January 01, 2006: American Tories?
What happened to the Tories after their defeat in the Revolutionary War?
Were they expropriated? Did they flee to Canada? Florida? Britain?
If yes, did they eventually return? When?
The Revolutionary War could aptly be called the First American Civil War. Were its issues ever resolved? Or has American history since 1776 been a continuation of the same disagreements in new forms and historical contexts?
Consider the questions under dispute. Do we wish to be an empire, or a democratic republic? Do we advocate a national religion, or the separation of church and state? Do we accept that torture is legitimate, or do we insist on the protection of individual liberties? Do we favor a centralized executive, or the separation of powers? Aren't these the same issues which "conservatives" argue today with "progressives"? Are today's "conservatives" in continuity with yesterday's "Tories"? Do progressives descend politically from Patriots?
Has the question of the defeated Tories been raised before by American Marxists? What were their conclusions?
