Why were the American revolutionaries referred to as “Whigs” and the Loyalists referred to as “Tories”?
Answer Hi Chris, Tories have been a Political party in Britain since the late 1600’s. The term comes from Traidhe, was originally used to refer to an Irish outlaw and later often applied to any Confederate or Royalist in arms. The British Tory Party were in the majority in the period leading up to the revolution. So colonists who supported their policies were called Tories as well. The Whigs were the opposition party in Britain during the same time. The term “Whig” originated during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It referred derisively to a radical faction of the Scottish Covenanters who called themselves the “Kirk Party.” The term was applied as a negative: whiggamor is a Scottish Gaelic word for a cattle or horse driver. The Whigs in Britain were the loyal opposition in Parliament. They opposed British policies in the colonies and supported ideologies of protecting basic rights of all Englishmen. Colonial opponents of British policies therefore sometimes called themselves Whigs in a
