GRADE 11
SBA REVIEW
A LOYALIST IS TARRED AND FEATHERED: A
FIRST‐PERSON ACCOUNT
A Loyalist Is Tarred and Feathered: A First‐Person Account by Ann Hulton from Letters of A Loyalist: Lady Ann Hulton (Harvard Press, 1927) Introduction to the text: Loyalists were the American colonists who remained loyal to King George III and the government of Great Britain. During the American Revolution, the Patriots, who were fighting for freedom from great Britain, were especially harsh toward their former friends and neighbors‐‐ and even relatives ‐‐ who chose to be Loyalists. The Patriots were often physically violent toward the Loyalists, and one favorite form of abuse was called tarring and feathering: the victim was covered in hot tar and rolled in feathers. This form of abuse was usually fatal, as the burns suffered from the tar led to massive infection, for which no antibiotic medications then existed. The following account of a tarring and feathering was written by Lady Ann Hulton, an American colonist who remained loyal to the King and Britain. Her account gives the point of view of someone who did not think the actions of the Patriots were justified. Following the Revolutionary War, Lady Ann and her family immigrated to England, where they could live free of the harassment they would have endured in America, where their neighbors would never have forgiven nor forgotten the Hulton family’s loyalty to the King during the war. ______________________________________________________________________________ The most shocking cruelty was exercised a few nights ago upon a poor old man, one Malcolm. A quarrel was picked with him. He was afterward taken and tarred and feathered. There’s no law that knows a punishment for the greatest crimes beyond what this is, of cruel torture. And this instance exceeds any other before it. He was stripped naked on one of the severest cold nights this winter. His body was covered all over with tar, then with feathers. His arms were dislocated in tearing off his clothes. He was dragged in a cart, with thousands attending, some beating him with clubs and knocking him out of the cart, then in again. They gave him several severe whippings, at different parts of the town. This spectacle of horror and sportive cruelty went on for about five hours. The unhappy wretch they say behaved with the greatest bravery. When under torture they demanded of him to curse his masters, the king, governors, etc., which they could not make him do. He still cried, “Curse all traitors!” They brought him to the gallows and put a rope about his neck saying they would hang him. He said he wished they would, but that they could not for God was above the Devil. They owe him a grudge for some things; particularly, he was with Governor Tryon in the Battle with the Regulators1. The Governor has declared that he was of great service to him in that affair, by his courageous spirit encountering the greatest dangers. Governor Tryon had sent him a gift of ten guineas just before this inhuman treatment. He has a wife and family and an aged father and mother who, they say, saw the spectacle which no indifferent person can mention without horror. The doctors say it is impossible this poor creature can live. They say the flesh peels from his back in steaks. These few instances among many serve to show the wretched state of government and barbarisms of the times. There’s no magistrate that dare stop the outrages. No person is secure. ______________________________________________________________________________ 1 ...Governor Tryon in the Battle with the Regulators: Gov. Tryon was governor of North Carolina prior to the Revolutionary War. When vigilantes, who called themselves Regulators, attempted to take control of law enforcement in North Carolina, Tryon and the colonial militia fought the Regulators on May 16, 1771 at the Battle of Alamance Creek. The Regulators were badly defeated and seven of their leaders were tried and executed for treason. American colonists who favored freedom from Britain saw Tryon as a tyrant who wrongly punished Americans. The victim of this tarring and feathering was known by his neighbors as a hero of that battle, as well as for being a Loyalist during the Revolutionary War, which is why he was targeted by the Patriots for such abuse.  Keep Going  Choose the best answer to the question. 1. The inclusion of the phrase “a poor old man” in the description of the man who was tarred and feathered serves to __________________. a. evoke in the reader a feeling of sympathy for the man by emphasizing he is elderly and helpless against a strong mob of people b. indicate that the man was easily caught by the crowd c. indicate that the man was singled out because he was elderly d. create an image of a mean old man whose quarrelsome nature provoked the attack he suffered 2. The author of the passage suggests that Malcolm was singled out by the pro‐America revolutionaries for mistreatment because _________________________. a. Malcolm was instrumental in helping Gov. Tryon defeat American colonists who wanted to separate from England b. Malcolm was a quarrelsome old man who looked for trouble with his pro‐revolutionary neighbors. c. Malcolm’s pro‐revolutionary neighbors were jealous of the money he received from Gov. Tryon and wanted to rob him d. no one would defend Malcolm because he disliked by the entire township 3. When the pro‐revolution mob threatens to hang Malcolm, he “said he wished they would, but that they could not for God was above the Devil.” What does this mean? a. he couldn’t be executed because he was a religious leader b. he knew they did not have the nerve to hang him so he taunted his captors c. he hoped they would hang him and put him out of his misery after torturing him so badly d. he believed he was on the side of righteousness and honor and the people torturing him were on the side of sinfulness and dishonor, so God would protect him and not allow them to hang him 4. Based on the evidence in the passage, the author Anne Hulton is best described as _________________. a. a woman who was indifferent to politics and societal changes b. a Loyalist and a compassionate person who was horrified by the cruelty inflicted on Malcolm c. a supporter of the American revolutionaries who tormented and injured Malcolm d. a nurse who helped treat Malcolm’s injuries following the attack he suffered at the hands of the mob. 5. Ann Hulton includes many details in her letter to help the reader understand exactly what treatment Malcolm suffered at the hands of his tormentors. How would the inclusion of these details have affected a reader who identified with Malcolm and other Loyalists? How do the details in her letter characterize the pro‐independence revolutionaries who attacked Malcolm? ANSWERS
A Loyalist Is tarred and feathered” by Ann Hulton Answer Key 1. A 2. A 3. D 4. B 5. Answers will vary