Isn’t it 1/3 Patriots 1/3 Loyalists 1/3 neutral
That was John Adams' best guess, but (a) he wrote that in the late winter/early spring of 1776 (i.e.
after the publication of
Common Sense and the liberation of Boston, both of which elicited a upsurge in support for independence), and (b) most historians agree that Adams significantly
underestimated support for the Patriot cause, which was probably closer to 40% in early 1776. In 1774, however, there is little doubt that a large majority of British Americans —even those who considered themselves Whigs —were opposed to independence. The Olive Branch Petition was approved by the Continental Congress a full year and half after the Boston Tea Party, keep in mind: the idea that Americans were fighting for their rights as Englishmen and that the king would come to their aid against a tyrannical parliament was a powerful idea that endured until George III explicitly took the option off the table.
