fortifications of the two armies complete with references to current locations in the city and a walking tour. Well researched and written, this book is recommended for libraries in the New York area and those with comprehensive American Revolution collections.
Robert K. Flatley, Frostburg State Univ. Libs., MD
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Holt Paperbacks (November 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805061207
• ISBN-13: 978-0805061208
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,054,962 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Making the revolutionary era human and accessible, October 17, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Divided Loyalties: How the American Revolution Came to New York (Hardcover)

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.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The American Revolution from a different point of view, March 15, 2003

By 

Michael Oppenheim (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Divided Loyalties: How the American Revolution Came to New York (Hardcover)

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.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A City Torn, May 11, 2004

By 

Rocco Dormarunno (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Divided Loyalties: How the American Revolution Came to New York (Hardcover)

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.