How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
"Master Lockton claimed he was a Patriot on the docks." […]
"He was faking to protect his skin. Some folks switch back and forth. One day they're for the King, the next, it's all 'liberty and freedom, huzzah!' A tribe of Mr. Facing Both Ways, that's what you'll find in New York." (7.47-48)
New York might be the equivalent of a modern day swing state, but back in Revolutionary times, there was a little more at stake than what side of a political squabble to support. For Lockton, supporting the Loyalists could mean arrest for treachery; the same goes for other New Yorkers. While wanting to support the most successful side of the conflict is one aspect of their hypocrisy, simply not wanting to get arrested or hanged seems like rational enough motivation to keep switching sides.
Quote #5
The gentleman who accompanied Madam stepped forward. "The law is quite clear on this matter, sir. None of us want to live in a world where servants rule their masters. Both the Parliament and the Congress give Madam Lockton rule over her slave." (21.103)
It's interesting that even though the Patriots and Loyalists basically hate each other's guts, the one thing they have in common is that they both want slavery to exist. This is a pretty complicated idea for the colonies, which feel enslaved to Britain and are fighting for their own freedom. It seems hard to believe that the same Congress that signed the Declaration of Independence could also say that cruel Madam Lockton has authority over Isabel.
Quote #6
"Listen," [Curzon] started. "Our freedom—"
I did not let him continue. "You are blind. They don't want us free. They just want liberty for themselves." (25.48-49).
Oh, burn. Curzon, you just got served. Isabel lays it all down in a pretty blatant way, and from her perspective, the Patriots don't see liberty as something that should belong to all citizens. Clearly, "we the people" doesn't actually mean "all the people."