The Presbyterian Rebellion
The British had a different name for the American Revolution: the Presbyterian Rebellion. Not everyone in the 18th century viewed the War for Independence as merely a colonial uprising. Many British loyalists believed the movement was driven by Presbyterians and their long-standing opposition to absolute monarchy.
In 1776, loyalist Anglican Rev. William Jones wrote to King George III, “Believe me, this has been a Presbyterian war from the beginning as certainly as that in 1641…” (referring to the English Civil War). In 1778, Hessian Captain Johann Heinrichs wrote, "Call this war by whatsoever name you may, only call it not an American Revolution; it is nothing more nor less than an Irish-Scotch Presbyterian Rebellion." An ardent colonial loyalist wrote home, “I fix all the blame for these extraordinary proceedings upon the Presbyterians. They have been the chief and principal instruments in all these flaming measures. They always do and ever will act against government from that restless and turbulent anti-monarchical spirit which has always distinguished them everywhere.” American historian George Bancroft later observed, “The Revolution of 1776, so far as it was affected by religion, was a Presbyterian measure. It was the natural outgrowth of the principles which the Presbyterianism of the Old World planted in her sons: the English Puritans, the Scottish Covenanters, the French Huguenots, the Dutch Calvinists, and the Presbyterians of Ulster. So intense, universal, and aggressive were the Presbyterians in their zeal for liberty that the war was spoken of in England as the Presbyterian Revolution.”
History may debate many things, but one fact remains: Presbyterians left their reformed fingerprints all over the founding of America. • 100% combed and ring-spun cotton • Fabric weight: 4.2 oz./yd.² (142 g/m²) • Pre-shrunk fabric • Side-seamed construction • Shoulder-to-shoulder taping Disclaimer: The fabric is slightly sheer and may appear see-through, especially in lighter colors or under certain lighting conditions.
