Historical Event
Black Loyalist Exodus 1783
Following the American Revolution, approximately 3,500 Black Loyalists who had fought for or been promised freedom by the British were evacuated to Nova Scotia, Canada in 1783. Finding themselves in poverty, denied promised land grants, and facing racism, about 1,200 of them departed for Sierra Leone in 1792.
Why This Matters
The Black Loyalist story illustrates that the African diaspora crossed three continents — Africa, North America, and back to Africa — within a single generation, and that freedom was always a negotiation with colonial power, never a gift.
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Related Lessons
Fighting for a Country That Denied Freedom: African Americans and the Revolutionary War
Unit 2
The Black Church: Institution, Liberation & the HBCU Pipeline
Unit 4.5
Liberia and Sierra Leone: Africa as Destination
Unit 7.5
Running North: Black Canada and the Diaspora's Northern Arc
Unit 7.5
Punished by Relocation: The Caribbean as Exile
Unit 7.5
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