Despite its notoriety, the objection to tax levied on tea was a ruse; the real issue was the British had, in an attempt to curtail their activities, under-cut the price of tea offered by smugglers, so it’s not surprising that most of the revolutionary leaders were in fact smugglers. But what is less well known is these same leaders had become wealthy dealing with the enemy during the Seven-Year-War, while fellow Americans were fighting to help save the colonies from the French.
Another reason not often mentioned is that the local legislatures for their own ends, kept devaluing their currencies to the point of making them virtually worthless. This cheated creditors out of money; but also created large numbers of debtors in the colonies.
The money owed wasn’t theirs to lose, so by promising to absolve these debts, the rebels devised a powerful incentive for support.
The British had also drawn a proclamation line along the Appalachian Mountain peaks, honouring agreements to limit further encroachment onto Indian land and arrest the spiralling cost of protecting the colonists from Indian reprisals.
Therefore those that settled beyond this line were the cause of a lot of problems as not having any money; they just became adept at murdering the Indians in order to take their land. Such people put extra strain and expense onto the British defences and were of course the natural allies of those powerful colonists, such as George Washington who wished to benefit from Indian land speculation.

The rebel leaders or founding fathers (all quasi-atheists e.g. Deists) only represented about 27% of two and quarter million colonists (although they said it was 33%), but even if this was correct they knew they would have never won power through a referendum, so as they possess considerable propaganda skills, they called themselves Patriots, contrived incidents like the so called ' Boston massacre', portrayed their own vested interests as philanthropic ideals, and incited a reign of terror, aimed at civil authorities to disrupt society.

In reality Hancock was a very weathly smuggler, but the British had undercut his overpriced business and sommoned him to appear in court at a time he and Samuel Adams were known to have been in Lexington, where the shots of unknown source were fired at both sides resulting in several Militiamen being killed.
The others including Sam Adams (a failed businessman accused of embezzlement), Allen, Paine, Franklin, Jefferson, and Madison were bitter men, who for various reasons held grievances against the British.
The British only really wanted the smuggling and bribery to stop.

The rebel's strategy of attacking Loyalists, tarring and feathering them etc. to force them to resign their posts could have provided a role model for Hitler in the 1930's, as they also took advantage of unemployment to form their own militia, training them to take on the army (redcoats) while at the same time as appealing to everyone's sense of 'freedom', were really manoeuvring to dominate the colonists, majority of which were apposed to them.
They were in fact, what we consider today as insurgents/terrorists and those that most loudly espoused 'freedom', were controlling the largest number of slaves.

Washington had become one of the wealthiest men in the Americas by marrying into as much money as he could and was anxious to gain even more through land speculations, if the Indian's land, which was being protected by Britain could be seized, so it's not surprising he wasn't the type to want to pay any taxes
But it could be concluded that this motivation of greed had transformed him from a mediocre general under the British into an outstanding General, but he was at least as harsh on his troops as any British commander or even more so, as he would extend any lashing over several days for those he disapproved of, waiting for wounds to scab over before having them opened up again, then time and time again.
The one-sided accounts generally given by American historians, websites and film makers don't often mention the Battle of Penobscot Bay, probably because a mere 50 British redcoats held off 3000 Rebels for several days, until the Royal Navy arrived, at which point they embarked their 40 ships, but only to sail up river where they managed to shipwreck themselves and disappear into the Maine's wilderness never to be seen again.

The Loyalists were about 40% of the population (Long Island was 90% Loyalist) and those that just didn’t want to be on the losing side (including 'late' loyalists), made up the remaining 33%.
The Loyalists being law abiding were originally passive relying on the British for protection, but after they became increasingly persecuted, terrorised and humiliated by the Patriots,, about half of them became active.

Those Loyalists that didn’t become active and the Non aligned were forced under the threat of death to swear and sign oaths of allegiance to the rebel cause.
As this then turned it more into a civil war the patriots not only put their propaganda machine into overdrive, claiming such things as ‘Tories’ took babes from the breasts of their mothers to dash their brains out and the alleged Tarleton’s quarter, they also evolved a Presbyterian religion that as good as justified carrying out inhuman war crimes against Loyalists and keeping redcoat prisoners in such appalling conditions that most died.
At the battle of Kings Mount the rebels had surrounded a heavily outnumbered Loyalist unit, who's position had became hopeless so had (despite the rebels usually not taking Loyalist militia as prisoners), tried to surrender, but the Lowlife 'Over the mountain back-woodsmen' just cut Major Ferguson to pieces and violated his body and this to a man who's chivalry in battle had prevented him from shooting Washington in the back.

Also if any other examples of barbarity were required, they then used this distortion of religion to justify firstly starving those prisoners that they did take, then only to hang or shoot most of them later.
While the British won most of the battles, (despite often being outnumbered ), the conflict was really won by France Spain and Holland who also declared war on Britain with Russia Sweden and Denmark also denying trade. The coup-de-gráce was when French ships blockaded Chesapeake bay denying Cornwallis any relief and then a storm prevented him from retreating across the river, giving him no choice but to surrender.

