In 1783, after the War of Independence in the United States, Britain evacuated thousands of people who had fought on their side to the remaining North American colonies. Among those transported to Nova Scotia were a number of freed slaves. These Black Loyalists had no idea of the tremendous hardships awaiting them. They arrived in Port Roseway (present-day Shelburne) and were forced to settle outside of the town, in an area they named Birchtown. They were promised land and the supplies needed for survival, but these promises were not kept. Soon, poverty, the harsh climate, disease and isolation, combined with racism, became their curse. In 1792, many of the Black Loyalists took the opportunity to leave Nova Scotia and sail to Sierra Leone to start a new life in Africa.