In Nova Scotia, the census of 1767 listed 104 slaves in a total population of 3,022. Every Planter township had enslaved people among its population.The sole exception was the Quaker settlement at Beaver Harbour in Charlotte County, New Brunswick. The Quakers opposed slavery on principle,and allowed no slaveowners to settle there.
It is difficult to trace the exact number of slaves in Planter communities. Often,
the lack of a surname is a good indication that the person was a slave.Slaveholders
seemed to relish the irony of calling their slaves after rulers or emperors.
A name like Cato, Nero, or Caesar also helped illustrate the slaveowner's
knowledge of the classics, supposedly revealing him as an educated man.The Loyalists who came to Canada from the United States also brought slaves with them. At least one slave was sold at auction in Shelburne, in 1785. Slaves also appeared in wills and testaments as property. Slavery in Atlantic Canada was distinct from slavery in the United States. The Loyalists discovered that slavery was automatically associated with skin colour, as it had been in many American colonies. Nearby, free Loyalists of African descent were independent landowners.
The end of slavery came about gradually in Atlantic Canada. By 1800, abolitionists were actively working to free slaves. In New Brunswick, a court case (Capt. Caleb Jones vs. Nancy) attempted to test the legality of slavery in the Supreme Court of New Brunswick. Although all the judges except one were slaveholders, they were unable to come to an agreement. Nancy was returned to her owner, by default.
The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of the Government of Canada.