Why Nova Scotia Failed to Join the American Revolution
Abstract: This essay discusses why Nova Scotia failed to join the American Revolution. It discusses the social, political, economic, geographic, as well as religious factors that led to Nova Scotians’ lack of attachment to revolutionary ideology in the colonies.
During the time of the American Revolution, Nova Scotia was geographically on the northeastern frontier of Massachusetts. No geographical feature separated Nova Scotia from Maine, which meant that the Canadian province was very much a part of the Massachusetts colony. The question remains, therefore, why Nova Scotia failed to join the American Revolution in 1776. There were, after all, many new Englanders in Nova Scotia, and it remains a serious question as to why they did not feel a sense of obligation and connection to their counterparts in the American colonies. The answer to this question lies in the social, political, economic, geographic, as well as religious circumstances in the colony. Overall, Nova Scotians were simply not physically or emotionally attached to the colonies.
It is important to begin this discussion by pointing out that economic factors tied Nova Scotia closer to Britain than to the other American colonies. English fishing, for instance, was worth very much money and Nova Scotia was dependent upon it. Moreover, grants from England also kept Nova Scotia in a needy predicament. In other words, the country was in no position economically to support -- or join -- the Revolution. Without the revenue from English fishing and money, Nova Scotians would simply have had to face many difficult circumstances. As a result, economic factors played an important role in Nova Scotians’ reluctance to join the Revolution. (Rawlyck, p.220)
There was also a void in Nova Scotia in the context of nationalist identity. Nova Scotians did not real feel a sense of nationalism, in the sense that they wanted to stand up for “their rights.” More than anything else, they wanted to stay out of international
During the time of the American Revolution, Nova Scotia was geographically on the northeastern frontier of Massachusetts. No geographical feature separated Nova Scotia from Maine, which meant that the Canadian province was very much a part of the Massachusetts colony. The question remains, therefore, why Nova Scotia failed to join the American Revolution in 1776. There were, after all, many new Englanders in Nova Scotia, and it remains a serious question as to why they did not feel a sense of obligation and connection to their counterparts in the American colonies. The answer to this question lies in the social, political, economic, geographic, as well as religious circumstances in the colony. Overall, Nova Scotians were simply not physically or emotionally attached to the colonies.
It is important to begin this discussion by pointing out that economic factors tied Nova Scotia closer to Britain than to the other American colonies. English fishing, for instance, was worth very much money and Nova Scotia was dependent upon it. Moreover, grants from England also kept Nova Scotia in a needy predicament. In other words, the country was in no position economically to support -- or join -- the Revolution. Without the revenue from English fishing and money, Nova Scotians would simply have had to face many difficult circumstances. As a result, economic factors played an important role in Nova Scotians’ reluctance to join the Revolution. (Rawlyck, p.220)
There was also a void in Nova Scotia in the context of nationalist identity. Nova Scotians did not real feel a sense of nationalism, in the sense that they wanted to stand up for “their rights.” More than anything else, they wanted to stay out of international
Bibliography: Brebner, John Bartlet. The Neutral Yankees of Nova Scotia. (New York: Morningside Heights 1937). Clarke, S.D. Movements of Political Protest in Canada, 1640-1840 (Toronto, 1959). Marini, Stephen. Radical Sects of Revolutionary England. (London:Harvard University Press, 1982). Rawlyck, George. ‘The American Revolution and Nova Scotia Reconsidered,’ in Francis, Douglas and Smith, Douglas (eds.) Canadian History. Pre-Confederation.(Toronto: Holt, Rinehart and Winston Ltd., 1990) Stewart, Gordon and George Rawlyk. A People Highly Favoured of God: The Nova Scotia Yankees and the American Revolution. (Hamden, CT: Archon Books, 1972)