1 00:00:04,240 --> 00:00:08,480 Speaker 1: Hey there, ho there, Hi again. This is Josh, there's Chuck, 2 00:00:08,560 --> 00:00:11,440 Speaker 1: there's Jerry. You put us together. You give us like 3 00:00:11,480 --> 00:00:15,120 Speaker 1: a twelve minute time limit, maybe less. It's short stuff 4 00:00:15,360 --> 00:00:20,240 Speaker 1: the podcast. That's a short term version of stuff you 5 00:00:20,280 --> 00:00:22,759 Speaker 1: should know, which is also a podcast, but it's a 6 00:00:22,800 --> 00:00:25,360 Speaker 1: longer version of short stuff. I guess you could say. 7 00:00:25,560 --> 00:00:27,960 Speaker 1: That's right. And as per tradition, you started off the 8 00:00:27,960 --> 00:00:32,559 Speaker 1: show by saying, hey, there, ho there, Right, you want 9 00:00:32,560 --> 00:00:35,599 Speaker 1: to talk about black loyalists? I do, man, So you 10 00:00:35,640 --> 00:00:39,440 Speaker 1: pick this one, Hats off to you, try cornered hat 11 00:00:39,520 --> 00:00:43,520 Speaker 1: with a big old Yankee doodle feather off to you. Um, 12 00:00:43,560 --> 00:00:46,879 Speaker 1: because I've never heard anything about this, and I majored 13 00:00:46,880 --> 00:00:49,839 Speaker 1: in history colonial history, and I didn't even pick up 14 00:00:49,840 --> 00:00:53,000 Speaker 1: on this one. Yeah, so this is uh this. We 15 00:00:53,040 --> 00:00:56,680 Speaker 1: did a regular long form episode for Black History Month 16 00:00:57,080 --> 00:01:01,040 Speaker 1: on Tuskegee Airmen, and now we're doing a shorty version 17 00:01:01,080 --> 00:01:04,440 Speaker 1: for the Black Loyalists for Black History Month. And it 18 00:01:04,480 --> 00:01:07,360 Speaker 1: goes a little something like this one and the two. 19 00:01:09,400 --> 00:01:14,080 Speaker 1: So the Black loyalists, Chuck, yes, are in a very 20 00:01:14,160 --> 00:01:18,920 Speaker 1: much overlooked um group in American history. And they were 21 00:01:19,440 --> 00:01:25,200 Speaker 1: African Americans, or I guess African African slaves who lived 22 00:01:25,200 --> 00:01:28,440 Speaker 1: in the colonies. Uh, some of whom were free too, 23 00:01:28,560 --> 00:01:34,760 Speaker 1: but mostly were slaves that ended up fighting for Great 24 00:01:34,760 --> 00:01:40,600 Speaker 1: Britain in the American Revolutionary War. Yeah, so it's important 25 00:01:40,600 --> 00:01:42,520 Speaker 1: to kind of set the stage here. What's going on 26 00:01:43,840 --> 00:01:48,880 Speaker 1: in seventeen seventy six, Um, African slaves were all over 27 00:01:48,920 --> 00:01:51,840 Speaker 1: the place, and well, not all over the place, but 28 00:01:52,040 --> 00:01:55,919 Speaker 1: you know, basically east of the Mississippi River at this point. 29 00:01:56,520 --> 00:01:59,400 Speaker 1: Um Or am I wrong about that? No? No, you're right. 30 00:01:59,440 --> 00:02:01,800 Speaker 1: I was gonna I was gonna support you, like a 31 00:02:01,800 --> 00:02:05,040 Speaker 1: lot of people think, well, yes, slavery was just southern, no, man, 32 00:02:05,120 --> 00:02:08,360 Speaker 1: and the colony. Slavery was everywhere, and slaves made up 33 00:02:09,080 --> 00:02:12,800 Speaker 1: of the population. In some states they were more concentrated 34 00:02:12,800 --> 00:02:15,000 Speaker 1: than in other states. And I think they might have 35 00:02:15,080 --> 00:02:18,240 Speaker 1: