Col. John Eidsmoe: Were Loyalists traitors or patriots?

We know the leaders in the cause of American independence: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and others.

But can you name a single American opponent of independence? Probably not. But they too were Americans who deserve to be remembered.

One such loyalist was John Dickinson . Born in 1732 to Quaker parents, Dickinson held some Quaker beliefs but never joined a Quaker church because he believed that defensive warfare was sometimes justified. Nevertheless, his Quaker upbringing probably caused him to view war as a last resort.

Dickinson studied law at the Inns of Court in England, growing to love the English legal system, while also realizing that he wasn’t really English; he was American.

Beginning a law practice in Philadelphia, Dickinson’s reputation grew, and h