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History General

This Unfriendly Soil

The Loyalist Experience in Nova Scotia, 1783-1791

by (author) Neil MacKinnon

Publisher
McGill-Queen's University Press
Initial publish date
Jan 1989
Category
General, General
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9780773507197
    Publish Date
    Jan 1989
    List Price
    $32.95
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9780773562189
    Publish Date
    Jan 1989
    List Price
    $40.95

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Description

Loyalists in Nova Scotia hoped that their anticipated prosperity, to be achieved with British aid, would show that the American rebellion had been a terrible mistake. But prosperity was elusive. The loyalists were disappointed not only by their treatment at the hands of the British government - their reluctant benefactor - but also by the apparent unwillingness of the government and the people of Nova Scotia to recognise their sacrifice and encourage their advancement. This sense of opposition from the existing community made their experience different from that of loyalists elsewhere and contributed to the intensity and longevity of Nova Scotia's loyalist tradition. The early period of loyalist settlement came to a close shortly after Britain gained portable pensions and withdrew free provisions, a turn of events which led many of the exiles to return to their homeland. By 1791 relations with the old settlers and the provincial government, changing attitudes toward the United States, and conflict among themselves had modified loyalist opinions and expectations in ways they would never have imagined a decade earlier.

About the author

Editorial Reviews

"MacKinnon writes well: clearly, gently, without jargon or pretension. His book is therefore accessible to a wide range of readers from high school to graduate school, while also being well documented and showing all the signs of scholarship." Choice
"an excellent job of condensing the results of loyalist scholarship...in relation to the early history of American loyqalist refugees in Nova Scotia." Atlantic Provinces Book Review

"MacKinnon writes well: clearly, gently, without jargon or pretension. His book is therefore accessible to a wide range of readers from high school to graduate school, while also being well documented and showing all the signs of scholarship." Choice "an excellent job of condensing the results of loyalist scholarship...in relation to the early history of American loyqalist refugees in Nova Scotia." Atlantic Provinces Book Review