Posted: Feb 01, 2021 3:16 PM AT | Last Updated: February 1
The $20 commemorative silver coin honours the Black Loyalists who immigrated to Nova Scotia between 1783-1785. (Royal Canadian Mint)
The contributions and struggles of Black Loyalists who founded many of Nova Scotia s most historic communities is being marked with a commemorative coin announced Monday by the Royal Canadian Mint.
The Black Loyalists were a group of people of African birth or descent who emigrated to Nova Scotia because of the American War of Independence against Britain.
In an effort to gain support, the British declared that any enslaved people would receive freedom and land if they took up arms for the British cause. The British ultimately lost and their supporters moved north, with more than 3,000 Black Loyalists arriving between 1783-1785.