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The name United Empire Loyalists is a honorific name which has been given after the fact to those American Loyalists who resettled in British North America and other British Colonies as an act of fealty to King George III after the British defeat in the American Revolutionary War. This article concerns Loyalists in the American Revolution. For information on the role of those Loyalists in Canadian history after their emigration see United Empire British North America consisted of the colonies and territories of the British Empire in continental North America after the end of the American Revolutionary This is a list of the various territories that have been under the political control of the United Kingdom and/or its predecessor states An Oath of fealty, from the Latin fidelitas ( Faithfulness) is a pledge of Allegiance of one person to another George III (George William Frederick 4 June 1738 George III's long reign was marked by a series of military conflicts involving his kingdom much of the rest of Europe and places The Kingdom of Great Britain, also known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain, was a State in northwest Europe, in existence from 1707 to 1800 In this article the inhabitants of the thirteen colonies that supported the American Revolution are primarily referred to as "Americans" with occasional references to "Patriots" Some sought to recover fortunes (land and private property) lost under laws enacted by the Continental Congress as a way of financing the revolution. Most, however, are believed to have fled north to escape persecution and because they rejected the republican ideals of the American Revolution, which they regarded as anarchistic. Anarchism is a Political philosophy encompassing theories and attitudes which support the elimination of all compulsory Government, i A portion of the Loyalists were recent settlers in the 13 colonies and had few economic or social ties to leave. These Loyalists settled in what was initially Quebec (including the Eastern Townships) and modern-day Ontario, where they received land grants of two hundred acres per person, and in Nova Scotia (including modern-day New Brunswick). Quebec (kwɨˈbɛk The Eastern Townships ( French: Cantons de l'Est) is a historical region in south-eastern Quebec, lying between the former seigneuries south of Ontario (ɒnˈtɛrioʊ is a province located in the central part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest after Quebec Nova Scotia (ˌnəʊvəˈskəʊʃə ( Latin for New Scotland; Alba Nuadh Nouvelle-Écosse is a Canadian province located on Canada 's New Brunswick ( French: Nouveau-Brunswick /nuvobʁɔnzwik/ is one of Canada 's three Maritime provinces and is the only constitutionally Their arrival marked the beginning of a predominantly English-speaking population in the future Canada west and east of the Quebec border. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page

Contents

Origins and history

The future Canada. The two colonies of Nova Scotia (including modern-day New Brunswick), received some 32,000 Loyalist refugees, and Quebec (including the Eastern Townships and modern-day Ontario) received some 10,000 refugees.

The arrival of the Loyalists led to the division in the war of independence 1783 into the provinces of Upper Canada in what is now Ontario and Lower Canada in what is now Quebec. The Province of Upper Canada (French Province du Haut-Canada) was a British colony located in what is now the southern portion of the Province of Ontario The Province of Lower Canada (French Province du Bas-Canada) was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the The creation of Upper and Lower Canada allowed the Loyalists to live under English laws and institutions while the French-speaking population of Lower Canada could maintain French civil law and the Catholic religion.

Realizing the importance of some type of recognition, on November 9, 1789, Lord Dorchester, the governor of Quebec and Governor General of British North America, declared "that it was his Wish to put the mark of Honour upon the Families who had adhered to the Unity of the Empire. Events 694 - Egica, a king of the Visigoths of Hispania, accuses Jews of aiding Muslims sentencing all Year 1789 ( MDCCLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Guy Carleton 1st Baron Dorchester, KB ( Strabane, Co Tyrone Ireland September 3, 1722 &ndash November 10, 1808 Stubbings " [1] As a result of Dorchester's statement, the printed militia rolls carried the notation:

Those Loyalists who have adhered to the Unity of the Empire, and joined the Royal Standard before the Treaty of Separation in the year 1783, and all their Children and their Descendants by either sex, are to be distinguished by the following Capitals, affixed to their names: U. E. Alluding to their great principle The Unity of the Empire.

