From Slavery to Freetown: Black Loyalists After the American Revolution

From Library Journal
In recent years, the transatlantic and multiethnic experiences of the Afro-Atlantic world have gained the attention of historians. Clifford, an independent scholar living in Williamsburg, VA, here makes an important contribution to their efforts with this account of Virginia and Carolina slaves emancipated by the British during the American Revolution, evacuated to Nova Scotia, and eventually, under the direction of the British, settled as the founders of Freetown, Sierra Leone. Proud, skilled, and deeply religious, these dignified black loyalists struggled against British domination, first in Nova Scotia and then in Sierra Leone, for self-governance, land rights, education, and religious freedom. Although she tells her story in a dull, dry prose, Clifford has uncovered a fascinating and underrepresented aspect of the black diaspora. See also John W. Pulis's Moving On: Black Loyalists in the Afro-Atlantic World (Garland, 1999). Recommended for academic libraries.-Sherri Barnes, Univ. of California Lib., Santa Barbara Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The Virginia Gazette
"draws on a variety of sources, including memoirs of some of the settlers, diaries of the British in Sierra Leone, and official records in London and Halifax"

Book Description
During the American Revolution over 3,000 persons of African descent were promised freedom by the British if they would desert their American rebel masters and serve the loyalist cause. Those who responded to this promise found refuge in New York. In 1783, after Britain lost the war, they were evacuated to Nova Scotia, where for a decade they were treated as cheap labor by the white loyalists. In 1792 they were finally offered a new home in West Africa; over 1,200 responded and became the founders of Freetown in Sierra Leone. This history follows ten of these freed slaves from their escape from masters in Virginia and the Carolinas to their sojourn in wartime New York, their evacuation to Nova Scotia and finally their exodus to Freetown, where they struggled for another decade for not only freedom and dignity but the right to worship as they choose, make an honest living, and govern themselves.

About the Author
Mary Louise Clifford became interested in the first settlers of Freetown while living in Hill Station while her husband served as UN economic advisor to the prime minister of Sierra Leone. She has also written works on Liberia, Afghanistan, Malaysia, and the Arabian Peninsula. She lives in Williamsburg, Virginia.


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In recent years, the transatlantic and multiethnic experiences of the Afro-Atlantic world have gained the attention of historians. Clifford, an independent scholar living in Williamsburg, VA, here makes an important contribution to their efforts with this account of Virginia and Carolina slaves emancipated by the British during the American Revolution, evacuated to Nova Scotia, and eventually, under the direction of the British, settled as the founders of Freetown, Sierra Leone. Proud, skilled, and deeply religious, these dignified black loyalists struggled against British domination, first in Nova Scotia and then in Sierra Leone, for self-governance, land rights, education, and religious freedom. Although she tells her story in a dull, dry prose, Clifford has uncovered a fascinating and underrepresented aspect of the black diaspora. See also John W. Pulis's Moving On: Black Loyalists in the Afro-Atlantic World (Garland, 1999). Recommended for academic libraries.--Sherri Barnes, Univ. of California Lib., Santa Barbara Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.


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