   patriots (also known as rebels, revolutionaries, continentals, or american whigs) were those colonists of the thirteen colonies who violently rebelled against british control during the american revolution and in july 1776 declared the united states of america an independent nation. their rebellion was based on the political philosophy of republicanism, as expressed by spokesmen such as thomas jefferson, john adams and thomas paine. as a group, patriots represented a wide array of social, economic, ethnic and racial backgrounds. they included lawyers like john adams and alexander hamilton; planters like thomas jefferson and george mason; merchants like alexander mcdougall and ordinary farmers like daniel shays and joseph plumb martin. ==terms== the critics of british rule called themselves whigs after 1768, identifying with members of the british whig party (including the radical whigs and patriot whigs), who favored similar colonial policies. the oxford english dictionary third definition of "patriot" is "a person actively opposing enemy forces occupying his or her country; a member of a resistance movement, a freedom fighter. originally used of those who opposed and fought the british in the american war of independence." the earliest citation is a 1773 letter by benjamin franklin. in britain at the time, "patriot" had a negative connotation, and was used, says samuel johnson as a negative epithet for "a factious disturber of the government.""patriot" in oxford english dictionary (3rd ed. online 2011). accessed 19 december 2011. prior to the revolution, colonists who supported british authority called themselves tories or royalists, identifying with the political philosophy then dominant in great britain, traditionalist conservatism. during the revolution these persons became known primarily as loyalists. afterward, many emigrated north to the remaining british territories in what is now modern canada. there they called themselves the united empire loyalists. ==influence== many patriots were active before 1775 in groups such as the sons of liberty. the most prominent leaders of the pat
Patriots_in_the_American_Revolution People_of_the_American_Revolution