Transcript Unit 3- Loyalists 2012

(1776-1815)
The
Loyalists
Who were the Loyalists?
• Political refugees who moved to Quebec &
Nova Scotia for safety
• They were loyal to the British Empire
• Did not want to separate from Britain.
• Most farmers, others merchants,
doctors, & lawyers
• AKA “Tories”
Tarred and Feathered
A favourite punishment was to
Tar and Feather Loyalists
Where the Loyalists Went
• Quebec: travelled by land (1776-1785)
• Nova Scotia: travelled by sea
• By 1785, nearly 100,000 Loyalists left the
United States
• 40,000- 45000 British NA
• 34,000 Nova Scotia
The coming of the Loyalists
• Many Loyalists found themselves in a
hostile country, forced to flee.
• Resulted in two new colonies:
• New Brunswick formed from a part of Nova
Scotia
• Upper Canada and Lower Canada
Loyalists and Constitutional Act 1791
• Idea for union of remaining colonies of
British North America (in wake of creation
of United States)
– Loyalist immigrants petitioned to have Quebec
(used to stretch from St. Lawrence to Great
Lakes) split into two
• Upper Canada- in the West (which would later
become ON) which would be English
• Lower Canada- in the East (which would province
of Quebec later) would be French
Bad Idea?
• Splitting Quebec on cultural and linguistic lines
has created the problem we have today
(separatism)
• Knee jerk response- American Revolution
convinced Britain the problem was TOO MUCH
FREEDOM
– Sought to limit “mob rule” of democracy
– Constitutional Act, thus, strengthened the role of the
Governor
• Decisions made directly by Governor and appointed Council
• There was an elected assembly, but they did not have final
say
Governor Generalrep. British authority
Council- appointed
by the governor to
help him run the
colony (usually
aristocracy)
Assemblyrepresenting male
landowners