Black Loyalists: Land Petitions and Loyalism

Abstract

The Black Loyalists played a significant role in the history of Nova Scotia. They faced many difficulties, including discrimination during the process of land granting. There has been a lively scholarly debate over the identity and culture of the Black Loyalists. This thesis contributes to that debate through a close study of land petitions. It offers an in-depth exploration of the land petitions and the related administrative and political processes. This thesis employs a close textual analysis of the language, identities, and terminologies used in the petitions, and it explores how the colonial government viewed issues such as loyalty and ethnicity. The term “Black Loyalist” did not appear within any of the official colonial documents, including the land petitions, covered by this research project. This thesis argues that the term Loyalist needs to be redefined, because different types of loyalism can be attributed to the individuals classified as Black Loyalists.