Coming to Nova Scotia

Slide 1

Black pioneers came to Nova Scotia in two major migrations, 1783 and 1813, from the Thirteen British Colonies which became the United States of America. Most Black Pioneers came to Nova Scotia by ship. 1500 Black Pioneers landed at Port Roseway, now Shelburne. Thick forest grew down to the coastline. Black Pioneers arriving in 1813 landed at the busy port of Halifax and at Annapolis Royal.

Purpose of Section: Coming to Nova Scotia

Students will:

develop a definition of a Pioneer
determine when the largest groups of people of African descent came to Nova Scotia
discover the reasons why Black pioneers came to Nova Scotia
trace the routes which Black Pioneers travelled to reach Nova Scotia
determine what materials and resources Black Pioneers brought with them to Nova Scotia to establish a successful, new life.

Activities

Focussing Activities

1. Brainstorm the meaning of the words Pioneer, Loyalist, Refugee, Immigrant.

A Have the students explain their understanding of the meaning of these words?
B Have the students discuss how they know the meanings of these words.
C What have they previously read, heard or seen which helps them to understand the meaning of these words?
D Have the students consult several dictionaries and compare the dictionary definitions of these terms with their own understandings?
E What additional information can be learned from the dictionary about the meaning of these terms?
F What information do the children have about these words which the dictionaries do not contain?

2. Have the students read the introduction to this package Introduction: Nova Scotia Black Pioneers

(A number of these questions appear as Reproducible Activity Sheets)

A Identify the various reasons Black Pioneers left the British Colony of America to come to Nova Scotia? (See Reproducible Activity Sheet Why did People of African Descent Come to Nova Scotia?)
B What types of transportation did the Black Pioneers use to reach Nova Scotia from places such as New York?
C What materials would be absolutely necessary to bring or obtain when you came to Nova Scotia and why? (See Reproducible Activity Sheet The Black Pioneers had to leave America quickly.)
D What materials would you have wanted to bring with you to your new home in Nova Scotia to make life easier but which might have been difficult to afford or ship?
E What fears might the Black Pioneers have had in thinking about coming to Nova Scotia or remaining in America? (See Reproducible Activity Sheet the fears and hopes)
F Make a words image collage to show the fears and hopes of the Black Pioneers who came to Nova Scotia.
G What might the living conditions on the ships which brought the Black Pioneers to Nova Scotia have been like? Create a word picture, poem or audio tape describing the living conditions aboard the ships which reveals the sights, sounds, scents and tastes of the voyage.

3. Write a journal or diary entry as a young person preparing to leave the British Colony of America for a new and unknown Nova Scotia.

A What are your dreams for your life to come?
B What does it feel like to make an ocean crossing in this ship?
C How do you feel as you catch sight of your new home Nova Scotia?

Follow Up Activities

4. Invite an immigration worker or person who has emigrated to Canada to speak to the class about the rules, guidelines and regulations which govern immigration to Canada today.

A Have the students compare and contrast how immigration is experienced and handled differently today than during the 1783 and 1812 migrations of Blacks to Nova Scotia?
B What new questions and insights concerning the experience of emigrating to a new home are raised for the students?
C What similar difficulties do all immigrants of the past and present face?

5. How would life be different for people of African descent who came to Nova Scotia as free women, men and children when compared to life in the American Colonies as enslaved people, indentured servants or as free Blacks?

6. Why would sailing ships be the main means of transportation to Nova Scotia from the United States during the 1783 and 1813 migrations of Black Pioneers?

7. Write a personal letter or diary about life on board ship and your first sighting of the shoreline of Nova Scotia?

8. Ask students to conduct their own personal "roots" research project by family members and reading any available family heritage. On a map of the world attach name tags and flags to note each student's global roots and approximate date the family or family branches first came from elsewhere to Nova Scotia.

9. Create a family tree with the participation of family members, and present a brief oral report to the class. (see Reproducible Activity Sheet, Family Tree)

10. Develop a time line with the class to show the following migrations of Black Pioneers to Nova Scotia: 1783, 1792 and 1813. Construct an additional timeline of students' families migrations to Nova Scotia.

11. Calculate how long each student's family history has been tied to Nova Scotia. Compare this with the duration of the Black and Mic Mac communities' history in Nova Scotia.

12. In a small group or in pairs, create a mural illustrating the forms of transportation used by immigrants to reach Nova Scotia in the past and in the present. Students might wish to align the mural's visuals with the timelines they have created.

13. Make a laminated road map of North America available to students for small group work. Ensure students understand how to calculate distance using the map scale.

A Have students draw several possible routes the Black Loyalist and Black Refugees might have sailed to come to Nova Scotia.
B Calculate the sailing distance in kilometres. Explain the concepts of mile and nautical mile. How many days voyage by sea did the Black Loyalists and Refugees experience?
C Have the students consult airline, shipping, and train company schedules to determine the length of the journey for present day travellers using modern forms of mass transportation.
D By what routes might students today drive from Black Pioneer embarkation sites to Nova Scotia? How long would a car trip take in the present day? Have the students represent their comparisons of routes, modes of transportation, distances and journey duration using a bar graph.

14.Write a letter as a Black Pioneer to a relative in the Thirteen Colonies. Describe your journey to Nova Scotia, life aboard ship, and your first sighting of Nova Scotia.

15. Enrichment/Classroom Visitor Invite a fishing captain, ferry boat captain, or experienced pleasure boat owner to demonstrate how a ship's course is charted and calculated. What navigation instruments have been used in the past? What newer instruments are now available? What are their advantages for the modern sailor?

16. Developmental Drama In small groups, assume the identities of a Black Loyalist family leaving the United States to come to Nova Scotia. Role play an incident of the Black Loyalists leaving the United States to come to Nova Scotia to communicate the meaning of coming to Nova Scotia. What feelings, fear, hopes, incidents might you experience? You might wish to include any of the following:

A People of African descent hearing about the Promised Land
B A family meeting to weigh the pros and cons of leaving the US to go the Canada
C People of African descent meeting to get ready to board a ship at New York or from Chesapeake Bay to come to Nova Scotia People of African descent hiding from the slave catchers at New York
D A job as a member of the Black Pioneer regiment under Steven Blucke
E Hiding as a family from slave catchers at New York
F Receiving your certificate identifying you as a free person.

17. As a British General, design an advertisement to convince Black Loyalists or Black Refugees to come to Nova Scotia. Be sure to consider the life and living conditions of Black Loyalists and Refugees during this time period as you consider how to develop the appeal of your advertisement.

18. Conduct a novel study or a group of novel studies about the life of Black Pioneers before their immigration to Nova Scotia. Recommended novels for the grade 4 level include:

Barkhouse, Joyce. Yesterday's Children, Hantsport: Lancelot Press, 1992.

Clark, Goff Margaret. Freedom Crossing, New York: Scholastic Inc, 1980.

Kallen, Stuart. Days of Slavery: A History of Black People in America 1619-1863, Minneapolis: Abdo and Daughters, 1990.

May, Paul Charles. Left By Themselves, Toronto: Scholastic Inc., 1992.

O'Dell, Scott. My Name Is Not Angelica, New York: Dell Publishing, 1989.

Petry, Ann. Tituba, New York: Harper, 1964.

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