Thinking about loyalty

What is loyalty? Loyalty can mean being faithful and being supportive to a person, to a group of people, or to an idea. For example, often people are loyal to their friends and family.

Think about who or what you are loyal to.

Orally, digitally, in print, or in a method of your choice, create a list of people, places, and beliefs that you are loyal to.

• What would you do to prove your loyalty?
• What would you do to defend this loyalty if it was threatened?

Loyalists groups in Canada

In this learning activity, you will be investigating Loyalist groups that came to Canada between 1713 and 1800. You will be learning about the challenges and decisions that Loyalists had to make to survive and how this impacted the growth of Canada.

Before you explore the content, press the following titles to access a list of some definitions of terminology that we will be using.

Task 1: Who were the Loyalists?

After the American Revolution (1775 to 1783), many American colonists migrated to different areas in Canada. These American colonists were loyal and faithful to the British Crown and moved to present-day Canada because at this time, this land was still under British rule.

They were called ‘Loyalists’ because they loved their home country of Britain and they wanted to remain loyal to British rule. There were many reasons that they remained loyal:

• some had strong ties to Britain
• some opposed the American Revolution
• some were fearful of the change that was happening
• some had certain political beliefs
• others believed that their ties to Britain ensured a more secure life
• many were fearful that if they remained in America, they would be considered traitors by the British

Loyalists came from a variety of backgrounds. Many were farmers, labourers, or tradespeople. Between 1783 and 1784 approximately 30,000 Loyalists migrated to present-day Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Approximately 2,000 migrated to present-day Quebec, and 7,500 to present-day Ontario.

Source: Wilson, Bruce G. “Loyalists in Canada.” Loyalists in Canada | The Canadian Encyclopedia, 2 Apr. 2009, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/loyalists.

Study the following series of images and their descriptions.

Can you make any predictions about what challenges the Loyalists would have faced when they first arrived in Canada?

Please note your answers in a method of your choosing.

Task 2: Black Loyalists

Black Loyalists were people of African descent who sided with the British Loyalists during the American Revolution. During the war, the British Crown promised African slaves “full protection, freedom, and land” if they promised to serve the British during the war. They were expected to be treated the same as the white soldiers who were fighting for the British, but this was not always the case.

When the British lost the war, they were forced to leave America and so were the Black Loyalists they had promised freedom to. Before the British left, they gave Black Loyalists “certificates of freedom.” They needed these certificates to board the ships that were evacuating to Canada.

Nearly 3,500 Black Loyalists migrated to modern-day Nova Scotia and New Brunswick where they planned to organize, clear, and settle on new land. However, Nova Scotia was not prepared for the arrival of so many Loyalists. The British had promised the Loyalists free land and rations for the first three years they were in Canada, but only a small portion actually received this.

Many Black Loyalists arrived in the late fall of 1783 and did not have the opportunity to clear land, build a home, or plant crops before winter hit.

This is a painting titled ‘Bedford Basin,’ which was painted by the artist Robert Petley in 1835. It portrays a family of Black Loyalists travelling to settle in Nova Scotia after the American Revolution. This painting shows a rural setting. There are water, hills, mountains, and trees in the background. A man and woman are walking on a path between rocks and trees. They are pulling a wooden wagon with two cows while a young girl rides in the back.

Many Black Loyalists were not given the land they were promised, or the land they were given was not suitable for farming. So, they had to rely on their other skills to make a living. For example, many Black Loyalists were:

• teachers
• bakers
• blacksmiths
• tailors
• shoemakers
• sailors
• doctors

These Loyalists were not paid as much as white workers. Even though they were freed slaves, slavery still very much existed in Nova Scotia, so they were not seen as free by everyone. Black Loyalists sometimes lived in fear that they would be kidnapped and sold as slaves.

In July 1784, the Black Loyalists in Nova Scotia experienced their first “race riot.” White men destroyed the homes of Black Loyalists by burning them down because Black Loyalists were seen as taking jobs from the white men because they were “cheaper” to pay. The poverty, epidemics, racism, and harsh winters killed many.

By 1791, Black Loyalists realized that the promise of free land and protection was not the reality. They sought out answers from the British government for the land they had been promised. However, nothing changed. They were approached by a business group based out of Sierra Leone, Africa and were asked to return to Africa with the promise of free land to settle on. By January of 1792, approximately one third of Black Loyalists, who had arrived in Nova Scotia in 1783, set out on boats to Africa.

