Life in the country

 



In the first years, the communities suffered harsh climactic conditions, soil unsuitable for cultivation, high unemployment, and unfair treatment from authorities. The Black Loyalists were located in exclusively Black settlements with farms too small to ensure self-support, or they were scattered as landless members of the white Loyalist settlements. Many Blacks were day workers for Whites and exploited by them. Wage rates for blacks averaged one-quarter of what was acceptable for Whites.




Tragically, this exploitation was the reason for the riots since the disbanded white soldiers from the American Revolution wanted to secure employment for themselves and didn’t intend to accept a similar small wage for themselves.


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