Dishonored Americans

Timothy Compeau is Assistant Professor of History at Huron University College at the University of Western Ontario.

[Compeau's] argument about the process of 'political death' and 'political rebirth'--essentially the unmanning and reclaiming of Loyalist masculinity--adds a compelling angle to scholarly understanding not only of Loyalists as individuals, but also of elite masculinity and power relationships in the Revolutionary era. Compeau convincingly shows that 'whereas political death was a product of revolutionary fervor, political rebirth emerged from the routine functions of honor culture that maintained social harmony and elite control' (171).-- "H-Early-America" Dishonored Americans offers an entirely new and innovative approach to understanding Loyalism during the American Revolution. Well written and deeply researched, Timothy Compeau draws readers into a world largely forgotten today, where a deeply entrenched culture of honor - and dishonor - in colonial society shaped wartime political allegiances, and ultimately helped Loyalist exiles navigate their post-war Empire. --Brad Jones, California State University, Fresno, author of Resisting Independence: Popular Loyalism in the Revolutionary British Atlantic An amazingly well-written book that is calculated to appeal to a wide audience while making an important and timely intervention in both the study of honor and Loyalist history. The argument is perceptive and convincing: that what united ordinary white Loyalists with elite Loyalists was the visceral sense of disrespect deliberately perpetuated by Patriots in their campaign. --Rebecca Brannon, James Madison University, author of From Revolution to Reunion: The Reintegration of the South Carolina Loyalists