Name: Westford REV 250-The Plight of the Loyalist in Massachusetts with Larry Kerpelman
Start: 2025-09-18T19:00:00-04:00
End: 2025-09-18T20:30:00-04:00
Location: Westford Museum & Historical Society

Westford REV 250-The Plight of the Loyalist in Massachusetts with Larry Kerpelman

In the “cradle of the American Revolution,” loyalists to the Crown faced a harsh choice: live with terrible abuse where they were, or flee to friendlier but alien regions.
It’s been said that history is written by the victors, so it’s not surprising that the story of Loyalists to the Crown who lived in the American colonies is not as widely known as that of the Revolutionary War’s victors, the Patriots. As the drumbeat to independence grew louder, Loyalists faced their Patriot neighbors’ scorn and the agonizing decision of whether or not to flee their towns and homes. Various historians have estimated that between 60,000 and 100,000 people fled the colonies by the time “America’s first civil war” ended. Dr. Kerpelman will present a picture of how ordinary Massachusetts Loyalists and their Patriot neighbors interacted with one another during the fraught period between the 1750’s and the 1790’s.
Suggested Donation:** $10 per person