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[[Image:United Empire Loyalist statue and plaque in Hamilton, Ontario.jpg|thumb|Present-day monument to the United Empire Loyalists in [[Hamilton, Ontario]]]] |
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The name '''United Empire Loyalists''' is a honorific name which has been given after the fact to those [[Loyalist (American Revolution)|American Loyalists]] who resettled in [[British North America]] and other [[British Colonies]] as an act of [[fealty]] to [[George III of the United Kingdom|King George III]] after the [[Kingdom of Great Britain|British]] defeat in the [[American Revolutionary War]]. Some sought to recover fortunes (land and private property) lost under laws enacted by the [[Continental Congress]] as a way of financing the revolution. Most, however, are believed to have gone north because the British offered them free land, or because they rejected the republican ideals of the American Revolution, which they regarded as [[anarchist]]ic. A portion of the Loyalists were recent settlers in the 13 colonies and had few economic or social ties to leave. These Loyalists settled in what was initially [[Quebec]] (including the [[Eastern Townships]]) and modern-day [[Ontario]], where they received land grants of two hundred acres per person, and in [[Nova Scotia]] (including modern-day [[New Brunswick]]). Their arrival marked the beginning of a predominantly [[English language|English-speaking]] population in the future [[Canada]] west and east of the Quebec border. Many Loyalists brought their slaves with them because [[Slavery in Canada|slavery was legal there]]. An imperial law in 1790 assured prospective immigrants to Canada that their slaves would remain their property. However some black Loyalists were free and they arrived too.<ref> Patrick Bode, "Upper Canada, 1793: Simcoe and the Slaves." ''Beaver'' 1993 73(3): 17-19 </ref> |
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== Origins == |
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[[Image:Flag of the United Empire Loyalists.svg|250px|thumb|A version of the [[Union Flag]] as used from 1707 to 1801, which can still be seen as a common Loyalist symbol in certain parts of Canada.]] |
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During the American Revolution, a significant proportion of the population of [[New York]], [[Pennsylvania]], [[Virginia]], [[North Carolina]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], [[East Florida]], [[West Florida]] and other colonies was determined to remain loyal to the crown and desired to remain within the British Empire. The reasons were as varied as the people themselves, but the overriding principle was loyalty to the King. |
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Loyalists began leaving at the end of the war whenever transport was available. An estimated 70,000 Loyalists, approximately 62,000 white and 8,000 blacks (representing about 3% of the total American population of which 20-30% supported the Crown during the American War for Independence), left the thirteen newly independent states: 46,000 to Canada; 7,000 to Britain and 17,000 to the Caribbean. Beginning in the mid-1780s and lasting until the end of the century, however, a small percentage chose to return from the Caribbean and Nova Scotia. |
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Following the end of the Revolution and the signing of the [[Treaty of Paris (1783)|Treaty of Paris]] in 1783, Loyalist soldiers and civilians were evacuated from [[New York]] and resettled in other [[colonies]] of the [[British Empire]], most notably in the future Canada. The two colonies of Nova Scotia (including modern-day New Brunswick), received about 34,000 Loyalist refugees, Prince Edward Island 2,000 and Quebec (including the Eastern Townships and modern-day Ontario) received some 10,000 refugees. |
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== Accommodation == |
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The arrival of the Loyalists after the [[American War of Independence|war of independence (1783)]] led to the division of Canada into the provinces of [[Upper Canada]] (what is now southern [[Ontario]]) and [[Lower Canada]] (what is now southern [[Quebec]]). The creation of Upper and Lower Canada allowed most Loyalists to live under British laws and institutions while the French-speaking population of Lower Canada could maintain French civil law and the Catholic religion. |
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Realizing the importance of some type of recognition, on [[November 9]], [[1789]], [[Lord Dorchester]], the governor of Quebec and Governor General of British North America, declared "that it was his Wish to put the mark of Honour upon the Families who had adhered to the Unity of the Empire." <ref>Dorchester Proclamation, transcript at "http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/read/UNITED-EMPIRE-LOYALIST/2001-05/0989875861"</ref> As a result of Dorchester's statement, the printed militia rolls carried the notation: |
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<blockquote> |
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Those Loyalists who have adhered to the Unity of the Empire, and joined the Royal Standard before the Treaty of Separation in the year 1783, and all their Children and their Descendants by either sex, are to be distinguished by the following Capitals, affixed to their names: '''U.E.''' Alluding to their great principle The Unity of the Empire. |
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</blockquote> |
