Notice to the reader: This document is no longer in effect. It has been archived online and is kept purely for historical purposes.

Introduction | History |  Daily Life | Culture | References

History

Not Quite the Promised Land

Source
Houses in Birchtown, the largest Black Loyalist community in Nova Scotia

Even though they had been promised that they would be given land and help getting settled, the African-American Loyalists were disappointed with what they found there. Almost 500 Black Loyalists received land grants in Nova Scotia. Half of the grants were in Annapolis Country; the rest were in Shelburne, Halifax and Guysborough counties. The land that most African Americans received wasn't very large. Except for the land in Annapolis Valley, the soil was poor and rocky. Many Black Loyalists received land that was impossible to farm, others had to wait many years to receive their land, and some never received any.

White Loyalists were also disappointed with their new life. Many returned to the United States. However, the African Americans could not return. If they did, they risked becoming slaves. They were given another option: in 1791, the British government offered them free passage to Africa. Around 1 000 men, women and children left Halifax for Sierra Leone. The rest stayed and faced many hardships.

Many White Americans who wanted to remain British subjects also moved to Nova Scotia and to what is now Ontario after the American Revolution. They were called the United Empire Loyalists, and they brought around 2 000 slaves with them.