William Humphrey: The Savages Let Loose, or the Cruel Fate of the Loyalists

In this gruesome British cartoon, published circa March 1783, American Loyalists to Great Britain are shown being murdered by figures in Native American costumes. The feathered headdresses and grass kilts of the latter figures echo traditional allegorical representations of America, indicating that they did not symbolize actual Native Americans. Instead, they served as visual metaphors for the American colonists who had defeated Great Britain in the Revolutionary War. This cartoon is reflective of the mood of American Loyalists at the end of the Revolution. Loyalists were a significant part of the American population, representing perhaps one-third of the colonists during the conflict. Maligned as Tories, or extreme conservatives, they were opposed by the Patriots, Americans who supported the revolution. After their victory in the Revolutionary War became inevitable in 1781, Patriots subjected Loyalists to a variety of formal and informal sanctions. Loyalists frequently saw their property confiscated, their lands seized, and their civil rights suspended. They could be imprisoned or even attacked for their political leanings.