Advertisement For The Settlement Of Black Nova Scotians In Sierra Leone
Dublin Core
Title
Advertisement For The Settlement Of Black Nova Scotians In Sierra Leone
Description
This advertisement invited Black Nova Scotians to relocate to Sierra Leone, offering them a new start and a chance to escape the systemic discrimination, poverty, and unmet promises that had made their lives in Canada so miserable. Many Black Loyalists had arrived expecting prosperous land and equal treatment, but were instead met with delayed grants, subpar resources, and social exclusion. These conditions pushed many to consider yet another migration as their only path to full autonomy.
In total, around 1200 Black Loyalists (nearly one-third of the colony) would take the offer and sail back to West Africa across 15 ships, establishing a new colony there less than a decade after their migration from the US to Nova Scotia. This massive exodus was not a retreat, but an act of collective resistance: a widespread refusal to accept a weak and vulnerable status in Canada and a demand for dignity.
In total, around 1200 Black Loyalists (nearly one-third of the colony) would take the offer and sail back to West Africa across 15 ships, establishing a new colony there less than a decade after their migration from the US to Nova Scotia. This massive exodus was not a retreat, but an act of collective resistance: a widespread refusal to accept a weak and vulnerable status in Canada and a demand for dignity.
Creator
Sierra Leone Company
Source
Nova Scotia Archives. “Advertisement for the Settlement of Black Nova Scotians in Sierra Leone, 2 August 1791.” https://archives.novascotia.ca/africanns/archives/?ID=44.
Publisher
Nova Scotia Archives
Date
2 August 1791
Rights
Public Domain
Type
Pamphlet
Files
Citation
Sierra Leone Company, “Advertisement For The Settlement Of Black Nova Scotians In Sierra Leone,” Black Canadian History Exhibit, accessed December 5, 2025, http://omeka.uottawa.ca/mathieu-black-canadian-history-exhibit/items/show/432.