Before the revolution, New York was England's trade, cultural and religious stronghold in America. And today it is rare to hear the whole truth about the city's role in the war of independence. The truth is, many New Yorkers supported the losing side - England. They didn't necessarily approve of the way things were going in the colony, but they definitely didn't want a revolution ... And they were willing to give anything to stop it. Join us for a walking tour of lower Manhattan that will look at Revolutionary War from both a royalist and a patriotic perspective. Our revolutionary / anti-revolutionary tour will tell the story of those who signed up to fight against Washington and the rebels and those who fought and died for their country's independence and freedom.

We will walk through the places where the sons of freedom gathered to plan their rebellious actions. We will see the place where the fire started in 1776 and the monument to the hero Nathan Heil, who was accused of arson and then hanged. We also highlight New York's role as the headquarters of British forces and the center of support for America's royalists during the seven long years of war. We'll talk about places, people and stories that reveal the true face of the revolution and understand how precarious and precious the rebels' victory really was. We will visit the site of George Washington's farewell to his officers at the end of the war and the evacuation of the city by the British.

We will approach the inauguration site of the first president of America, visit the church where he prayed before this event and, if we are lucky, we can see the Masonic Bible, on which he took the oath of the President.