never been in Rhode Island or Pennsylvania. I'm not sure, 36 00:02:18,440 --> 00:02:20,560 Speaker 1: but they You could find states in the North as 37 00:02:20,600 --> 00:02:23,400 Speaker 1: well as the South at the time, for sure, because 38 00:02:23,480 --> 00:02:26,960 Speaker 1: the South was a lot of the commerce was based 39 00:02:26,960 --> 00:02:29,680 Speaker 1: on the plantation model. Obviously a lot more slaves in 40 00:02:29,680 --> 00:02:32,960 Speaker 1: the South, to the tune of like fort in Virginia. 41 00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:37,600 Speaker 1: South Carolina was sixty percent slaves, but even up in Boston, 42 00:02:37,880 --> 00:02:43,440 Speaker 1: slaves made up of the population. So before the War 43 00:02:43,480 --> 00:02:46,840 Speaker 1: for Independence even started, there was an effort by the 44 00:02:46,880 --> 00:02:52,720 Speaker 1: British to get American slaves on their side and basically say, hey, 45 00:02:53,480 --> 00:02:56,480 Speaker 1: be a loyalist and take up arms against your plantation 46 00:02:56,520 --> 00:03:00,080 Speaker 1: owner and we will grant you freedom. Yep. Not only 47 00:03:00,120 --> 00:03:01,840 Speaker 1: are we gonna grant you freedom, we're going to give 48 00:03:01,840 --> 00:03:07,680 Speaker 1: you some land after we uh kick the rebels. Butts uh. Yeah. 49 00:03:07,720 --> 00:03:10,639 Speaker 1: There was a governor, the British Royal Governor of Virginia, 50 00:03:10,720 --> 00:03:15,880 Speaker 1: Lord Dunmore, said this was sort of the first um, 51 00:03:15,919 --> 00:03:19,520 Speaker 1: I guess, the first emancipation proclamation where he said, you know, 52 00:03:19,639 --> 00:03:23,560 Speaker 1: you guys can be free take up arms against your oppressors. 53 00:03:24,440 --> 00:03:27,440 Speaker 1: Because they were looking for for people to fight, Like 54 00:03:27,480 --> 00:03:29,960 Speaker 1: every time this happened a couple of times, it's because 55 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:32,799 Speaker 1: they needed men to fight on their side. It wasn't 56 00:03:33,200 --> 00:03:35,320 Speaker 1: I mean, I wish it was just some altruistic move, 57 00:03:35,840 --> 00:03:37,480 Speaker 1: but it was like we need feed on the ground 58 00:03:37,520 --> 00:03:42,680 Speaker 1: with guns. Right. That first proclamation by dunn More was 59 00:03:42,680 --> 00:03:48,000 Speaker 1: was um I guess, proclaimed before the Declaration of Independence 60 00:03:48,080 --> 00:03:51,680 Speaker 1: was ever signed. This is yeah, this is while the 61 00:03:51,720 --> 00:03:54,560 Speaker 1: rebellion is just starting up and it's kind of isolated 62 00:03:54,600 --> 00:03:57,920 Speaker 1: and sporadic. And there was an armed rebellion in Virginia 63 00:03:58,200 --> 00:04:00,720 Speaker 1: that done more the governor of Virginia it was trying 64 00:04:00,760 --> 00:04:03,520 Speaker 1: to put down. And so that's why he said, you 65 00:04:03,600 --> 00:04:06,440 Speaker 1: come fight for us, Rise up against your um, your 66 00:04:06,480 --> 00:04:11,360 Speaker 1: plantation owners, and the the the what were the guys 67 00:04:11,360 --> 00:04:15,600 Speaker 1: who like the overseers, You rise up against these guys, 68 00:04:15,640 --> 00:04:19,320 Speaker 1: the rebels, we will we will give you your freedom. 