Date

11-13-2025

Department

College of Arts and Sciences

Degree

Master of Arts in History - Thesis (MA)

Chair

Sean Turchin

Keywords

Loyalists, American Revolution, Quakers, American outlaws, Robin Hood, outlaw myth

Disciplines

History

Abstract

Historians have depicted the Doan Gang of Bucks County as either heroes or villains and, thus, distorting the more truthful history of the notorious outlaws. To a great extent, aspects of oral tradition, contemporary accounts, and even descendants of the Doan Gang themselves have greatly contributed to the outlaw mythology. Interestingly, Robin Hood motifs have attributed to the mythical elements of the Doan Gang legend, especially the classic theme of philanthropic justice. In reality, historical evidence refutes such claims. Instead, the Doan Gang’s membership was comprised of everyday men and women who were driven to a life of outlawry for a number of reasons. In 1776, the official signing of the Declaration of Independence created a crisis of allegiance; colonists were required to either join the American rebellion or abide in their British loyalties. For the Doan Gang members, they chose the latter. As Bucks County’s most notorious crime network, the Doan Gang would consist of incredibly complex people but whose stories would eventually become buried by history. Through the lens of their Quaker and loyalist contemporaries, this thesis explores the lives and exploits of the men and women involved in Bucks County’s counterrevolutionary network and how their complex identities within Doan Gang have evolved in both American outlaw myth and reality.

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