Summary Of Kathleen Duval's Independence Lost

Independence Lost by Kathleen DuVal discusses several individuals and couples and their journey while in the Gulf Coast during the American Revolution. Two of her main characters, James Bruce and his wife, Isabella Chrystie, sought new land for profit and many more reasons as others did. James and Isabella wanted to make profit in the Gulf Coast as a landowner and merchant by staying loyal to Britain throughout the war and expanding land. During the war, the Bruce’s refused to live under Spanish rule and eventually fled back to Europe after they abandoned all of their wealth. Although the Bruce’s lives are told while living in the Gulf Coast, that is not where they originated. The Bruce’s were originally from Scotland, but the Gulf Coast caught James’s attention because of the economic advancement (44). He had lived in Pensacola for …show more content…
Not only was he providing for him and his wife, but James had intentions to maintain land for Britain as well. But the goal was hinder due to the fear of the war in this area. The Spanish and French were plotting to take this land from the Britain (112). James wanted to become an even more powerful authority figure than he already was. Therefore, he tried to expand and own as much land as possibly to prove to the crown that he was capable of being a leader across seas ().
The Bruce’s strategy was to stay loyal to the crown. But, this was more of a strategy for James as Isabella was just drug along without opinion. The Bruce’s had several slaves (51). James became a landowner to many acres of land, most of which he got through his land grant. The Bruce’s planned to make their profit through expanding land and making plantations. To attain more land from the crown, James requested land grants through two separate names