Episode 085: Bonnie Huskins, American Loyalists in Canada

by Liz CovartJune 7, 2016

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The War for Independence was a conflict between Great Britain and her 13 North American colonies. It was also a civil war.

Not only did the war pit Briton against Briton, it also pit American against American.

But what happened to the Americans who lost?

Today, Bonnie Huskins, coordinator of Loyalist Studies at the University of New Brunswick, joins us to explore the experiences of the American Loyalists.

About the Show

Ben Franklin’s World is a podcast about early American history.

It is a show for people who love history and for those who want to know more about the historical people and events that have impacted and shaped our present-day world.

Each episode features a conversation with a historian who helps us shed light on important people and events in early American history.

Episode Summary

In this episode, Bonnie Huskins, coordinator of Loyalist Studies at the University of New Brunswick, joins us to explore the experiences of the American Loyalists.

During our investigation, Bonnie reveals who the American Loyalists were; How individual Loyalists experienced their evacuation from the United States; And, the varied experiences of the white and African American Loyalists who settled in Canada.

What You’ll Discover

American Loyalist identity
Whether Loyalists were the “losers” of the American Revolution
The Loyalist Diaspora and how many Loyalists left the United States
The British and Loyalist evacuation of the United States
How individual Loyalists experienced the British evacuation of the U.S.
Loyalists’ arrival in Nova Scotia
Canadian geography and where Loyalists settled
Canada's “Loyalist Myth”
New England planters in Nova Scotia
How the arrival of the Loyalists affected the New England planters and other Canadians
The experiences of African American slaves and Loyalists
Work and living conditions for slaves in Canada
Why historians are researching Loyalists

Links to People, Places, and Publications

Bonnie’s Loyalist Book Recommendations

Amani Whitefield, North to Bondage: Loyalist Slavery in the Maritimes
David Bell, Loyalist Rebellion in New Brunswick
Liam Riordan & Jerry Banister, The Loyal Atlantic: Remaking the British Atlantic in the Revolutionary Era
Borealia, A Group Blog in Early Canadian History

Time Warp Question

In your opinion what might have happened if Great Britain had won the American War for Independence? How would the lack of a Loyalist diaspora have affected the development of Canada and the Atlantic World?