United Empire Loyalists
United Empire Loyalists is the name given to individuals who are descendants of
British loyalists during the
American War of Independence who left the 13 rebellious American colonies for the future
Canada: the two British colonies of
Quebec (including the
Eastern Townships and modern-day
Ontario) and
Nova Scotia (including modern-day
New Brunswick). The
Jay Treaty promised the Loyalists compensation for their lost property although the American
Congress essentially refused to "... restore seized property, redress grievances, and permit loyalists to return home to live under the new jurisdiction" (Christopher Moore,
The Loyalists: Revolution, Exile, Settlement (1984), ISBN 0771060939, p. 148).
In the United Kingdom, a Commission for Claims and Losses was established to compensate loyalists if they would relinquish their claims to the British government -- but only about 2000 claims were made. The rest, an estimated 100,000 to 200,000 claims, remain unresolved to this day.
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