8.+Loyalists+and+the+First+Nations

**__When did this occur?__** This event occured around 1783-1784.

This event involved the loyalists and the first nations people who wanted to continue to be loyal to the British.
 * __Who did this involve?__**

They were approximately 9.6 kilometers on either sides of the Grand River beginning at Lake Erie.
 * __Where were they?__**

__**What happened?**__ From the 1780s and onward, over 40,000 people who sided with the British in the Revolution who were called Loyalists, left the United States and migrated to the British colony of Quebec. Many First Nations people also left the United States for Canada.  This occured because Thayendanegea (tha-__end__-a nee-__gee__) also known as Joseph Brant convinced the First Nations people to keep supporting Britain. He belived Britain could honour First Nations rights more than the United States would. The Haudenosaunee Confederacy assisted the British in many successful battles.
 * __Why did this occur?[[image:http://www.accessgenealogy.com/native/sixnations/Joseph_Brant.jpg width="224" height="262" align="right" caption="Thayendanegea (Joseph Brant)"]]__**

__**What resulted from this?**__ What resulted from this was that many First Nations leaders realized that life on their territory was changing due to the arrival of the British. Iroquois leader Thayendanegea (also known as Joseph Brant) realized that the future of them would be very different than the past. Thus, over 150 000 hectares of land were sold off within a generation.

__**What impact did th​is have on people today? ​ ​ ​ **__ The arrival of the Loyalists not only changed the course of Canadian history by motivating the British government to establish the provinces of New Brunswick and Ontario, but it also gave them special characteristics which can be seen today. Perhaps the most conspicuous of these is the motto on the Ontario coat of arms.

Pictures and Information from:** Aitken, B., Haskings-Winner, J., Mewhinney, R., Rubinstein, B. //**Their Stories, Our History Canada's Early Years**//, Thomson Duval, 2006 print. BOO [] [] __ [] __ __ [] __
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