Black Loyalists

E40764

Black Loyalists were African-descended supporters of the British Crown during the American Revolutionary War, many of whom were formerly enslaved people who gained or sought freedom by fighting for or aiding British forces.


Statements (49)
Predicate Object
instanceOf African diaspora community
historical ethnic group
political group
alsoKnownAs Black British Loyalists
Black refugees
became Sierra Leone Creoles ancestors
departedFrom Charleston
New York City
Savannah
documentedIn Book of Negroes
estimatedPopulation thousands
faced broken land grant promises
economic hardship
racial discrimination in Nova Scotia
founded Freetown
hasEthnicOrigin African descent
included formerly enslaved people
influenced abolitionist movements in Britain
early Black communities in Canada
language English
legalStatus refugees
notableLeader Boston King
David George
Moses Wilkinson
Thomas Peters
opposedBy Patriots
organized migration to Sierra Leone
participatedIn American Revolutionary War
peakMigrationPeriod 1783–1785
promised freedom in exchange for service
promisedBy British authorities
region British North America
religion Protestantism
resettledIn England
New Brunswick
Nova Scotia
Quebec
Sierra Leone
servedAs guides
laborers
pioneers
soldiers
spies
servedIn British Army
British Navy
sought freedom from slavery
subjectOf scholarly research on slavery and freedom
supported British Crown
timePeriod 1775–1783

Referenced by (1)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
Loyalist militias
hasEthnicComposition

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