The Black Loyalists Pages

Brief Biographies  Mary Postell  Her certificate of freedom was taken from her, by someone who claimed to want to see her papers  She then went to work as a servant to Jesse Gray who claimed her as his slave  Rose Fortune  She established herself as a baggage carrier  She is considered Canada’s 1 st female police officer  Lydia Jackson  Henry Hedley offered her to with him to be a companion for his wife.  After 1 week, he charged her room & board, which she could not afford.  She agreed to become indentured to him for 1 year to pay off her debt.  Lydia could not read and write and Henry tricked her by getting her to sign a contract for 39 years.  After 3 years with him, she escaped to Halifax where she met John Clarkson  Clarkson recorded her story in his journal  Lydia left for Sierra Leone in 1792

1. What led to the American Revolution? The War of Independence  1775 to 1783  An armed conflict broke out between Britain and her 13 colonies  The 13 colonies did not want to pay increased taxes to Britain.

Loyalists  Loyalist: someone who joins the British’s side in a war  Tories: formal word for loyalists

Patriots  If you wanted to become an independent nation than you were called a patriot  If you chose to fight against the British, you were called a patriot

2.Explain Lord Dunmore’s proclamation  Governor general  Offered freedom, equality, land & provisions to all enslaved Africans that would take up arms and fight for Britain  Those that did fight for Britain were called Black Loyalists

Dunmore’s Proclamation  His Proclamation was the first mass emancipation of slaves in American history

3. What did many slave owners do to try and deter slaves from feeling? Were they successful? Why or Why not?  Harsh public punishments to deter them from leaving Letter to Escaped Slaves:  To deter slaves from running away, slave owners would beat their runaway slaves and wash their wounds with salt.  There was a letter printed in a newspaper claiming that the British were planning on selling slaves to the West Indies sugar plantations.  The Virginia Assembly also declared that the penalty for runaway slaves was death, but if they turned themselves in they would pardoned.

The Ethiopian Regiment  Royal Ethiopian Regiment was the first black fighting unit of the Revolution.

Philipsburg Proclamation  Sir Henry Clinton issued the Philipsburg Proclamation in 1779  It expanded Dunmore’s Proclamation.  It stated that any runaway slave, from any colony, would be issued their freedom, whether they fought for Britain or not.  Clinton issued the Black Pioneers to be formed.

Black Soldiers  Built huts & accommodations  Served as engineers, raiders & scouts  Colonel Tye was the most feared loyalist of New Jersey

4. Figure 5.6 “Liberty to Slaves” what effect do you think these words had on the soldiers who wore them?  The Royal Ethiopian Regiment had Liberty to Slaves embroidered on their uniforms  Increased volunteers who risked their lives

5. Who was James Armistead?  Virginia  Successful spy  He posed as a runaway behind British Lines  He gathered information on their military strategies  In return, he was granted his freedom

New York  When the American victory became certain, thousands of people of African descent, free and enslaved, made their way to one of the last British strongholds, New York.

The Deal:  Agreements were made between: 1. Sir Guy Carleton ( The British Commander) & 2. George Washington (The new President of the USA)

The Deal Con’t  The agreement they made was to allow those enslaved and free people, who joined the British before 1779, to be removed to British owned territories.  Others who joined after 1779, were given back to their owners or sold to the West Indies

Certificates of Freedom  After the war in Paris, all blacks who were leaving New York were issued freedom certificates. The names of these people were recorded in Carleton's book of Negros.  Treaty of Paris was declared in 1783

Promises  The Black Loyalists were offered the same as the White Loyalists: Freedom, equality, land & provisions for 3 years.  They arrived in the Maritimes between 1783 and  White Loyalists also came to the Maritimes and brought their slaves with them

Settlements in Nova Scotia Shelburne (Port Roseway) Birchtown Preston Halifax Brindley Town Tracadie Annapolis Weymouth Sydney Area Lincolnville

Memorial in Tracadie

Population of Nova Scotia during this time  Approximately 50,000 new people arrived in Nova Scotia, which tripled the population.  3,500 were Free Black Loyalists  1,500 were slaves, & indentured servants of White Loyalists  Majority settled in Shelburne County  Indentured servants and slaves settled in Shelburne.  Free blacks settled in Birchtown

Birchtown  Birchtown was settled in 1783 by the Stephen Blucke, commander of the Black Pioneers  Blucke was ordered to organize the clearing and construction of Shelburne and to settle the Black Loyalists in Birchtown

Birchtown Con’t  They called their settlement Birchtown after Samuel Birch, the commander in New York who signed their freedom certificates  6. Birchtown, at its peak, was the largest free Black community in the world, outside of Africa  One of the certificates of freedom signed by Samuel Birch

The Land  The land they received was rocky, infertile and was covered with thick forests.  Most of the white loyalists were town merchants and never cleared land before.  The Black Pioneers had experience in clearing land and cutting down trees; therefore, most of the brute labour was left up to them.  The Black Loyalists were the last to receive land  Many did not receive town lots  Many could not afford to have their land surveyed and therefore, could not build on it.  They did not receive the proper tools to clear their land or to build shelters.  Their settlements were in isolated communities that were far from main towns.

Shelters  Log cabins were the most common shelters, but you needed time & $ to build them  Black settlers could not afford them, as they had to contribute 3 days of work per week in order to receive rations.  Birchtown became known as “the land of huts” because not many foundations were built  Most of the Black Loyalists were from the Southern parts of the USA and were not familiar with harsh winters

Employment  In most jobs, blacks only received about a ¼ of the wages a white man would receive.  Blacks were considered valuable employees because many of them were skilled tradesmen, who would accept lower wages to get a job.  White employers could easily exploit them as the law did not protect them  The fishing industry was the most attractive career for blacks because it was the one job where they were paid the same as whites.

