That Ever Loyal Island

"When the American Revolution began in April of 1775, the majority of the residents of Staten Island, New York were staunchly Loyalist. Papas traces Staten Island's loyalist sympathies not to strong ties with Britain, but instead to local conditions that favored the status quo instead of revolutionary change. With a thriving agricultural economy, stable political structure, and strong allegiance to the Anglican Church, on the eve of war it was in Staten Island's self-interest to throw its support behind the British, in order to maintain its favorable economic, social, and political climate. Using an assortment of primary and secondary sources, including personal letters, contemporary newspapers, Loyalist claims, church records, diaries, and local histories, Papas paints a picture of life and war in eighteenth-century Staten Island."--book jacket.