69 00:04:19,520 --> 00:04:21,320 Speaker 1: And I mean, at this point, it's not even clear 70 00:04:21,360 --> 00:04:25,120 Speaker 1: that the colonies are going to form an armed, um 71 00:04:25,320 --> 00:04:29,560 Speaker 1: organized revolt like the Revolutionary War. So it just seemed 72 00:04:29,600 --> 00:04:34,280 Speaker 1: like this was a rebellion, local rebellion that needed putting down. Yeah, 73 00:04:34,279 --> 00:04:37,159 Speaker 1: and they even, uh, I believe between about eight hundred 74 00:04:37,200 --> 00:04:41,919 Speaker 1: and two thousand slaves and servants, uh, indentured servants fled 75 00:04:41,920 --> 00:04:45,320 Speaker 1: their plantations, took up arms. That was one regiment named 76 00:04:45,560 --> 00:04:49,880 Speaker 1: dun Moore's Ethiopian Regiment, which had a on their uniform 77 00:04:49,920 --> 00:04:54,040 Speaker 1: the insignia Liberty to Slaves, which is pretty cool. Uh. 78 00:04:54,080 --> 00:04:57,080 Speaker 1: And this was, like I said, the first big mass 79 00:04:57,080 --> 00:05:02,719 Speaker 1: emancipation um close a hundred years before Abraham Lincoln signed 80 00:05:02,760 --> 00:05:06,040 Speaker 1: the official Emancipation Proclamation. Yeah, and what was cool about 81 00:05:06,040 --> 00:05:09,000 Speaker 1: it was these these um, the slaves who took up 82 00:05:09,120 --> 00:05:12,919 Speaker 1: the British offer. Um, We're not just like fighting for 83 00:05:12,960 --> 00:05:17,000 Speaker 1: their own freedom. They were fighting to free the slaves 84 00:05:17,000 --> 00:05:20,840 Speaker 1: who were you know, left behind. It was really um. 85 00:05:20,880 --> 00:05:23,080 Speaker 1: It was pretty cool. I had not heard about the 86 00:05:23,120 --> 00:05:28,760 Speaker 1: Ethiopian regiment before, but um. As the as the American 87 00:05:28,800 --> 00:05:32,360 Speaker 1: Revolution goes into full swing and by uh, I think 88 00:05:32,480 --> 00:05:36,080 Speaker 1: seventeen seventy nine, when the tide is turning against the British, 89 00:05:36,320 --> 00:05:40,720 Speaker 1: the British released a second Emancipation Proclamation and said, hey, 90 00:05:40,760 --> 00:05:45,719 Speaker 1: if you just leave and come over to British held territory, 91 00:05:46,040 --> 00:05:48,960 Speaker 1: we'll we'll you'll be free. You don't even have to fight, 92 00:05:49,800 --> 00:05:53,719 Speaker 1: which is this is a cool idea because this this 93 00:05:53,920 --> 00:05:56,200 Speaker 1: basically was like they think they can get more people 94 00:05:56,200 --> 00:05:57,800 Speaker 1: to do that if they don't think they have to fight. 95 00:05:58,400 --> 00:06:01,880 Speaker 1: And what it does is is it leaks all these 96 00:06:02,640 --> 00:06:05,720 Speaker 1: workers from the plantations. And then in order to guard 97 00:06:05,760 --> 00:06:09,480 Speaker 1: their plantations, now the plantation owners had to you know, 98 00:06:09,720 --> 00:06:11,640 Speaker 1: use people that would have been fighting in the war 99 00:06:12,080 --> 00:06:14,400 Speaker 1: to stay at home and guard that plantation. So it 100 00:06:14,480 --> 00:06:18,680 Speaker 1: was it was known as economic warfare basically, right, which 101 00:06:18,720 --> 00:06:22,520 Speaker 1: is pretty smart. And for the African slaves who took 102 00:06:22,520 --> 00:06:26,160 Speaker 1: them up on their offer. There was win win for