Who were the United Empire Loyalists?

The United Empire Loyalists were settlers loyal to the British Crown who fled the Thirteen Colonies during and after the American Revolution (1775 to 1783) and settled in the British colonies of Quebec, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and the new colony of New Brunswick (created in 1784). About 50,000 Loyalists came to British North America between 1776 and 1785, profoundly shaping the demographic, political, and cultural development of what became Canada. The 'United Empire' designation was conferred by Lord Dorchester (Sir Guy Carleton) on November 9, 1789 to honour those who had joined the Royal Standard before the 1783 peace treaty.

Loyalist refugees fell into several broad groups. About 30,000 Loyalists went to Nova Scotia (then including what became New Brunswick), settling primarily in Halifax, Shelburne, Saint John, and the St. John River Valley. About 10,000 went to Quebec, settling primarily in the upper St. Lawrence River and around the Bay of Quinte and Niagara peninsula in what became Upper Canada. About 2,000 went to Prince Edward Island and 1,000 to Cape Breton Island. About 7,000 to 8,000 went to England or other parts of the British Empire. The remaining Loyalists eventually returned to or remained in the United States.

Loyalist communities included diverse groups. About 3,000 were Black Loyalists, formerly enslaved people who had gained freedom by joining the British during the war (under proclamations such as Lord Dunmore's 1775 proclamation and the 1779 Philipsburg Proclamation). Most Black Loyalists settled in Nova Scotia, particularly at Birchtown near Shelburne, the largest free Black settlement in North America at the time. About 2,000 were Indigenous Loyalists, including Mohawk and other Haudenosaunee allies of Britain led by Joseph Brant (Thayendanegea), who settled at the Six Nations of the Grand River reserve in Upper Canada (established 1784) and the Bay of Quinte Mohawk Reserve (Tyendinaga, established 1784).

The Loyalist influx produced major political consequences. The British government created the colony of New Brunswick in 1784 to give Loyalist settlers their own jurisdiction (separating them from established Nova Scotia). The Constitutional Act of 1791 divided Quebec into Lower Canada (largely French) and Upper Canada (largely Loyalist). Loyalists established the founding political and legal institutions of Upper Canada, with English common law, township-based settlement, and elected assemblies. The 'UEL' designation was used as a post-nominal honour for Loyalists and their descendants. The United Empire Loyalists' Association of Canada (founded 1914) maintains genealogical records and advocates for Loyalist heritage.