These same French ships then went on to the West Indies where Rodney's fleet (who were one week too late to save Cornwallis), caught up with them and smashed them to pieces.

The French officers that had fought alongside the rebels were surprisingly conciliatory towards Cornwallis's men on their surrender at Yorktown, it's as if they knew their hypocrisy would rebound on them, they had fought a devious war to first aid the American rebels to remove the British, then (which isn’t well known) to try later on to regain lost territory by going to war with the Americans themselves. Although an undeclared war, the French did actually try this in the Quasi-War but luckily for the Americans, Britain changed tactics and left them too stretched to finance it beyond inflicting terrible losses on American shipping.
Britain could have fought on in America, but with her very existence under threat, wisely decided to consolidate her forces to fight France and Spain directly and in doing so defeated them, which actually protected the Americans.
The French people were left so impoverished by all this that their leaders, who had decided to fight with the American rebels, then suffered by their own example when having made inevitable the rebellion against King Louis XV1 and his entourage, they where duly executed in the French Revolution

Spain would also suffer a considerable loss when later her own colonies followed the American example.
During their rebellion the American republicans had relinquished almost universally their religion and morality, to a point that they drove most true church ministers out of the country which mitigated recriminations when the vast majority of ordinary Americans did not gain as a result of the rebellion, in fact most lost out, with the soldiers not receiving the land or the amount of pay they were promised, the Blacks remained as slaves and the Indians began to be decimated. Only some of the rebel leaders gained and they imposed far more taxes upon the people than Britain would have done and also set up the monopolies that was the real cause of the north v south civil war, emancipation of slaves only became an issue to defeat the south.

But what happened to the Loyalists was similar to what happened in Europe to the Jews during the 2nd World War and would have probably experienced the same fate, had the most venerable of them not fled, (mainly to Canada). The expression ‘Lynch Mob’ comes from the American Patriot Judge Lynch who hung anyone suspected of being a Loyalist with impunity.
The USA had even attempted to cut off a retreat for the Loyalists, by invading Canada with a large force, but a combination of the US troop’s long march through Maine’s wilderness led by Benedict Arnold; Carleton’s defensive tactics and a blizzard fortunately thwarted them.
Those loyalists that didn't flee ran the risk of being dispossessed, tortured or even murdered.
At the formal end of the war at treaty of Paris, the British gave the Americans very generous settlement terms on the understanding that they would earnestly recommend that the Loyalists would have their land returned to them or receive fair compensation for such, the Americans reneged on this, with only South Carolina making any real effort to compensate them. Unbelievable excuses were given why they broke this agreement, including it gave opportunities to others, which is the same as saying a theft gives opportunities to others.
But the consequence of this mentality was pathetic wagon trains of Loyalist women and children moving north and a bigoted sense of freedom it's legacy.
Any that returned to seek redress found their persecution was as fierce as ever.
So about 100,000 of them that would not live in fear of their lives or with no rights fled mainly to Canada to set up enduringly loyalist towns in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Cape Breton and of course the Bay of Fundy where descendents of 'loyalists par excellence' will still fly the union flag along side their own Provencial flags.

The Loyalist's descent were made up approx of 28% German (the name New Brunswick may reflect this), 23% Scottish, 18% English, 12% Irish, 8% Dutch, 5% French, 4% Welsh, 2% from Switzerland, Denmark and Sweden.
About as many again of African origin were on the loyalists side that shouldn't be forgotten and contrary to popular belief a high proportion of the Irish fought with the British.
About 4000 Loyalists, mainly the types most able to survive, but few with the quasi-urban background of their eastern brethren, went up through New York state to settle Kingston and Niagara and being better suited to the frontier struggle which faced them, formed the nucleus of what is now Ontario. Their provincial flag incorporates a union canton, showing their loyalist heritage and their motto 'Ut incepit Fidelis sic permanent' means Loyal she began loyal she remains.

Others fled to either Florida (then British), Bermuda, Bahamas/ Abaco/ Eleuthera/ Exuma, Turks & Caicos, Jamaica, Dominica, St Lucia, Brazil (presumably as it seemed friendly) and Sierra Leone. Those that arrived in Britain were in a pitiable situation, so much so that Lord North the Prime Minister, intended to arrange for them to be given passage and land in Australia as free settlers, even to introduce them to potential Tahiti wives, but his government was defeated in a general election before this could take place.
His successor the hard-nosed Lord Sidney had different ideas and decided, following a period of locking up mere petty criminals, to send them instead, to both reduce the 'self-induced' overcrowding problem in HM prisons and (one must conclude) to conveniently have less independent settlers for a new colony.
Most people in Vermont did not take part in the rebellion and wanted to remain independent or even part of Canada, but were threatened by Washington and forced to join the USA, so 8000 of it's settlers moved just across the border into Canada, where they set up the eastern townships in order to escape the chaos, taxes and anarchy that had become rife in the new US.

