Answer:
During the American Revolution, the loyalists were the part of the population of the Thirteen Colonies that did not support the independence movement, but, on the contrary, saw the permanence within the British Empire as the best option.
An estimated 20 percent of the colonial population was loyalist. Specifically, urban elites and large landowners, as well as settlers of English descent, were those who supported the King and did not want independence.
Many loyalists joined the British troops, effectively fighting the Patriots. Others only manifested on a political level.