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Some of the richest and most prominent Loyalists went to [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Britain]] to rebuild their lives, and many received pensions. Southern Loyalists, some even taking along their slaves, went to the [[West Indies]] and the [[Bahamas]], particularly to the [[Abaco Islands]]. |
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Thousands of Iroquois and other pro-British [[First Nations|Native Americans]] were expelled from New York and other states and resettled in Canada. The descendants of one such group of [[Iroquois]], led by [[Joseph Brant|Joseph Brant Thayendenegea]], settled at [[Six Nations of the Grand River]], the largest [[First Nations]] [[Indian Reserve|Reserve]] in Canada. Another smaller group of Iroquois settled on the shores of the Bay of Quinte in modern day South-eastern Ontario. A group of Black Loyalists settled in Nova Scotia but, facing discrimination there, some emigrated again for [[Sierra Leone]]. |
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Many of the Loyalists were forced to abandon substantial amounts of property, and restoration or compensation for this lost property was a major issue during the negotiation of the [[Jay Treaty]] in 1795. Negotiations rested on the concept of the American negotiators 'advising' the Congress to provide restitution. For the English this concept carried significant legal weight, far more than it did with the Americans; the U. S. Congress declined to accept the advice. More than two centuries later, some of the descendants of Loyalists still assert claims to their ancestors' property in the United States. |
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== Today == |
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[[Image:Gathering for the Parade, Loyalist Centennial, Saint John, New Brunswick.jpg|thumb|Gathering for the Loyalist Centennial Parade in [[Saint John, New Brunswick]] in 1883]] |
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Modern-day descendants of those original [[refugee]]s often apply the term ''United Empire Loyalist'' to themselves, using "UE" as [[postnominal letters]]; the [[honorific]] is one of few [[hereditary title]]s in Canada, though this is disputed by some. <ref>see for example this http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/read/UNITED-EMPIRE-LOYALIST/2001-05/0989875861 on Rootsweb</ref> Such everyday practice is rare, even in the original Loyalist strongholds like southeastern Ontario. However, it is used extensively by historians and genealogists. |
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In Canadian [[heraldry]], Loyalist descendants are also entitled to use a Loyalist coronet in their [[coat of arms]]. [http://www.gg.ca/heraldry/pub-reg/project-pic.asp?lang=e&ProjectID=149&ProjectElementID=552] |
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[http://www.uelac.org/UELAC-history/Cdn-Heraldic-Authority-Gazette-1990.pdf] |
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[[File:Loyalists military coronet.svg|thumb|left||100px|Loyalists military coronet]] |
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[[File:Loyalists civil coronet.svg|thumb|left|100px|Loyalists civil coronet]] |
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The influence of the Loyalists on the evolution of Canada remains. Their ties with Britain and their antipathy to the United States provided the strength needed to keep Canada independent and distinct in North America. The Loyalists' basic distrust of [[republicanism]] and "[[mob rule]]" influenced Canada's gradual "paper-strewn" path to independence. In effect, the new British North American provinces of [[Upper Canada]] (the forerunner of Ontario) and [[New Brunswick]] were created as places of refuge for the United Empire Loyalists. The mottos of the two Provinces reflect this history - Ontario's motto is "Ut incepit fidelis sic permanet" (Loyal she began, loyal she remains), New Brunswick's motto is: "Spem Reduxit" (Hope restored). |
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The word "Loyalist" appears frequently in school, street, and business names in loyalist-settled communities such as [[Belleville, Ontario|Belleville]], Ontario. The nearby city of [[Kingston, Ontario|Kingston]] was established as a loyalist stronghold, named in honour of King George III. There is also a [[township (Canada)|township]] named [[Loyalist, Ontario|Loyalist]] in the suburban outskirts of Kingston. |
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In 1996, Canadian politicians [[John Godfrey]] and [[Peter Milliken]] sponsored the [[Godfrey-Milliken Bill]], which would have entitled Loyalist descendants to reclaim ancestral property in the United States that was confiscated by the American government during the [[American Revolution]]. The bill, which did not pass in the [[House of Commons (Canada)|House of Commons]], was primarily intended as a satirical response to the contemporaneous American [[Helms-Burton Act]]. |
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==List of Loyalist settlements in present-day Canada== |
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[[Image:LoyalistMonumentSaintJohnNBCanada.JPG|right|thumb|Monument to United Loyalists. Fountain in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada.]] |
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18th-century names are listed first, alongside their present-day equivalents. |
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* [[Antigonish, Nova Scotia]] |
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* [[Belleville, Ontario]] |
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* Buell's Bay → [[Brockville, Ontario]] |
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* Butlersbury → Newark → [[Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario]] |
