I Who Were the Loyalists?
During and following the American Revolution (1775-1783), an estimated 50,000 American colonists who remained loyal to the British Crown sought refuge in the remaining provinces of British North America, now part of Canada. While most of the Loyalists who came to present-day Quebec eventually relocated to what (after 1791) became Upper Canada, a significant number remained in what became Lower Canada where they settled in various areas, particularly in the Eastern Townships and Chaleur Bay, Gaspé, and made notable contributions to the development of the Province as a whole. Their descendants are many and include both English-speaking and French-speaking Quebecers.