I just watched the History Matters short video about why the Canadian colonies didn't join the American Revolution, and all of that more or less made sense, but I was hoping some historians could elaborate on what the relationship was like before the war. Did the colonies that would go on to make up Canada already see themselves as different or was the war the moment when the subtle differences became dividing lines? From reading books like 1776 I know each colony had its own culture and personality. Would a resident of Massachusetts have thought of Nova Scotians the exact same way they thought of Virginians? I look forward to any insight you can give on relationships, trade, etc.
In his book 1948 history “Halifax: Warden of the North” , Thomas Randall wrote that Nova Scotia colony was very close culturally, economically, and socially through family ties to the other 13 colonies, especially Massachusetts.
There was popular sentiment to join the independence movement in 1776, but Halifax was Britain’s primary military base in North America, making a military uprising in Nova Scotia too difficult. Washington could not offer support at the start of the Revolution; and then repeated revolutionary privateer raids on communities across Nova Scotia outraged the population and pushed them into the Loyalist faction.
Quebec was very different; of course. They didn’t consider themselves to have much in common with the 13 colonies; especially given that Quebec was Catholic and the 13 colonies were Protestant in an era when sectarianism was very very real.