Generous Enemies: Patriots and Loyalists in Revolutionary New York

Generous Enemies: Patriots and Loyalists in Revolutionary New YorkGenerous Enemies: Patriots and Loyalists in Revolutionary New York by Judith L. Van Buskirk reconsiders New York City under British occupation, revealing a society far more interconnected than the idea of a rigid Fortress Britannia suggests. Patriots and Loyalists, often divided by politics, remained closely linked through family ties, business, and everyday life, blurring the lines between enemy and ally. Drawing on letters, diaries, and official

Generous Enemies: Patriots and Loyalists in Revolutionary New York by Judith L. Van Buskirk reconsiders New York City under British occupation, revealing a society far more interconnected than the idea of a rigid “Fortress Britannia” suggests. Patriots and Loyalists, often divided by politics, remained closely linked through family ties, business, and everyday life, blurring the lines between enemy and ally.

Drawing on letters, diaries, and official records, Van Buskirk shows how personal needs frequently outweighed ideology during the Revolution. This nuanced view of occupied New York echoes the themes explored in The Occupied City: New York and the American Revolution, an exhibition at the Museum of the City of New York.

• University of Pennsylvania Press
• 272 pages.
• 1.26 pounds.
• 6 x 1 x 9.5 inches.