This watercolour view of the harbour at Freetown shows some of the 15 vessels that made the voyage from Nova Scotia during the winter of 1792.

In this painting there are several sailboats in calm waters. In the background there are hills on land.

Overall, Black Loyalists boosted the population of Canada, which led to the creation of Upper Canada and New Brunswick. They heavily influenced the politics and culture of what would become modern-day Canada. The quality of life for the Black Loyalists who stayed in Canada improved over the next decade and they began to work for quality trades. They watched as slavery and racial distinctions eroded and were able to make economic advancements.

Source: Lindsay, Michael, and Neal Thomas. “Remembering Black Loyalists, Black Communities in Nova Scotia.” Government of Nova Scotia, 2001, novascotia.ca/museum/blackloyalists/index.htm.

Press the ‘Hint’ button to access possible answers.

Hint

Task 3: Haudenosaunee Loyalists

In 1777, the Haudenosaunee Six Nations were divided by the war. Patriots in America punished the Haudenosaunee Loyalists if the British were not nearby as most Haudenosaunee were British allies and joined the Loyalists in the fight against America. When the British lost the war and had to give up land in the Thirteen Colonies, this included the Haudenosaunee territory south of the Great Lakes. This meant that a number of Haudenosaunee peoples were displaced from their lands and migrated with the Loyalists to Nova Scotia.

“The Loyalist influx gave the region its first substantial population and led to the creation of a separate province, Upper Canada, in 1791. Loyalists were instrumental in establishing educational, religious, social and governmental institutions.”

Source: https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/loyalists

Among the Haudenosaunee who migrated was Chief Joseph Brant, who settled his people around the Grand River in Ontario. Joseph Brant helped translate religious material into the Mohawk language. By 1780, Brant was made a captain in the British military and he fought to unite the Haudenosaunee and western Indigenous groups to prevent the American expansion westward.

In 1784, the Haudenosaunee and British signed the Haldimand Proclamation, which was meant to compensate the Haudenosaunee for their loyalty to the British during the war. The British government purchased land from the Mississauga and Ojibwe people and gave it to the Haudenosaunee and other First Nations families to settle on.

Source: Wilson, Bruce G. “Loyalists in Canada.” Loyalists in Canada | The Canadian Encyclopedia, 2 Apr. 2009, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/loyalists.

Complete the following multiple-choice quiz based on what you’ve learned throughout this activity about different Loyalist groups.

Select the correct answer.

For each sentence, consider what you have learned about Black Loyalists and select the missing word from the drop-down menu.

Task 1: Summarize what you learned

In this learning activity, you explored two different Loyalist groups and their journey of migrating to present-day Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, and Ontario. There were a variety of reasons that Loyalists chose to and were forced to leave their homes for Canada.

In the following table, record the reasons that Loyalists migrated.

Push factors are reasons that Loyalists had to leave their land or factors that pushed them away. Pull factors are reasons Loyalists were drawn to their new land or factors that pulled them to their new homes.

Complete the Push and Pull Factors of the Loyalist Movement in your notebook or using the following fillable and printable documents. If you would like, you can use speech-to-text or audio recording tools to record your thoughts.

Task 2: Connect

Reflect on what you’ve learned through this learning activity. Are you able to make any modern connections to what you’ve learned? Use the following prompts to help you make a connection and record your connection in a method of your choice.

• Is there a time you had to relocate? What were the push and pull factors for your relocation?
• Can you make a connection to modern-day groups that are being displaced or forced to leave their home country?
• Black Loyalists experienced racism and "race riots" when they migrated. Can you connect this to any current events?

Think about your learning

Evaluate what you have learned in this activity. Do you think the Loyalists who migrated to Canada made the right decision? Why or why not? Use evidence from your learning to support your answer.

Record your thoughts in a method of your choice.

Reflection

As you read the following descriptions, select the one that best describes your current understanding of the learning in this activity. Press the corresponding button once you have made your choice.

Now, expand on your ideas by recording your thoughts using a voice recorder, speech-to-text, or writing tool.

When you review your notes on this learning activity later, reflect on whether you would select a different description based on your further review of the material in this learning activity.

Press 'Discover More' to extend your skills.

Discover More