The War of 1812

1
The War of 1812
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The War Background

• Throughout history England and France have been
  constantly at battle with one another
• During this time Canada was a British Colony
• The United States had a good trading relationship
  with France, but their relationship with England
  had deteriorated

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Outbreak of the War

• On June 19th, 1812 President Madison of the USA
  declared war against Britain.
• They fought between the border of the USA and
  Upper (Ontario) Lower (Quebec) Canada.

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President Madison and others flee the British
www.napoleonguide.com/pixs_dcburns.htm
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www.fissionmediagroup.com/work2_ablearn1.html
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The Northern Frontier
www.army.mil/cmh-pg/books/amh/amh-06.htm
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nicholelouise.tripod.com/
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British Blockade

• The fight was on both land and at sea
• Although the USA were successful in smaller
  battles at sea the British were able to set up a
  blockade close to Delaware and Chesapeake Rivers,
  which prevented the USA from trading with Europe.
  
• This is when the USA really started to attack
  Canada.

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Area of Blockade
www.pride2.org/NewPrideSite/MD/Logs/Log10.html
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Seizure of American Sailors by the British

www.sw19j.com/images/War_of_1812_Seizure.jpg
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members.tripod.com/barthlynnmccoy/battle.jpg
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Blacks Participating in the War

• Most of the Blacks joined the British side
  because the British promised freedom, equality
  land in Canada to all American Blacks who fought
  against the USA.
• Thousands of blacks volunteered, particularly the
  Blacks from Chesapeake Bay area.

13
The British Slave Trade

• The British were not happy with the slave trade
  and they freed many American slaves after they
  won battles.
• Many slaves also ran away on their own and joined
  the British
• Americans thought that runaways were supplying
  British with intelligence on American military
  activities.

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• William Hammond, an officer of the Royal Marines,
  trained the slaves in combat. They were known as
  the Colonial Marines.
• Slaves proved they could fight.
• The black soldiers knew the information needed to
  fight the Americans, such as they knew where to
  go.
• Later the Colonial Marines joined with the Second
  Battalion, forming a Third Battalion called The
  Royal and Colonial Marines

15
The Arrival of the Chesapeake Blacks to NS

• When the war ended, nearly 2,000 Black refugees
  arrived in NS. They came between 1812 and 1815.
• As part of the peace agreement in 1814, the
  British gave the United States 250,000 (app. 1
  million dollars US) in compensation for the
  slaves they lost.

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www.britannica.com/eb/art-5572
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• After the war, any ship arriving in Halifax had
  refugees.
• Many of the Refugees fled to NS to find freedom
  because if they stayed in the USA they would have
  been put back into slavery.
• Once they arrived, they were allowed to seek
  jobs, which were relatively easy to find in NS
  after the war.
• However, they were not as lucky the following
  year.

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• In 1815, the economy in NS dropped and the first
  to lose their jobs were the Refugees.
• They were unable to support themselves and had to
  rely on government rations.
• There was also an outbreak of smallpox
• The government helped with the smallpox, but they
  did not want any more Refugees to come to NS.

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Settlements in NS

• Preston and Hammonds Plains were chosen as the
  sites for the major settlements. These were
  isolated communities
• Others were Refugee Hill (Halifax), Cobequid Road
  and many more
• In Preston, they were close to the Halifax market
  to sell goods, but a lot of the land was too
  small and barren
• They set up people to construct cabins for the
  town. They had 500 settlers and most of the
  homes were poor quality.

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Preston Hammonds Plains
http//www.cpa.ednet.ns.ca/index_5.html
www.gov.ns.ca/nsarm/virtual/africanns/ch4.asp
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• Lord Dalhousie, the Lieutenant-Governor of NS,
  encouraged the Refugees to clear their land, by
  offering them seeds for potatoes, cabbage and
  turnip.
• The former slaves found it difficult to adjust to
  the NS harsh winters, as they were from the
  south.
• They suffered from many illnesses, such as colds,
  flu and pneumonia
• Also, the cold caused many crops to fail and they
  had to go the government for assistance.
• They felt trapped in NS, because they could not
  leave as they feared being put back into slavery

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Lord Dalhousie
www.isabel.com/.../reprofr/s/sargent/om2446.html
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Emigration to Trinidad

• In 1821, the government had sent app. 100
  Refugees to Trinidad, where they would not be put
  back into slavery.
• Some had volunteered and some were sent due to an
  outbreak of scarlet fever in Hammonds Plains.

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Those who Stayed

• Those who stayed kept farming and sold their
  products in the Halifax market
• Many women in Hammonds Plains sold crafts in
  Halifax
• Others remained as unskilled labourers

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Hammonds Plains

• Hammonds Plains was named after the Lieutenant
  Governor, Sir Andrew Snape Hammonds (Hammond).
• After the war of 1812 roughly 500 Black people
  settled in Hammonds Plains.

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http//museum.gov.ns.ca/blackloyalists/18001900/Pl
aces1800/hammonds.htm
The photo is of a family from Upper Hammonds
Plains going to market.
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Features of Hammonds Plains

• One of the most important features of the
  Hammonds Plains settlement was the Pockwock Lake.
  
• The lake was named by the Micmac Indians. The
  name came from an Indian word meaning the place
  where you can go no further. This was because
  the Pockwock road ended at the lake.
• There was a 46 million dollar water system put in
  place. The water system was made to blend in with
  the wildlife and its surroundings while still
  supplying drinkable water for the community.

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Pockwock
lakes.chebucto.org/.../POCKWOCK/pockwock.html
www.mitchelmore-engineering.com/default.asp?m...

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Churches in Hammonds Plains

• The Emmanuel Baptist church was one of the first
  churches in Hammonds Plains. Rev. Burton was a
  Baptist and he helped in opening the church in
  Hammonds Plains.
• The only other Baptist church at the time was in
  Halifax and did not welcome Black people.
• Rev. Burton made sure that Blacks felt welcome
  and accepted to the Emmanuel Baptist.

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Emmanuel Baptist Church
http//www.ebchurch.ca/history.php
31
http//www.ebchurch.ca/history.php

• The new Emmanuel Baptist Church was opened up in
  August of 2005, in Upper Hammonds Plains.
• The current pastor is Lenny Anderson.

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Hammonds Plains had the first black volunteer
department in Canada.
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Rev. Richard Preston(1790-1861)

• Preston escaped slavery and came to Canada in
  search of his mother in 1816.
• He was a leading figure in helping to set up 11
  Baptist churches in Nova Scotia and encouraged
  church members to press for changes that would
  make their lives easier.

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• Affectionately called "Father Preston" by his
  congregation
• Trained as a Baptist minister in England.
• Met many of the great liberals who were leading
  voices in the Abolition Debates
• These debates led to the Slavery Abolition Act
  passed by the British Parliament in 1833.

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• Upon his return to Nova Scotia, he became
  President of the Abolitionists in Halifax,
• One of Richard Prestons greatest accomplishments
  was the creation of the African United Baptist
  Association in 1854.
• The Association is made up of representatives
  from 12 Black Baptist Churches in Nova Scotia and
  has grown to become one of the most important
  African Canadian community groups in the history
  of Nova Scotia.

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Lucasville

• Lucasville is over 250 years old
• William Oliver was given a large amount of land
  that is passed down from generation to generation
• Lucasville had its cemetery on the Old Sackville
  Road, which many of the original settlers are
  buried in the road.
• The focal point of the community is the
  Lucasville United Baptist Church