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* Cataraqui → [[Kingston, Ontario]] |
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* Clifton → [[Niagara Falls, Ontario]] |
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* [[Cornwall, Ontario]] |
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* [[Digby, Nova Scotia]] |
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* [[Eastern Townships]], Quebec |
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* [[Effingham, Ontario]] |
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* [[Grimsby, Ontario]] |
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* Merrittsville → [[Welland, Ontario]] |
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* Port Roseway → [[Shelburne, Nova Scotia]] |
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* [[Prince Edward County, Ontario]] |
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* [[Saint John, New Brunswick]] |
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* [[Shelburne, Nova Scotia]] |
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* [[Six Nations 40, Ontario|Six Nations]] and [[Brantford, Ontario]] |
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* St. Andrews-by-the-Sea → [[St. Andrews, New Brunswick]] |
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* St. Anne's Point → [[Fredericton, New Brunswick]] |
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* The Twelve → Shipman's Corners → [[St. Catharines, Ontario]] |
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* York → [[Toronto]] |
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==See also== |
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*[[Loyalist (American Revolution)]] |
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*[[Canadian honorifics]] |
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==References== |
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<references /> |
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== Further reading == |
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*Lawrence Hill; ''The Book of Negroes''; Harper Collins Publishers Ltd. 2007. |
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*Christopher Moore; ''The Loyalists: Revolution, Exile, Settlement''; 1984, ISBN 0-7710-6093-9. |
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* W. Stewart Wallace; ''The United Empire Loyalists: A Chronicle of the Great Migration''; Volume 13 of the ''"Chronicles of Canada'' (32 volumes); 1914, Toronto. |
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== External links == |
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*[http://www.uelac.org The United Empire Loyalists' Association of Canada] - fraternal association for descendants of Loyalists |
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*[http://www.rootsweb.com/~nyherkim/regiments/loyclaims9.html Example of Loyalist claim from New York state] |
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*[http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/11977 E-text of Wallace's Chronicle] at [[Project Gutenberg]] |
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*[http://www.geocities.com/kinfolk.geo/Pioneer_Philip_Crouse_Biography.htm#Loyalist_Pioneer Biography of Loyalist Philip Crouse, ca.1760-1856] |
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*[http://www.wampumchronicles.com/josephbrant.html "The Myth of the Loyalist Iroquois"], argues that it is misleading to describe Joseph Brant and other Iroquois leaders as "Loyalists" |
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*[http://www.ontarioplaques.com/Plaques_Toronto/Plaque_Toronto66.html Ontario Plaques - The Loyalists In Upper Canada] |
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*[http://ns1763.ca/guysbco/loyalistchw.html Photographs of the United Empire Loyalist monument at Country Harbour, Nova Scotia] |
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*[http://www.uelac.org/PDF/loyalist.pdf A Short History of the United Empire Loyalists, by Ann Mackenzie, M.A.] |
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*[http://www.uelac.org/loyalistes.pdf Une Courte Histoire des Loyalistes de l'Empire Uni, French translation of "A Short History of the United Empire Loyalists" by Ann Mackenzie, M.A.] |
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*[http://anglicanhistory.org/canada/uel/ United Empire Loyalists and Anglicanism] |
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*[http://www.haldimand-collection.ca Haldimand Collection] A major source of information regarding the installation of more than 50 thousand American Loyalists in Canada : Cataraqui, Quebec, Sorel, Nova-Scotia, New-Brunswick |
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* [http://franklinpapers.org/franklin/yale?vol=43&page=246&rqs=230&rqs=283&rqs=674&rqs=687 Benjamin Franklin to Baron Francis Maseres, June 26, 1785] (Opinion of Benjamin Franklin on persons who called themselves "Loyalists", whom he judged better called "Royalists") |
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* [http://atlanticportal.hil.unb.ca/virtualarchives The Atlantic Canadian Portal] - Black and Women Loyalists Perspective |
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[[Category:Social history of Canada]] |
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[[Category:United Empire Loyalists| ]] |
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[[Category:Monarchy in Canada]] |
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[[it:Lealisti dell'Impero Unito]] |
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[[fr:Loyalistes]] |
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Revision as of 12:21, 19 January 2009
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