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Expulsion of the Loyalists

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During the American Revolution, those loyal to King George III came to be known as Loyalists. After Great Britain was defeated by the Americans and the French at Yorktown, Loyalists were regarded by the new Americans as traitors to the cause of Independence. The Loyalists had rejected the republican ideals of the American Revolution and an offer of free land in British North America. Many were prominent Americans, whose ancestors had originally settled in the early 17th century, while a portion were recent settlers in the Thirteen Colonies with few economic or social ties. Many had their property confiscated by the rebels[1]

These Loyalists were expulsed from the new nation of the United States, and resettled in what was initially the Province of Quebec (including modern-day Ontario), and in Nova Scotia (including modern-day New Brunswick). Their arrival marked the beginning of a predominantly English-speaking population in the future Canada west and east of the Quebec border. Many Loyalists from the American South brought their slaves with them as slavery was also legal in Canada. An imperial law in 1790 assured prospective immigrants to Canada that their slaves would remain their property. However most black Loyalists were free, having been given their freedom from slavery by fighting for the British or joining British lines during the Revolution. The government helped them resettle in Canada as well, transporting nearly 3500 free blacks to New Brunswick.[2]

Loyalists demanding protection from Great Britain

Origins

The reasons that the Loyalists remained pro-British were either loyalty to the King and unwillingness to rebel against the Crown, or the belief in peaceful and evolutionary independence. As Daniel Bliss of Concord, Massachusetts (who later became a Chief Justice of New Brunswick) stated: "Better to live under one tyrant a thousand miles away, than a thousand tyrants one mile away."

Resistance of the Loyalists

Loyalists eventually exacted revenge through the actions of paramilitary units like "Butler's Rangers." John Butler was a wealthy landowner before the revolution. He did not share the republicanism of his more independence-minded countrymen. Therefore, during the revolution he formed a guerilla force to disrupt the Continental (American) Army's supply lines, demoralize settlers, and attack Republican paramilitary groups not unlike his own.[3]

Persecution of the Loyalists

The loyalists during the american revolution had to face two kinds of persecution. One was done constitutionally, the other by lawless mobs. Republicans refused to tolerate the Loyalists. There was too much at stack during the revolution to do otherwise. If the revolution failed, the Republicans were sure to be persecuted by the Loyalists. Great Britain also had a stronger economy and industrial base. It had a larger population to draw from and a more experienced army. Most important of all, they possessed the world's strongest navy capable of striking the coast of any one of the Thirteen Colonies unopposed at any time. However, the Thirteen Colonies had the homeland advantage. Therfore, to make proper use of this small advantage, Loyalists could not be tolerated.[4]

It was at the hands of the mob that the Loyalists first suffered persecution. Probably the worst of the revolutionary mobs was that which paraded the streets of Boston. In 1765, at the time of the Stamp Act agitation, large crowds in Boston attacked and destroyed the magnificent houses of Andrew Oliver and Thomas Hutchinson. They broke down the doors with broadaxes, destroyed the furniture, stole the money and jewels, scattered the books and papers, and, having drunk the wines in the cellar, proceeded to the dismantling of the roof and walls. The owners of the houses barely escaped with their lives. In 1768, the same mob deliberately attacked the British troops in Boston, and so precipitated what American historians used to term 'the Boston Massacre'. In 1773, white Bostonians dressed up as Indians, the famous 'Boston Tea Party' threw the tea into Boston harbour..[5]

The excesses of the mob were nearly as great in other places throughout the colonies. In New York they were active in destroying printing-presses from which had issued Tory pamphlets, in breaking windows of private houses, in stealing live stock and personal effects, and in destroying property. A favourite pastime was tarring and feathering 'obnoxious Tories.' This consisted in stripping the victim naked, smearing him with a coat of hot tar to his skin and then mash feathers, and parading him about the streets in a cart for the contemplation of his neighbours. The tar would remain embedded in the victim's skin essentially for the remainder of their life. Another amusement was making Tories ride the rail. This consisted in putting the 'unhappy victims upon sharp rails with one leg on each side; each rail was carried upon the shoulders of two tall men, with a man on each side to keep the poor wretch straight and fixed in his seat. In addition to being turned into human chickens, United Empire Loyalists could also expect to receive beatings or to be lynched upon "Liberty Trees." With mobs running about the countryside looking for Loyalists to punish, the rule of law completely broke down.[6]

