Tory, Tory, Tory!

Today marks the day, in 1775, that England's King George III spoke to both houses of the British Parliament about the growing rebellion in the American colonies, which he viewed as traitorous, asking Parliament to take quick action to end the revolt and restore order.

King George III had committed to tax the American colonies to pay for military protection now that the Peace of Paris (1763) was signed, ending the seven year war with France, and England was now thriving under peacetime conditions.

Loyalists in America loved the King, hanging his picture on their walls, and having tea parties in his honor, but the Patriots chose to burn him in effigy as a Tory and a Tyrant. Unfortunately for the King, Thomas Paine's little book, "Common Sense" (published in January 1776), made great sense to the Americans, and fueled the quest for independence.

Funny thing, on July 4, 1776, King George III wrote in his diary, "Nothing of importance happened today."