An indication of what life was like in the new USA is an armed uprising took place in Massachusetts from 1786 to 1787 against crippling taxation which had caused most to fall deeply in debt and then as a consequence faced them with either imprisonment or their property confiscated for the state to sell. This popular rebellion led by Daniel Shays, was crushed when nearly all of it's leaders were caught and sentenced to death, Daniel Shays died in dire poverty.

In 1796 the British tried again to get compensation for the Loyalists by agreeing to withdraw from forts in Ohio country, if the Americans would agree to act more effectively on Loyalists claims. The British withdrew on schedule but the Loyalist claims were never settled, even though the British did all they could to pacify the Indians

The final injustice was that the loyalists were made to disappear and what force of arms could not erase, US historians have so diligently buried, so that their persecution remains ignored and forgotten.

In 1812, while Britain was at the height of her struggle with a Napoleon led Europe, that Madison and his party were aiding, Britain's very survival was at stake, so she naturally tried to impound this aid.
In response the anglophobic US War Hawks knowing Britain was unlikely to be able to reinforce her meagre 5000 man force in Canada and as the total population of Canada was only appox. 500,000 against around 7,500,000 million in the USA, thought it was a good time to take advantage of Britain’s preoccupation.
So they claimed the British were arming the Indians, (when the truth was they didn’t have enough arms for themselves), grossly inflated the number of American sailors seized in error while boarding their ships to retrieve (poached) enlisted seamen and persuaded Madison, despite the suffering already inflicted on the Loyalists, to declare war and try to annex Canada which would effectively steal their land again.
America used it's considerable skill of propaganda to try to get the Canadians to switch allegiance and join the USA, but the Loyalists knew the worthlessness of President Madison's pompous proclamations and promises and wisely remained deeply distrusting of the US and it's brand of republicanism.
The US attacked with 2500 troops at Fort Malden where the only men General Brock had available was 150 British, 150 Indians and 300 Canadian militia (Loyalists), who knowing their fate if they failed, fought with such determination that another 700 Indians and former slaves joined in to help out repelling the invaders.

Upper Canada would have been vitally under siege, but for the Federalists in New England and Vermont who wanted nothing to do with this war and continued to trade and supply the British and along with the loyalists in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick helped them to continue to hold out.
Over the next two years the USA deployed considerably more resources than struggling Britain and Canada were able to, (who’s only ace was a naval blockade) and as a consequence gained territory.
An interesting factor was that some US troops, mainly those that had travelled all that way from the southern States, then used their right on several occasions not to cross into Canada, maybe they saw through their leaders rhetoric ?
As one would expect, the audacious USA employed a range of warring tactics, including proving (while on raiding parties) that they were still not above, their old tricks of committing atrocities against loyalists, at such places as York (Toronto), Port Dover, Port Talbot, Turkey Point and Long Point.
But it’s a tribute to the defenders that the US never achieved a decisive tactical advantage.
When Napoleon bit off more than he could chew and suffered a major setback in Russia, Britain could at last reinforce her beleaguered Canadian army, to at least match the USA’s and allow it to go on the offensive. Firstly to regain lost territory, then to take Maine. As a reprisal for York, they set fire to all public buildings in Washington, badly scorching the Presidential Mansion, so much so that it had to be whitewashed, they now call it the White House.

Then because British shipping had been suffering at the hands of pirates operating out of Baltimore, the Royal Navy was sent to curtail their activities. The pirates however had anticipated this and took the initiative by scuttling all their ships themselves to seal off the harbour from attack.
So to make sure they had got the point the British treated Fort McHenry to a rocket bombardment which together with Mary Pickersgill’s splendid ensign, gave Francis Key the inspiration to write a poem to the melody of an old British drinking song that is now the US national anthem
Thereafter with no sensible land objectives left, the British went on to lose a pivotal battle at Lake Champlain, where Captain Downie was badly let down and killed, then with the sudden disappearance of a covering mist while advancing through boggy ground they took heavy losses at New Orleans, just a day before news arrived that a peace treaty had been signed weeks earlier, making this the most tragic battle of this ill-conceived war.
The war was considered a disaster, predictably the US claimed they had won (as Madison’s neck was on the line), peace was declared and relations were normalised.
In an effort to try again, to get the Loyalist issues settled, the British gave up most of Maine (the exception was a disputed border area). The US not being content with this then indulged in some posturing and declared the phoney Aroostook war.
Britain then even conceded most of this disputed area on the solemn understanding that the USA would make every effort and to earnestly resolve the lingering Loyalist issues.
But true to form they not only reneged on this again, they exposed their vindictive nature by persecuting those amongst them (Federalists) that had opposed the war.
Since then US historians have continued to largely ignore the existence of Loyalists, if mentioned at all their numbers are underetimated (typically 15-20% of population) and what is written is just a negative portrayal.
The Loyalists are demonised or dismissed as simply obtuse and their crime of not wanting to live under mob rule, chaos, insecurity, huge debts and the certainty of an ensuing civil war for the next 100 years or so, has in the eyes of the USA, forfeited them any rights.