Provide students with a link to page 90 of the 1783 “Book of Negroes” found here: Nova Scotia Archives – African Nova Scotians in the Age of Slavery and Abolition. Ask students to examine the titles of the columns, the names on the list and other identifying information. Students might notice that a name on the list, “Harry Washington,” is listed as having “left” “General Washington.”  After about ten minutes, ask students to share: 

  1. What is the purpose of the document? 
  2. Why (and in what circumstances) was it created?  
  3. What can we learn about the individuals listed? 

After sharing out and discussing, explain that today students will learn about life in Canada for Black Loyalists after the American Revolution by investigating primary sources. Assign students to one of the documents below, or allow them to find a document on their own from the database Black Loyalists in New Brunswick, 1783-1854: Browse the Collection.

As an alternative for emerging scholars or younger students, you may provide the secondary source below that continues the story of Harry Washington and places primary sources related to his life within a narrative context. Students can read and choose one or more primary sources linked within the article to explore. 

After reading and investigating, discuss: How did Black Loyalists express agency during and after the War for Independence? What problems did Black Loyalists face while attempting to build their lives in Canada and beyond?

Black Loyalists, Life after the War for Independence