Sir John Wentworth, governor of New Hampshire and later Nova Scotia.
Sir John Wentworth, governor of New Hampshire and later Nova Scotia. Sir John Wentworth ( 9 August 1737 &ndash 8 April[[ 820]] was the British colonial governor of New Hampshire at the time of the

Some of the richest and most prominent Loyalists went to Britain to rebuild their lives, and many received pensions. The Kingdom of Great Britain, also known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain, was a State in northwest Europe, in existence from 1707 to 1800 Southern Loyalists, some even taking along their slaves, went to the West Indies and the Bahamas, particularly to the Abaco Islands. The Caribbean (ˌkærəˡbiən kæ'rəbiən Cariben|Caraïben or Caraïben; Caraïbe or more commonly Antilles; Caribe is a Region consisting The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an independent sovereign English -speaking country consisting of two thousand Cays and History First inhabited by the Lucayan, in 1783 the first European settlers of the islands were Loyalists fleeing the American Revolution

Thousands of Iroquois and other pro-British Native Americans were expelled from New York and other states and resettled in Canada. First Nations is a term of Ethnicity that refers to the Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis people The descendants of one such group of Iroquois, led by Joseph Brant Thayendenegea, settled at Six Nations of the Grand River, the largest First Nations Reserve in Canada. The Iroquois Confederacy (also known as the "League of Peace and Power" the "Five Nations" the "Six Nations" or the "People of the Longhouse Thayendanegea or Joseph Brant ( c 1743 &ndash 24 November 1807) was a Mohawk leader and British military officer during Six Nations of the Grand River is the name applied to two contiguous Indian reserves southeast of Brantford Ontario, Canada &ndash Six Nations reserve First Nations is a term of Ethnicity that refers to the Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis people For the vast tract created by the Royal Proclamation of 1763 in Canada and the United States see Indian Reserve (1763 In Canada Another smaller group of Iroquois settled on the shores of the Bay of Quinte in modern day South-eastern Ontario. A group of Black Loyalists settled in Nova Scotia but, facing discrimination there, some emigrated again for Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa.

Many of the Loyalists were forced to abandon substantial amounts of property, and restoration or compensation for this lost property was a major issue during the negotiation of the Jay Treaty in 1795. The Jay Treaty, also known as the Treaty of London of 1794, between the United States and Great Britain averted war solved many issues left over from Negotiations rested on the concept of the American negotiators 'advising' the Congress to provide restitution. For the English this concept carried significant legal weight, far more than it did with the Americans; the U. S. Congress declined to accept the advice. More than two centuries later, some of the descendants of Loyalists still assert claims to their ancestors' property in the United States.

Lord Dorchester' Proclamation

His Excellency the Right Honourable Lord Dorchester made at the Council Chamber at Quebec a proclamation on 9 November 1789. Accompanying the resolution which was sent to London to be presented to the king, was attached a "Form of militia roll for the western districts to discriminate the families before mentioned" which included the following. . . . "N. B. Those Loyalits who have adhered to the unity of the Empire, and joined the Royal Standard before the Treaty of Separtaion in the year 1783, and all their children and their descendants by either sex, are to be distinguished by the following capitals, affixed to their names: U. E. allluding to their great principle the unity of the Empire. "


Today

Modern-day descendants of those original refugees often apply the term United Empire Loyalist to themselves, using "UE" as postnominal letters; the honorific is one of few hereditary titles in Canada, though this is disputed by some. According to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, a refugee is a person who owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race Post-nominal letters, also called " post-nominal initials " or " post-nominal titles " are letters placed after the name of a person to indicate that An honorific is a word or expression that conveys esteem or respect when used in addressing or referring to a person Hereditary titles, in a general sense are Titles positions or styles that are Hereditary and thus tend or are bound to remain in particular families [2] Such everyday practice is rare, even in the original Loyalist strongholds like southeastern Ontario. However, it is used extensively by historians and genealogists.