them, 103 00:06:26,240 --> 00:06:30,880 Speaker 1: so um, I think a total of twelve thousand African 104 00:06:31,080 --> 00:06:36,560 Speaker 1: descended slaves fought for the British during the Revolutionary War, 105 00:06:37,839 --> 00:06:40,280 Speaker 1: and at the end of the war um which the 106 00:06:40,320 --> 00:06:43,480 Speaker 1: American colonies won, there was a there was a problem 107 00:06:43,480 --> 00:06:45,600 Speaker 1: because I mean, it wasn't like the Brits were like, 108 00:06:45,600 --> 00:06:48,359 Speaker 1: all right, fine, we're going home. There was a negotiated treaty, 109 00:06:48,400 --> 00:06:51,680 Speaker 1: like there was an end to hostilities. The there was. 110 00:06:51,720 --> 00:06:55,120 Speaker 1: It was like a formal war, and in formal wars, 111 00:06:55,520 --> 00:06:58,840 Speaker 1: things come up, things happen in war that um need 112 00:06:58,920 --> 00:07:01,279 Speaker 1: to be settled. After the war, one of the main 113 00:07:01,320 --> 00:07:05,560 Speaker 1: points of contention was the status of the African slaves 114 00:07:05,600 --> 00:07:09,000 Speaker 1: who had defected or just gone over to the British 115 00:07:09,040 --> 00:07:12,520 Speaker 1: side and said, hey, we're here to fight. What was 116 00:07:12,560 --> 00:07:14,640 Speaker 1: to be done with them? And the Brits could have 117 00:07:14,720 --> 00:07:17,400 Speaker 1: very easily been like, ha ha, suckers, we're not We're 118 00:07:17,400 --> 00:07:19,800 Speaker 1: not gonna keep our word on any of this. But 119 00:07:19,840 --> 00:07:21,800 Speaker 1: they didn't do that. They didn't keep their word on 120 00:07:21,840 --> 00:07:23,960 Speaker 1: all of it, but they kept their word on some 121 00:07:24,120 --> 00:07:26,240 Speaker 1: of it. And let's just take a quick break Chuck, 122 00:07:26,240 --> 00:07:28,040 Speaker 1: and we'll come back and fill everybody in on the 123 00:07:28,040 --> 00:07:50,640 Speaker 1: rest of the details. All right, So when we left 124 00:07:50,800 --> 00:07:55,240 Speaker 1: the war is over. George Washington is negotiated to have 125 00:07:56,240 --> 00:08:00,280 Speaker 1: quote unquote US property return, which included these enslaved Africa ends. 126 00:08:01,200 --> 00:08:02,920 Speaker 1: And on the other side you have a commander in 127 00:08:03,000 --> 00:08:05,600 Speaker 1: chief named Guy Carlton who said, well, you know, we 128 00:08:05,600 --> 00:08:08,960 Speaker 1: gave our word and negotiated these certificates of freedom for 129 00:08:09,000 --> 00:08:12,520 Speaker 1: these loyalists. Um, but here's what we're gonna do everyone. Uh, 130 00:08:12,720 --> 00:08:16,120 Speaker 1: we I think you need to leave the country, and 131 00:08:16,520 --> 00:08:20,040 Speaker 1: we think you should go to Nova Scotia, which is 132 00:08:20,360 --> 00:08:23,600 Speaker 1: a province in Canada that we rule. And I'm sure 133 00:08:23,640 --> 00:08:26,480 Speaker 1: they were like Nova Scotia, this is not what I 134 00:08:26,600 --> 00:08:29,960 Speaker 1: signed up for, um, But they went there anyway. And 135 00:08:30,040 --> 00:08:33,080 Speaker 1: in the eighteenth century, in the late eighteenth century, forty 136 00:08:33,160 --> 00:08:39,200 Speaker 1: thousand uh loyalists, both white and black went to Nova Scotia, um, 137 00:08:39,240 --> 00:08:43,840 Speaker 1: including