Numerous Loyalists were forced to abandon substantial amounts of property in the United States. Restoration or compensation for this lost property was a major issue during the negotiation of the Jay Treaty in 1795. Negotiations resulted on the concept of the United States negotiators 'advising' the US Congress to provide restitution. For the English, this concept carried significant legal weight, far more than it did with the Americans; the U. S. Congress declined to accept the advice. More than two centuries later, some of the descendants of Loyalists still assert claims to their ancestors' property in the United States.[7]

After Yorktown the British were left in control of only one significant stronghold, New York City. In New York, Guy Carleton, commander of British Forces, was confronted with two problems: firstly, the Continental Army was fast approaching; and secondly, he had to find some way to evacuate thousands of British troops and Loyalists before the Americans arrived. To buy time the British fought a series of rear-guard actions to slow the Republican advance while the Royal Navy hurriedly evacuated New York.[8]

Resettlement

Landing of the Loyalists

Many Loyalist refugees made the difficult overland trek into Canada after losing their place, property, and security during the Revolution. The Loyalists, many of whom helped found America from the early 17th century, left a well-armed population hostile to the King and his loyalist subjects to build the new nation of Canada. The motto of New Brunswick, created out of Nova Scotia for loyalist settlement, is "Hope Restored".

Loyalist refugees, later called United Empire Loyalists, began leaving at the end of the war whenever transport was available, at considerable loss of property and transfer of wealth. An estimated 70,000 left the thirteen newly independent states, representing about 3% of the total American population, of which 20-30% had supported the Crown during the American War for Independence. Approximately 51,000 were White (who also had 17,000 black slaves) and 8,000 Black; 37,000 were removed to Canada, 7,000 to Britain, and 17,000 to the Caribbean. [9]

Following the end of the Revolution and the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783, Loyalist soldiers and civilians were evacuated from New York and resettled in other colonies of the British Empire, most notably in the future Canada. The two colonies of Nova Scotia (including modern-day New Brunswick), received about 34,000 Loyalist refugees; Prince Edward Island 2,000; and Quebec (including the Eastern Townships and modern-day Ontario) received some 10,000 refugees. Some unknown number, but in places a large percentage, of refugees were unable to establish themselves in British North America and eventually returned to the United States.[10] Many in Canada continued to maintain close ties with relatives in the United States, and as well conducted commerce across the border without much regard to British trade laws.[11]

Some of the richest and most prominent Loyalists went to Britain to rebuild their lives, and many received pensions. Southern Loyalists, many taking along their slaves, went to the West Indies and the Bahamas, particularly to the Abaco Islands.

Thousands of Iroquois and other pro-British Native Americans were expelled from New York and other states and resettled in Canada. The descendants of one such group of Iroquois, led by Joseph Brant Thayendenegea, settled at Six Nations of the Grand River, the largest First Nations Reserve in Canada. Another smaller group of Iroquois settled on the shores of the Bay of Quinte in modern day Southeastern Ontario.

The government settled numerous Black Loyalists in Nova Scotia, but they faced discrimination and inadequate support. The government was slow to survey their land (which meant they could not settle) and awarded them smaller grants in less convenient locations than those of white settlers. Further, they suffered discrimination by some of the whites.[12] When Great Britain set up the colony of Sierra Leone in Africa, many Black Loyalists emigrated there for what they perceived as the chance of self government and established Freetown.

Resistance to the old Canadien System

In 1778, Frederick Haldimand took over for Guy Carleton as governor of Quebec. Haldimand, like the previous governors of the Province of Quebec, appreciated the hard-working Canadiens and acted in his power to keep the English merchants in line.