Shelburne Riot  Shelburne was also know as Blacktown  Black people were denied the right to vote were not allowed to have a trail by jury  Black people had harsh punishments for petty behaviour (i.e. starring hungrily at a white man’s potato patch).  Activities they were banned from: dances & gambling, non-religious gatherings  White loyalists blamed black loyalists from taking jobs away from them and accepting lower wages  Racial tensions arose from this

Shelburne Riot Con’t  David George was the Baptist minister among blacks  He started to baptize whites, which outraged the whites  A white mob went to David George’s house the next day and tied ropes to it and pulled the house down.  They then did the same to his followers’ homes  They destroyed the black homes and beat them out of town  Many blacks fled to Birchtown, leaving all their belongings behind

Con’t  David George hid in a swamp, but was found and beaten. He eventually fled to Birchtown.  The white mob wanted to hang Marston, the man responsible for land distribution, but he was warned and fled.  The population of Birchtown doubled.  The mob still attacked black travelers the next month until Halifax sent in troops to restore order

Con’t  This was the 1 st race riot in the America’s.

Famine  1789 famine broke out across North America due to harsh winters  Blacks were given aid last; they suffered the most  Nova Scotia earned the nickname Nova Scarcity because the population tripled with the arrival of the loyalists & the British stopped supporting them which caused extreme poverty in the province.  Many blacks had to become indentured servants (pay off debts)  Many turned to theft to prevent starvation, but punishment was harsh if caught  Punishment: whipping, execution, etc.

Famine Con’t  Most of the White Loyalists left Nova Scotia to return to the USA  The Black Loyalists did not have that option; if they left they risked being put into slavery or facing death.  The Blacks became dependent on charity, as their white employers left, taking jobs away and they still did not receive suitable farmland

Sharecroppers  Many blacks became sharecroppers with a white family  This was when they would work on a white man’s land and give him ½ their crops  The sharecropper would have to save seed for next season’s crop  This made them stay in constant debt.  Blacks would clear suitable land for their crops and the white man would make them move to an unclear plot (unfair treatment)

Thomas Peters  Many blacks decided that Canada was not the Promise Land they thought.  Thomas Peters was selected to go to London, England with a petition of grievances  While in England he met with the Sierra Leone Company  The Sierra Leone Company was formed by a group of abolitionists, who wanted to help the homeless blacks of London  They were looking for free blacks to relocate to Sierra Leone, Africa

John Clarkson  The company sent John Clarkson, an agent, to Nova Scotia in 1791 to recruit free, Christian blacks  Blacks were promised free passage and were granted land when they arrived in SL.  They planned for 500 to go, but 1100 signed up  He appointed David George, Thomas Peters and John Ball to act as his deputies.  Clarkson recorded many of the Black Loyalists stories in his journal

Sierra Leone  1,190 Black Loyalists left Nova Scotia in 1792 and sailed to Sierra Leone, Africa.

Review & Reflect p. 157

8. a. How did the American Revolution affect the lives of enslaved Blacks?  The American Revolution affected the lives of enslaved Blacks because in 1775 the governor of Virginia, Lord Dunmore, issued a call for all able-bodied men to come to Britain’s defence of its colony, a proclamation that included enslaved Blacks.  Many enslaved workers grasped the opportunity for freedom. But first they had to escape from their owners.  They knew that they would face severe punishment if they tried to escape and failed.  If they succeeded, they worried that the friends and family they left behind would pay the price for them.  Therefore, for many enslaved Blacks this was a very conflicting time.

b. How did the British use slavery and the desire for freedom to benefit their own military agenda?  The British offered freedom at the end of war for all those enslaved Blacks who were willing to fight on their side.  The British offer ensured that most Black men would want to fight on Britain’s side or support their efforts in other ways

c. Why was British North America a desirable place for Black Americans?  British North America was a desirable place because the Black Americans were promised freedom and good farmland.

d. What challenges did Black Loyalists and refugees face when they arrived in British North America?  Despite what they were promised, the Black Loyalists and refugees did not receive good farmland. Many received no land at all. Those who did receive land were given land that was ill suited to farm on and was located in remote and rocky places.  Without the means to earn a living from farming, Black Loyalists faced poverty and starvation. To survive, many became indentured servants or domestic workers. They were exploited by their White employers and were tricked into signing long-term contracts for minimal compensation.  Some Blacks were even sold back into slavery on the plantations of the southern United States and the Caribbean

After the Revolution Questions

1. Explain John Simcoe’s law that was passed in 1793 He passed a law that would gradually eliminate slavery in Upper Canada Slavery numbers dropped by 75% Slaves were free after 25 years of age No new slaves were allowed to brought in to the area

2. Who was Mary Shadd Cary? Figure 5.12 Helped Blacks escape via the UGR Founded the Provincial Freeman, an abolitionist newspaper First black female editor of a newspaper First black woman to earn a law degree

Discussion 1 Do you think the promise of freedom made to enslaved Africans in the American colonies was a genuine one? 2 In what ways was the decision to send Black Loyalists to Nova Scotia a significant one for Canada? 3 Create a chart on the push and pull factors of the loyalists from USA to Canada and from Canada to Sierra Leone.