- Why is the American Revolution important for Canadian history?
The American Revolution is important to Canadian history because it is a part of Canadian history. Many people who lived in Canada at that time were involved or had been involved in the revolution at some point. Many Canadiens were persuaded by the American during the first part of the war and hoped they would win. At one-point Canadiens even fought for the American side because they agreed with the Americans ideas of freedom. The loyalists who fled the American revolution helped build and expand Canada. They created new communities out of nothing. The Indigenous people of Canada were hurt by the flood of new people in their lands. The Indigenous people of America fled to Canada for a new life and brought new cultures. All these people helped create Canada, but they only came here because of the American Revolution.
- How did the Loyalists change how Canada looked after the American Revolution?
The Loyalist refugees completely changed the look of Canada after the American Revolution. They tripled the population in Nova Scotia overnight and since there was no room for all of them in the towns people would make camp anywhere they could. Loyalist families would build their farms and communities in the middle of the wilderness simply because there was no where else for them to go. The government would help these people settle their farms and get their new lives in Canada started. Thousands of loyalists settled in Canada and when they had towns and communities established they wanted to be separated from the French. So, to stop conflict the Canadian Government separated them and established Upper and Lower Canada.
- What role did Indigenous peoples play in the American Revolution and how did the Loyalists’ migration to Canada impact them?
During the war American Indigenous people suspected if the Americans won the war they would not be treated fairly. A Mohawk leader named Joseph Brant traveled across the ocean to appeal the king. They agree to a deal that states that Britain will secure lands for Indigenous people as long as they fight for the British. Brant’s men were made up of four nations and become so effect in combat they became some of the most hated men by the Americans. Although their settlements and communities were destroyed by the American forces Brant’s men continued to fight for the side of the British. After the war like most of the loyalist refugees they moved to Canada to start a new life only to find they were forgotten in the peace treaty. The Iroquois suffered greatly because of the loyalist migration. They lost lands that they had held for centauries because of the loyalists settling and building towns in the wilderness.
- How was the experience of fleeing the US different for Black Loyalists than other Loyalists?
Fleeing the US was hard for all the loyalist refugees, but it was especially hard on Black Loyalists. The Black Loyalists created settlements of their own, but they did not receive the help they were promised from the British Government. When they tried the get jobs in the towns white men protested and drove them out. These people were so desperate that some of them even sold themselves for up to 10 years. People would kill their pets to survive or they ended up starving to death. The White loyalists received help from the Government and could get jobs in the towns. They had first pick for land plots and were not forced to settle in infertile land.