The arrival of 10,000 Loyalists to Quebec in 1784 destroyed the political balance that Haldimand (and Carleton before him) had worked so hard to achieve. The swelling numbers of English encouraged them to make greater demands for recognition with the colonial government. To restore stability to his largest remaining North American colony, King George III sent Carleton back to Quebec to remedy the situation.

In ten years, Quebec had undergone a dramatic change. What worked for Carleton in 1774 was not likely to succeed in 1784. Specifically, there was no possibility of restoring the previous political balance—there were simply too many English people unwilling to reach a compromise with the 145,000 Canadiens or its colonial governor. The situation called for a more creative approach to problem solving.[13]

Separation of the Province of Quebec

Province of Quebec before the separation

Loyalists soon petitioned the government to be allowed to use the British legal system they were used to in the American colonies. The creation of Upper and Lower Canada allowed most Loyalists to live under British laws and institutions, while the French-speaking population of Lower Canada could maintain their familiar French civil law and the Catholic religion.[14]

The fact was that the two peoples simply could not co-exist. Therefore, Governor Haldimand (at the suggestion of Carleton) drew Loyalists away from Quebec City and Montreal by offering free land on the northern shore of Lake Ontario to anyone willing to swear allegiance to George III. The Loyalists were thus given land grants of 200 acres (81 ha) per person. Basically, this approach was designed with the intent of keeping French and English as far apart as possible. Therefore, after the separation of the Province of Quebec, Lower Canada and Upper Canada were formed, each with its own government.[15]

Separation of Nova Scotia

Fourteen-thousand Loyalists established a new settlement along the Saint John River. Not long after establishing St. John these Loyalists asked for their own colony. In 1784, Great Britain divided Nova Scotia into two—New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Colonel Thomas Carleton, younger brother of Guy Carleton, was named New Brunswick's first lieutenant-governor—a position he held for the next 30 years.[16]

References

  1. ^ Robert M. Calhoon, The Loyalists in Revolutionary America, 1766-1781 (1973) p 400
  2. ^ Patrick Bode, "Upper Canada, 1793: Simcoe and the Slaves." Beaver 1993 73(3): 17-19
  3. ^ W. Stewart Wallace The United Empire Loyalists, Ch 4
  4. ^ W. Stewart Wallace, The United Empire Loyalists, Ch 3
  5. ^ W. Stewart Wallace, The United Empire Loyalists, Ch 3
  6. ^ W. Stewart Wallace, The United Empire Loyalists, Ch 3
  7. ^ W. Stewart Wallace, The United Empire Loyalists, Ch 3
  8. ^ W. Stewart Wallace, The United Empire Loyalists, Ch 3
  9. ^ W.J.Eccles France in America p.246
  10. ^ Retrieved from http://www.loyalistsatshelburne.com/loyalist-history.php.
  11. ^ Rees, 2000
  12. ^ "Black Loyalists in New Brunswick, 1783-1853", Atlantic Canada Portal, University of New Brunswick, accessed 8 Feb 2010
  13. ^ W.J.Eccles France in America p.246
  14. ^ name="uelac.org"
  15. ^ W.J.Eccles France in America p.246
  16. ^ W.J.Eccles France in America p.247

Further reading

  • Ronald Rees, Land of the Loyalists: Their struggle to shape the Maritimes, Nimbus, 146 p., 2000, ISBN 1-55109-274-3.
  • Lawrence Hill; The Book of Negroes; Harper Collins Publishers Ltd. 2007.
  • Christopher Moore; The Loyalists: Revolution, Exile, Settlement; 1984, ISBN 0-7710-6093-9.
  • W. Stewart Wallace; The United Empire Loyalists: A Chronicle of the Great Migration; Volume 13 of the "Chronicles of Canada (32 volumes); 1914, Toronto.
  • Mark Jodoin; Shadow Soldiers of the American Revolution; 2009, ISBN 978-1-59629-726-5. The History Press, Charleston SC.

23Loyalist_Pioneer&date=2009-10-26+01:22:36 Biography of Loyalist Philip Crouse, ca.1760-1856]

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