The American Revolution was responsible for the first large-scale migration to Atlantic Canada made by free people of African descent. Governor Dunmore of Virginia in 1775; Sir William Howe, Commander in New York in 1776; and Sir Henry Clinton, Commander-in-Chief in 1779 offered freedom to all slaves volunteering to serve in British army.
At the time of these announcements, Britain had no intention of abolishing slavery in North America. Only the slaves of rebel landowners were offered their freedom. Within a week of Lord Dunmore's proclamation, over 300 men of African descent had joined the Governor's Ethiopian regiment. In addition to enlisting in the army, slaves also served in the navy, as seamen and pilots. The risk they took was great. American slave owners mounted patrols to recapture runaways. Nor were former slaves considered prisoners of war. In some states, these captured soldiers could be put to death.
At the end of the war, the African soldiers who had fought for Britain gathered in New York. (The group included the widows and orphans of those who had given their lives to the cause.) American slave owners also came to New York, looking for their former slaves. British Commander-in-Chief Guy Carleton promised to set up a board of inquiry to settle the matter. He announced that all those who had sought refuge behind British lines for one year would be given refugee status.
The British Brigadier General Samuel Birch began issuing certificates of freedom to all those of African descent who could prove their refugee status over the course of a year. These certificates allowed the holder "...to go to Nova Scotia or anywhere else He may think proper". (Once in Atlantic Canada, the recipients paid him the graceful compliment of naming several "Birchtowns" in his honour.)
The three thousand people who claimed refugee status were listed in Carleton's "Book of Negroes." Fourteen cases were brought before the board of inquiry. Only two of these were decided in the slaves' favour. The Loyalists of African descent represented 10% of the total Loyalist population who arrived in Nova Scotia. Their principal destination was Port Roseway (known today as Shelburne), where they formed the community of Birchtown. There, only 184 out of a total 649 family heads received farms. Even then, the average grant was only 34 acres. Among Loyalists of European descent, the typical grant was 74 acres.
In Saint John, New Brunswick, even the right to fish was denied. Only Freemen of the City could fish in Saint John harbour. Finding it impossible to survive as independent farmers or fishermen, many Loyalists of African descent became wage-earners. During their years of slavery, many had acquired a trade, as smiths, sail makers, rope-makers, sawyers, shoemakers, coopers, and blacksmiths, among other occupations. They put these skills to good use in the cities of Halifax and Saint John.
In some cases, the quest for work led to problems with other cultural groups. Those who settled in Birchtown, near Shelburne, found themselves competing for work with landless soldiers. Although part of the mainstream society, these soldiers had been forced to wait until wealthier settlers had received their land. As wage earners, they felt threatened by the large number of Birchtown residents looking for employment. In 1784, the soldiers incited a riot. Rather than blaming the system of land grants, they blamed their fellow victims, the people of Birchtown. The soldiers pulled down twenty houses belonging to Loyalists of African descent.
The already tense situation was aggravated by the famine of 1789, when Nova Scotia became known as "Nova Scarcity." Shelburne lost four-fifths of its population to the United States. Less mobile than the majority of Loyalists, those of African descent had nowhere to turn. Unemployment and starvation caused many to sell themselves in indentured servitude. The government was unable, or unwilling, to deal with the plight of so many.
Nevertheless, these Loyalists’ ongoing battle for recognition and equality was a powerful statement to a larger society that still associated slavery with skin colour. Many Loyalists of European descent had left comfortable homes and farms against their will, forced out by their neighbors. Most were anxious to recreate the society they had left behind, a society in which people of African descent were subordinate. The presence of a group of free, African landowners continually challenged this view. "Slave" and "African" were no longer synonymous.
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