more than twelve slaves of these white loyalists, And 138 00:08:43,920 --> 00:08:46,920 Speaker 1: all of a sudden, Nova Scotia was like, we don't 139 00:08:46,960 --> 00:08:49,800 Speaker 1: have resources for all these people. It was called Nova 140 00:08:49,840 --> 00:08:55,959 Speaker 1: scarcity at the time, which I'm guessing you knew, yes, So, um, 141 00:08:56,000 --> 00:08:58,040 Speaker 1: this is kind of a big problem, Chuck, because the 142 00:08:58,080 --> 00:09:00,960 Speaker 1: population of Nova Scotia at the time was like like 143 00:09:01,000 --> 00:09:04,480 Speaker 1: maybe twelve or something thirteen thousand people and all of 144 00:09:04,520 --> 00:09:10,640 Speaker 1: a sudden showed up. And when that happens, just common 145 00:09:10,800 --> 00:09:16,280 Speaker 1: economics means that you have a really really big labor 146 00:09:16,320 --> 00:09:21,240 Speaker 1: supply and probably not very not nearly enough demand. And 147 00:09:21,280 --> 00:09:25,240 Speaker 1: so when that happens, people start to fight with one another. Yeah, 148 00:09:25,280 --> 00:09:27,640 Speaker 1: and you know, uh, like you would imagine even in 149 00:09:27,679 --> 00:09:31,000 Speaker 1: Nova Scotia, these um new arrivals were kind of kicked 150 00:09:31,040 --> 00:09:35,920 Speaker 1: to the back of the line and things got tents. Uh. Finally, 151 00:09:35,960 --> 00:09:38,280 Speaker 1: at one point there was a black creature named David 152 00:09:38,320 --> 00:09:43,360 Speaker 1: George baptize a white woman and that sparked what people 153 00:09:43,400 --> 00:09:46,199 Speaker 1: basically say is the first race riot in North America. 154 00:09:46,600 --> 00:09:51,720 Speaker 1: In yeah, the Shelburne Riot. Um, the white showed up 155 00:09:51,760 --> 00:09:56,880 Speaker 1: and they beat David George pretty bad. They went through 156 00:09:56,920 --> 00:10:02,120 Speaker 1: the Shelburne Settlement, which is largely UM African uh freed 157 00:10:02,200 --> 00:10:06,839 Speaker 1: slaves and literally pulled their houses over, just trash the place. 158 00:10:07,040 --> 00:10:09,680 Speaker 1: And this riot went on for months and it was 159 00:10:09,960 --> 00:10:14,480 Speaker 1: it sounds pretty familiar. It's you're you're you're selling your 160 00:10:14,559 --> 00:10:17,080 Speaker 1: labor for too cheap and stealing our jobs. So we're 161 00:10:17,120 --> 00:10:19,679 Speaker 1: going to take all of our ankst out on you. 162 00:10:20,120 --> 00:10:25,640 Speaker 1: So the riot was finally put down Um when troops 163 00:10:25,679 --> 00:10:28,200 Speaker 1: came in from Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia, and 164 00:10:28,280 --> 00:10:33,119 Speaker 1: restored order. But by this point, Um the Black loyalists 165 00:10:33,160 --> 00:10:35,839 Speaker 1: who had been promised not just freedom but remember land 166 00:10:36,160 --> 00:10:38,480 Speaker 1: and are now ending up in Nova Scotia where things 167 00:10:38,480 --> 00:10:41,439 Speaker 1: are really really tense. They're like, we've got to We've 168 00:10:41,440 --> 00:10:43,280 Speaker 1: got to get the crown to do something about this. 169 00:10:43,559 --> 00:10:46,880 Speaker 1: So they sent a guy named Um Thomas Peters to 170 00:10:46,960 --> 00:10:50,520 Speaker 1: go petition the crown in London or Parliament, at least 171 00:10:50,520 --> 00:10:54,280 Speaker 1: one of them, and Um say, hey, you know, can 172 00:10:54,320 --> 00:10:56,800 Speaker 1: we get our land now? We we did everything we 173 00:10:56,800 --> 00:10:59,680 Speaker 1: were asked of and uh, he didn't get anywhere with 174 00:10:59,720 --> 00:11:02,600 Speaker 1: the Crown at least no. They they said, well, we've 175 00:11:02,640 --> 00:11:06,080 Speaker 1: got another idea. We've got this, Uh, we've got this 176 00:11:06,240 --> 00:11:09,640 Speaker 1: area in West Africa and Sierra Leone, and what we 177 00:11:09,679 --> 00:11:12,440 Speaker 1: think is a good idea is to make this like 178 00:11:12,480 --> 00:11:16,000 Speaker 1: a sanctuary for for you folks, and we can send 179 00:11:16,000 --> 00:11:18,920 Speaker 1: you over there and it'll be great. You're gonna love it. 180 00:11:18,960 --> 00:11:21,520 Speaker 1: That's the best place for freed slaves to be back 181 00:11:21,520 --> 00:11:26,880 Speaker 1: in Africa. Uh, it became basically in se when fifteen 182 00:11:26,920 --> 00:11:30,440 Speaker 1: ships sailed from Halifax Harbor, the very first voyage of 183 00:11:30,440 --> 00:11:33,640 Speaker 1: the Back to Africa movement. And there were some that 184 00:11:33,720 --> 00:11:36,720 Speaker 1: um stayed back in Nova Scotia and they settled a 185 00:11:36,760 --> 00:11:40,640 Speaker 1: place called Birch Town named after Samuel Birch. But a 186 00:11:40,679 --> 00:11:44,880 Speaker 1: lot of them left and went to Sierra Leone, and um, 187 00:11:44,920 --> 00:11:47,880 Speaker 1: that was sort of the you know, the end dish 188 00:11:47,960 --> 00:11:50,680 Speaker 1: of that story. The cool thing is is you can 189 00:11:50,760 --> 00:11:54,600 Speaker 1: still trace. Uh, there are twenty thousand black people living 190 00:11:54,640 --> 00:11:57,000 Speaker 1: in Nova Scotia today and you can trace a lot 191 00:11:57,000 --> 00:11:59,959 Speaker 1: of those back to these Black Loyalists. Yeah, there's one 192 00:12:00,000 --> 00:12:02,560 Speaker 1: guy that shows up in this article named Jason Farmer. 193 00:12:02,880 --> 00:12:06,080 Speaker 1: He's a ninth generation descendant of a Black loyalist named 194 00:12:06,120 --> 00:12:09,880 Speaker 1: Jupiter Farmer, and Jupiter married a woman named Venus if 195 00:12:09,880 --> 00:12:12,600 Speaker 1: you can believe that, and his family has been living 196 00:12:12,720 --> 00:12:16,719 Speaker 1: in Birchtown for about two d and thirty years. Yeah, 197 00:12:16,760 --> 00:12:19,120 Speaker 1: it's pretty cool. He works at the Black Loyalist Heritage 198 00:12:19,160 --> 00:12:21,480 Speaker 1: Center and Historical site, and he said a lot of 199 00:12:21,480 --> 00:12:25,480 Speaker 1: people in Nova Scotia, even descendants, don't even realize that 200 00:12:25,600 --> 00:12:27,680 Speaker 1: this is their history. And so when I tell the story. 201 00:12:28,000 --> 00:12:31,000 Speaker 1: He said. It's it's pretty powerful stuff. Yeah. Well, good 202 00:12:31,040 --> 00:12:34,000 Speaker 1: pick Chuck. I'm glad we did this one. Yeah. Uh. 203 00:12:34,040 --> 00:12:36,160 Speaker 1: If you want to know more about black loyalists, go 204 00:12:36,320 --> 00:12:38,400 Speaker 1: check it out on the internet and send us an email. 205 00:12:38,440 --> 00:12:57,200 Speaker 1: In the meantime to Stuff podcast how Stuff works dot com.