THE BLACK LOYALISTS : the search for a promised land in Nova Scotia and Sierra Leone, 1783-1870

New York: Africana Pub. Co, 1976. Book. Very Good. Paperbound. printed paper wraps, xvi, 438 pages, Dalhousie University African studies series.During the American Revolution, (1781 to 1784), tens of thousands of refugees were forced to flee. Since they were loyal to Britain, they were called "Loyalists." Many Loyalists were Blacks who had been promised their freedom for fighting on the British side. The response was overwhelming as some 30 000 Blacks escaped to British lines. They served in the war as soldiers, laborers, ships' pilots and cooks. As a British defeat became evident, in 1783 the British army evacuated more than 2000 Black Loyalists to Nova Scotia. In Nova Scotia they suffered many hardships. In 1791 a British organization offered to relocate Blacks to Sierra Leone, in West Africa, almost half the Black community of Nova Scotia left. Nearly 2500 remained and ,over time,their situation slowly improved. Wages rose and many qualified for skilled trades. In 1812 Blacks formed three separate Black militia units to fight against the Americans in the War of 1812. Size: 8 vo,..