Final answer:
Loyalists did not want their business dealings with England to be disrupted and feared the consequences of a break with Britain. They accounted for about one-third of the American population and had concerns about the potential loss of their political, social, and economic rights.
Step-by-step explanation:
Loyalists, or Tories, did not want their business dealings with England to be disrupted. They accounted for about one-third of the American population at the time of the Declaration of Independence. Loyalists were often older, members of the Anglican Church, and had concerns about the potential loss of their political, social, and economic rights if they sided with the revolutionaries. Merchants, shippers, and frontier farmers were among the loyalists who feared the economic and safety consequences of a break with Britain.