About the Book

During the American Revolution tens of thousands of colonists loyal to Britain left the colonies and resettled in Canada, Britain, and the Carribean. Among them were a substantial number of black loyalists. This groundbreaking study explores the lives, struggles, and politics of black loyalists who dispersed throughout the Atlantic region, including Canada, Britain, Sierra Leone, and Jamaica. The struggles of these populations, a "diaspora within a diaspora," for political and economic independence under various British colonial regimes highlight the variety of challenges which faced black loyalists in the Afro-Atlantic World.