VISUAL ACTIVITY

Black Loyalists in Canada: Passport to Freedom This black woodcutter in Nova Scotia was one of three thousand black loyalists who moved to Canada between 1783 and 1785. The inset shows a passport issued by the British high command to Cato Rammsay, permitting him to leave New York in 1783. Very few of the Nova Scotia refugees were able to acquire land, forcing most to become laborers for whites. Low wages created dissatisfaction, and in 1791–1792 nearly a third left for Sierra Leone in West Africa.

READING THE IMAGE: On what specific grounds did Sir Guy Carleton, British commander in New York City, authorize freedom of passage on this passport?

CONNECTIONS: Thousands of white and black loyalists fled the United States during and after the Revolution. What did they need to start life over in a new location?

Sketch: Library and Archives Canada, Acc. No. 1970-188-1090, W. H. Coverdale Collection of Canadiana; passport: Nova Scotia Archives, Gideon White family funds, MG 1 vol. 948 no. 196 (microfilm no. 14960).