Post #6: Thayendanegea

Dear Journal,

Nothing important has happened lately well not important enough to write down. The only interesting thing that happened is that there is a first nation that is called Thayendanegea he had helped us in the seven years’ war. He is still an ally for us-the British. A while ago he sent me a letter/journal to read, I will summarize it for you because it was very long. Man he can write. Enjoy:

Thayendanegea traveled in disguise through the rebel-controlled country side to Haudenosaunee territory. He convinced them to support us-Britain. He knew that we would honour the First Nations rights than the United States. The Haudenosaunee assisted us in many successful battles-that’s right successful. However we kind of ignored them during their peace negotiations.  During the Treaty of Paris, we transferred the claim of land all the way to the Mississippi river to the Americans, this land was occupied by the First Nations and they were angry to find that we gave the land to the Americans.

Most of the First Nations felt betrayed by our actions. Thayendanegea traveled to London to petition for his people. Finally we agreed that we would provide land for them. The governor of Quebec granted land for them, the grant included land six miles on either side of the Grand River. He and 2000 other First Nations moved onto the land.

September 16, 1792

Post #5: The Loyalists

June 15, 1785

Dear Journal,

Those Loyalists here in Nova Scotia are facing difficult times.  They have no idea how to survive the cold winters.  We are supplying them with some basic tools and some food only for the winter, but by summer their crops should be fine and they won’t need our help any more.  But if they ask, we will be pleased to help.  I heard that the Loyalists in Quebec are not getting help at all.

June 1, 1792

Dear Journal,

Slaves, owned by the rebels, had been promised freedom if they help us.  When the American Revolution ended there were around 3000 Black Loyalists coming to North Nova Scotia.  Their first goal, much like the others, was to build homes but we only had a short supply of tools and wood.  Most of them were forced to work and they often had to settle on poor land.

I just got a letter from a friend of mine about an inspiring Black Loyalist Thomas Peters.  Here is the letter.  Enjoy:

Thomas peers came here to Nova Scotia after the American Revolution.  Even by 1791, many people were having a difficult time finding land to build their homes.  If they got some land, it would only be around half of a hectare, while the Loyalists got hundreds of hectares.

He wrote many petitions on behalf of the Black Loyalists.  I am pretty sure that they got rejected because he always left angry and sad.  After, he left North America for a while, probably to show his petitions to the Crown.  They were rejected as well, he said when he got back.  He told me that while he was in London, he caught the attention of the Sierra Leone Company.  As you might already know, they are trying to establish a settlement for freed slaves in Sierra Leone, Africa.

Thomas Peters had few alternatives.  He was only offered some poor land in Nova Scotia or he could serve in the army.  Most people, like him, decided to go to Sierra Leone to get more freedom.  When they got to Sierra Leone, the conditions were almost the same as in Nova Scotia- poor weather, delays in receiving grants and difficult relationships with the local Africans.

Post #4: Us V.S the Thirteen Colonies

April 14 1776

Dear Journal,

A war is starting.  We are fighting the Thirteen Colonies.  The parts of the Thirteen Colonies that support us are facing difficult times as to whether they should help their country or help the ones that they like better - us.  Apparently the patriots are on guard against anyone who is against their cause.  People who were trying to be neutral were targets for abuse.  I have a bad feeling that we might not win.

May 23, 1782

Dear Journal,

The war is finally over.  Sorry, I did not have time to write, as I was too busy keeping myself safe. Anyway, we lost the war a couple weeks ago.  So many people had to leave their homes from the United States, and come to Canada and Quebec.  Some chose to go and some were forced to go.  They are called the United Empire Loyalists, or as we call them The Loyalists.  The Loyalists mostly came north. They had all different jobs - farmers, clergy, lawyers, solders, crafts people, former slaves and recent immigrants to the Thirteen Colonies.  Some were rich, some were poor, but they all had one thing in common: they had better connections to us than the United States.  Some of the migrators were First Nation’s people. The Loyalists stayed loyal to us because they were angry with their country.

Post #3: The Quebec Act

 March 11, 1776

Dear Journal,

I am horrible at writing every week. Two year catch up. The Quebec Act worked but the Thirteen Colonies have been mad because we gave the Ohio Valley to Quebec instead of them. In 1775, the Colonies were really mad. They had these meetings; I think they were called the Continental Congress. I even think that they asked Quebec and Nova Scotia to be part of the Congress but thankfully they refused the offer.

I don’t remember writing this, but I’ll tell you again anyway. Back in 1765, our parliament told the Colonists to pay a tax for every piece of paper that they used. I personally think that was a little harsh. But the money was used to pay some of the costs of defending the colonies. But they got mad that they had to spend so much money to write a letter that they organized a boycott which caused us to cancel the Act in 1766.

Post #2: Decisions Decisions

October 8. 1763

Dear Journal,

I have been so busy that I forgot to write.  So now I am going to tell you what has been happening.    Just in case there are any more problems in North America, we wrote a Royal Proclamation.  It will organize the North American Territories that we got from the Treaty of Paris and it will also keep peace with the First Nations and will help to make the French in Quebec like us.

But, we noticed that the First Nations people truly have a right to their land.  To make more room for us, the King had to make an agreement with them.  So, they agreed that we can use their land only if we give them an annual payment.  But in some cases, issues were resolved without such agreements an we were able to use the land.

February 17, 1774

Dear Journal,

The people of Virgina and North Carolina are very unhappy because we were telling them that they should move north to Quebec instead of moving west.  They did not want to go to Quebec because the good farming land was all taken.

Governor James Murray has been sent back to Britain because he has been favouring the French by giving them more rights than the British colonists.  Now, Sir Guy Carleton is going to replace him as governor of the colony.

But when Sir Carleton got here we found that he was not much different from Governor Murray because he too found the French easier to deal with.  The British merchants are still complaining that their rights are being violated. 

Sir Carleton is concerned about the Thirteen Colonies being unsettled and he thinks that the French in Quebec could be our allies if we had to fight the Thirteen Colonies.  He said that we should keep the French as happy as possible so when we need the help, they will return the favour.  He is also thinking of writing the Quebec Act, that will change the Royal Proclamation of 1763.

Post #1: Finally Peace

February 10, 1763.

Dear Journal,

Finally, those French people signed the Treaty of Paris to end the war.  The war was seven years long - can you believe it?  We devoted so much time and effort to the war that now we really need some time and peace to rest and recover.  But, we still have problems with the Thirteen Colonies and Québec.   

While I was in Quebec, we had to decide how to rule those French Catholics.  They obviously are not going to welcome us onto their land.  How could us few administrators take charge of the thousands of Canadiens?

About those Thirteen Colonies that I was talking about before, some of the settlers are anxious to move to the Ohio Valley.  I don’t understand why they want to move now that France has been defeated.

The First Nations are a little upset about the whole thing too because they had to give up their land in the Ohio Valley – but who cares anyway.

April 21, 1763

Dear Journal,

Here is a quick note to catch up on what has been happening lately.  The First Nations are very upset with us because they think we are treating them disrespectfully and apparently this is the straw that broke the camel’s back. 

The leader of the Odawa First Nations , Pontiac, formed an alliance with the other First Nations and they took over several of our forts close to the Ohio Frontier.  Hopefully when winter comes they will leave to go to their winter hunting grounds and with any luck we can make peace.