Thomas Peters (revolutionary) facts for kids

Thomas Peters, born Thomas Potters (1738 – 25 June 1792), was a brave soldier who fought for the British during the American Revolutionary War. He was a Black Loyalist, meaning he was an African American who supported the British during the war.

After the war, Thomas Peters moved to Nova Scotia in Canada. He became an important leader and helped create the nation of Sierra Leone in West Africa. Peters was one of the "Founding Fathers" of this new country. He worked with other Black Canadians to make sure the British government kept its promises of land in Nova Scotia. Later, he helped many African Americans in Nova Scotia move to Sierra Leone in the late 1700s.

Thomas Peters was once enslaved in North Carolina. He gained his freedom and joined the British forces during the war. He served in a special unit called the Black Company of Pioneers in New York. When the war ended, he and many other formerly enslaved people were taken to safety by the British. Thomas Peters is sometimes called the "first African-American hero." Like other important figures such as Elijah Johnson and Joseph Jenkins Roberts of Liberia, Peters is seen as a founding father of a nation, in his case, Sierra Leone.

Early Life and Enslavement

Thomas Peters was born in West Africa in 1738. He belonged to the Yoruba tribe, specifically the Egba clan.

When he was about 22 years old, in 1760, Thomas Peters was captured by slave traders. He was sold as a slave and brought to America on a French ship. He was likely sold to a French plantation owner in French Louisiana. Peters tried to escape three times. After these attempts, he was sold to a British or Scottish person in the Southern Colonies. This person was probably William Campbell, who lived near the Cape Fear River in Wilmington, North Carolina.

Fighting in the American Revolutionary War

In 1776, the American Revolutionary War began. Thomas Peters escaped from his master's flour mill near Wilmington. He traveled to New York and joined the Black Company of Pioneers. This was a group of African-American soldiers who had escaped slavery. The British had promised freedom to enslaved people who fought for them against the American colonies. Many formerly enslaved people joined the British army.

Peters became a sergeant in the Black Pioneers. He was wounded twice in battle. During this time, he married Sally Peters, who was also an escaped slave from South Carolina. They had a daughter named Clairy, born in 1771, and a son named John, born in 1781. It is possible that Sally and Thomas had known each other before the war.

Moving to Nova Scotia, Canada

Lawrence Hartshorne, a Quaker who helped Black Nova Scotian settlers move to Sierra Leone in 1792.

After the war, the British kept their promise of freedom. They helped Peters and about 3,000 other formerly enslaved African Americans move to Nova Scotia. White Loyalists also moved there. The British government gave land and supplies to these new settlers. The Peters family lived in Nova Scotia from 1783 to 1791.

When they first left New York, Peters's ship was blown off course and landed in Bermuda for a short time. Eventually, Thomas Peters and his family settled in Annapolis Royal. Peters and his friend Murphy Steele, who was also a Black Pioneer, asked the government for land together. They had become friends while serving in the Black Pioneers.

Seeking a New Home in Sierra Leone

Thomas Peters became unhappy in Nova Scotia. He felt that the British government had broken its promises about land and help. Black Loyalists also faced unfair treatment from white settlers. Peters decided to travel to England to demand the land that had been promised to him and others.

He collected signatures from African-American settlers in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Then, he got money to travel to London. His goal was to convince the British government to help Black settlers move somewhere else.

In 1791, Peters went to London. He helped convince the British government to let them settle a new colony in West Africa. This new colony became Freetown, Sierra Leone. Peters was welcomed in London. He met important people, including his former commander, General Henry Clinton. It was decided that Peters and a naval officer named John Clarkson would help recruit Black people to move to Sierra Leone.

Recruiting Settlers for Sierra Leone

Peters returned to Nova Scotia feeling successful. He worked with other Black leaders like David George and Moses Wilkinson. They encouraged Black pioneers in places like Birchtown, Halifax, Shelbourne, and Annapolis Royal to move to Sierra Leone.

Peters and David Edmonds from Annapolis Royal even asked John Clarkson for beef to celebrate their last Christmas in North America in 1791. David Edmonds later became a successful settler in Sierra Leone. He was also a friend of Paul Cuffee, a businessman from Boston who also supported African Americans moving to Sierra Leone.

Life in Sierra Leone

More than 1,100 of the 3,500 African Americans in Nova Scotia decided to move to West Africa. Most of them were from families who had lived in the British colonies for generations. A few, like Peters, were returning to the continent where they were born.

In 1792, they arrived at St. George Bay Harbor. It is said that Thomas Peters led the Nova Scotians ashore, singing an old Christian hymn. After John Clarkson was made governor of the settlement, Peters disagreed with him. Peters called himself the "Speaker General" for the settlers from Annapolis Royal.

Even though he had support from some important settlers, most of the Nova Scotians supported John Clarkson as their leader. Peters became discouraged. Sadly, he was one of many early settlers who died from disease in the colony's first years. He passed away from Malaria on June 25, 1792.

Thomas Peters was survived by his wife, Sally, and seven children. Many people in Sierra Leone today, known as the Krio people, are descendants of these first African-American settlers. Peters is seen by many as a founding father of Freetown, Sierra Leone, much like George Washington is for the United States.

Legacy and Recognition

Thomas Peters's descendants are part of the Krio ethnic group. They mainly live in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Some of his descendants also live in Canada.

In 1999, the government of Sierra Leone honored Peters. He was included in a movie celebrating the country's national heroes. In 2001, people suggested renaming Percival Street in Freetown after him. This street is in Settler Town, Sierra Leone, where Peters's Nova Scotians first settled. However, the street has not yet been renamed.

Thomas Peters was played by actor Leo Wringer in the BBC television series Rough Crossings (2007). This show was based on a history book about the British and American enslaved people during and after the American Revolution.

In 2011, a statue of Thomas Peters was put up in Freetown. The Krio Descendants Union paid for the statue.