HIST 1113 Essay: Staying or Leaving Thirteen Colonies (1783-1812)

This essay explores the factors that influenced people's decisions to either stay or leave the Thirteen Colonies between the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, focusing on the period from 1783 to 1812. The paper discusses the challenges faced by individuals, particularly Black Loyalists, when settling in British North America (Nova Scotia, Lower Canada, and Upper Canada). It highlights issues such as slavery, taxation, and the impact of war on the common people, drawing on primary sources like the memoirs of Boston King and letters from the time. The essay also examines the influence of the American Revolution and the War of 1812, and their effects on the social, economic and political landscape of the region, including the impact on the Indian tribes and the maritime challenges faced by the people. The paper concludes by emphasizing the tumultuous nature of the period and the reasons why many people chose to leave the Thirteen Colonies.

Running head: HISTORY ESSAY
History Essay
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1
HISTORY ESSAY
The following paper will discuss about the decision of the common people about staying
or leaving the thirteen colonies between the time of the American Revolutionary War and the
war of 1812.1 The people faced several problems and challenges when they landed in the
colonies of the British Columbia like Nova Scotia, Lower Canada and Upper Canada.
Between the years 1783 and 1785, around 3000 black people came to Nova Scotia
because of the direct result of the Revolutionary War. The thirteen colonies had been established
by Great Britain. The main purpose of establishing these colonies was to harvest the raw
materials in the region. These things were fish, fur, lumber and other things. However, the
situation went from bad to worse in this context. The curse of slavery was the background of
those people.
The black people had been oppressed and their decision was based mainly on leaving the
region for their safety only. The British power had raised the amount of tax and this resulted in
anger of the people of the thirteen colonies of Nova Scotia, Upper and Lower Canada. The
American Revolution had been one of the most impactful battle engagements in which the
tensions between United States of America and Canada were on the rise.
Many challenges had been faced by the countries and their common people. The
American rebellions wanted to secure their land so they could secure the North Frontier region.
The invasions in the regions had been so problematic for the common people that it was much
better to leave the place and settle to a new region. Both these wars had a negative impact on the
lives of the common people. The domestic scenario had been affected by the war situations in
1 Novascotia.ca (2019). Remembering Black Loyalists, Black Communities in Nova Scotia. [online] Novascotia.ca.
Available at: https://www.novascotia.ca/museum/blackloyalists/ [Accessed 1 Mar. 2019].

2
HISTORY ESSAY
this region. The American patriots thought the Indian tribes to be a threat for their safety. Some
of the tribes were even afraid of the probable encroachments of their lands to the colonial
powers. The Black Americans or the African Americans thought revolution as a means to get
their freedom.
The fighting in the south had been a major cause for the slaves to escape from the region.2
These challenges had been posed before them to leave the thirteen colonies. The maritime
challenges in Nova Scotia had also been one of major issues for the black people to escape. This
region had been heavily affected in the American Revolution.3 The significant impact on Nova
Scotia had affected the lives of people. As discussed in the sources the American Revolution was
a civil war and impacts were felt on agriculture and economy of the region in many aspects.
On a concluding note, it can be said that the time between the American Revolutionary
War and war of 1812 was a tumultuous time for the people in the region of Nova Scotia, Upper
and Lower Canada. This is why it was better for people of that region to leave the place.
Works Cited
Blackloyalist.com. 2019. "Boston King's 'Memoirs'". Blackloyalist.com.
http://blackloyalist.com/cdc/documents/diaries/king-memoirs.htm.
2 Warmuseum.ca. 2019. "WarMuseum.ca - Wars on Our Soil, earliest times to 1885 - The American Revolution".
Warmuseum.ca. https://www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/exhibitions/gallery1/revolution_e.html.
3 Loc.gov. 2019. "Revolutionary War: The Home Front - American Memory Timeline- Classroom Presentation |
Teacher Resources - Library of Congress". Loc.gov.
http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/timeline/amrev/homefrnt/.

3
HISTORY ESSAY
Loc.gov. 2019. "Revolutionary War: The Home Front - American Memory Timeline- Classroom
Presentation | Teacher Resources - Library of Congress". Loc.gov.
http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/
timeline/amrev/homefrnt/.
Novascotia.ca (2019). Remembering Black Loyalists, Black Communities in Nova Scotia.
[online] Novascotia.ca. Available at: https://www.novascotia.ca/museum/blackloyalists/
[Accessed 1 Mar. 2019].
Preserve.lib.unb.ca (2019). [online] Preserve.lib.unb.ca. Available at:
https://preserve.lib.unb.ca/wayback/20141205151334mp_/http:/atlanticportal.hil.unb.ca/acva/
loyalistwomen/en/documents/ingraham/hannah_ingraham.pdf [Accessed 3 Mar. 2019].
Preserve.lib.unb.ca. 2019. . Preserve.lib.unb.ca.
https://preserve.lib.unb.ca/wayback/20141205151334/http:/atlanticportal.hil.unb.ca/acva/
loyalistwomen/en/documents/browse/view.php?id=13_41&mode=dpl.
Warmuseum.ca. 2019. "WarMuseum.ca - Wars on Our Soil, earliest times to 1885 - The
American Revolution". Warmuseum.ca.
https://www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/exhibitions/gallery1/revolution_e.html.