In Canadian heraldry, Loyalist descendants are also entitled to use a Loyalist coronet in their coat of arms. Heraldry in its most general sense encompasses all matters relating to the duties and responsibilities of officers of arms. A coat of arms or armorial bearings (often just arms for short in European tradition is a design belonging to a particular person (or group of people

A version of the Union Flag as used from 1707 to 1801, which can still be seen as a common Loyalist symbol in certain parts of Canada.
A version of the Union Flag as used from 1707 to 1801, which can still be seen as a common Loyalist symbol in certain parts of Canada. The Union Flag, also known as the Union Jack, is the national flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The influence of the Loyalists on the evolution of Canada remains. Their ties with Britain and their antipathy to the United States provided the strength needed to keep Canada independent and distinct in North America. The Loyalists' basic distrust of republicanism and "mob rule" influenced Canada's gradual "paper-strewn" path to independence. Republicanism is the Ideology of governing a nation as a Republic, with an emphasis on Liberty, Rule of law, Popular sovereignty Ochlocracy ( Greek: οχλοκρατία or okhlokratía; Latin: ochlocratia) is government by mob or a mass of people In effect, the new British North American provinces of Upper Canada (the forerunner of Ontario) and New Brunswick were created as places of refuge for the United Empire Loyalists. The Province of Upper Canada (French Province du Haut-Canada) was a British colony located in what is now the southern portion of the Province of Ontario New Brunswick ( French: Nouveau-Brunswick /nuvobʁɔnzwik/ is one of Canada 's three Maritime provinces and is the only constitutionally The mottos of the two Provinces reflect this history - Ontario's motto is "Ut incepit fidelis sic permanet" (Loyal she began, loyal she remains), New Brunswick's motto is: "Spem Reduxit" (Hope restored).

The word "Loyalist" appears frequently in school, street, and business names in loyalist-settled communities such as Belleville, Ontario. Belleville ( 2006 population 48821 metropolitan population 91518 is a city located at the mouth of the Moira River on the Bay of Quinte in southeastern The nearby city of Kingston was established as a loyalist stronghold, named in honour of King George III. Kingston Ontario is a Canadian city located at the eastern end of Lake Ontario, where the lake runs into the St There is also a township named Loyalist in the suburban outskirts of Kingston. The term Township generally means the district or area associated with a town Loyalist is a township in central eastern Ontario, Canada on Lake Ontario.

In 1996, Canadian politicians John Godfrey and Peter Milliken sponsored the Godfrey-Milliken Bill, which would have entitled Loyalist descendants to reclaim ancestral property in the United States that was confiscated by the American government during the American Revolution. John Ferguson Godfrey, PC, (born December 19, 1942) is a Canadian educator journalist and former Member of Parliament Peter Andrew Stewart Milliken, MP (born November 12, 1946) is a Canadian lawyer and politician The Godfrey-Milliken Bill, officially Bill C-339 The American Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (Loyalty Act was a Private Member's Bill introduced in the Canadian In this article the inhabitants of the thirteen colonies that supported the American Revolution are primarily referred to as "Americans" with occasional references to "Patriots" The bill, which did not pass in the House of Commons, was primarily intended as a satirical response to the contemporaneous American Helms-Burton Act. The House of Commons (Chambre des communes is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign (represented by the Governor General) and The Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (Libertad Act of 1996 ( Helms-Burton Act,,,) is a United States federal law which strengthens and continues the

List of Loyalist settlements in present-day Canada

A view of the Thousand Islands region of eastern Ontario.
A view of the Thousand Islands region of eastern Ontario. The Thousand Islands is the name of an archipelago of Islands that straddle the U
Monument to United Loyalists. Fountain in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada.
Monument to United Loyalists. Fountain in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada.

18th-century names are listed first, alongside their present-day equivalents.

See also

References

  1. ^ Dorchester Proclamation, transcript at "http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/read/UNITED-EMPIRE-LOYALIST/2001-05/0989875861"
  2. ^ see for example this http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/read/UNITED-EMPIRE-LOYALIST/2001-05/0989875861 on Rootsweb

Further reading

External links

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