From American Slaves to Nova Scotian Subjects

Volume 2 of the Canadian Ethnography series is a fascinating study that reveals the little-known experiences and lives of migrant American slaves in the years of struggle after their arrival in colonial Canada between 1813 and1840. Overwhelming odds limited their opportunities for earning a respectable livelihood, but despite years of poverty, disease, racism, and neglect in a harsh environment, the Black Refugees persevered to develop a distinct community identity and a foothold in the rural and urban economy of Nova Scotia.