Portfolio: Essay 2: Thoughts of a Carolinian Patriot

I’m a colonist living in North Carolina. I make a living from farming and most people would identify me as a commoner. In the recent years, Great Britain has become increasingly more despotic. They have tried to impose their will upon the colonies. With no consideration of our rights, they pass laws that weigh us down. Great Britain is indeed a mighty country, and our colonies can gain a lot from their economic power and political status. But the time has come for us to break away from Britain, before we end up having no rights at all. I fear that if I stay loyal to Britain, my way of life would be betrayed, and my entire livelihood at stake.

I’ve heard numerous stories about fanatical patriots who destroy private property and kill people. And all of their targets are loyalists, who are also known as Tories (Wood 38). I personally do not want to become one of those victims. Not only am I concerned about myself, but I must also think about the safety of my family and my plantation. Just the other week, the Whig Regime ordered everyone to swear an oath of allegiance to North Carolina or be identified as a Tory (Escott and Crow 385). I’d much rather be identified as a patriot so I won’t have to worry about being victimized. That way, I can focus on my funds and my trade.

Economically, my family and I are doing very well. I have the adequate funds to provide food, shelter, and a proper living environment for my wife and kids. Most of this success is due to my constant hard work, but I do indeed owe a lot of this prosperity to the few slaves that help work my plantation. Not many people in North Carolina own slaves, so I’ve got quite an advantage over my competition when it comes to producing crops (Escott and Crow 381). I’m afraid, however, that Britain’s campaign of tyrannical rule is also deterring my labor force. Lord Dunmore, governor of Virginia, has declared that any slave that runs away and fights for Great Britain will be freed (Crow 83). Consequently, several of my slaves have already escaped, and it is awfully expensive to replace them. Runaway slaves are nothing new, but I am infuriated by Great Britain’s promise of freedom. That tyrannical king is stealing away my property without my consent. I had paid a great deal of money for my slaves, and they are instrumental to the success of my farm. First it was the taxes, and now my property rights are under attack. The scary thing is that there are similar patterns of Britain’s tyranny in several other colonies also. For example, Great Britain recently closed down the Boston Harbor with a fleet of warships. We colonists can no longer allow Great Britain to treat us as a lesser people.

I’ve been able to live comfortable under British rule for many years, and for many years it has been a sound government. But within the past years, it has began to take away our rights as British citizens. If we aren't represented as equal British citizens, then why bother being apart of this oppressive British empire? The time has come for us to break away and become our own independent nation. If I must choose any side, I am most definitely an American patriot.

Escott, Paul D., and Jeffrey J. Crow. "The Social Order and Violent Disorder: An Analysis of North Carolina in the Revolution and the Civil War." The Journal of Southern History 52(1986): 373-402.

Wood, Gordon S.. "A Note on Mobs in the American Revolution." The William and Mary Quarterly 23(1966): 635-642.

Crow, Jeffrey J.. "Slave Rebelliousness and Social Conflict in North Carolina, 1775-1802." The William and Mary Quarterly 37(1980): 79-102.