Episode 1 Brave New World

A land of spectacular contrast,

vast prairies and dense forests,

bounded by three oceans,

Canada is the second-largest country in the world.

You could fit the whole of Northern Ireland

inside one of its national parks.

Yet people from Ulster have had a remarkable influence

on the history and geography of this vast nation,

spanning two centuries and across 5,000 miles.

Today, 4.5 million Canadians

can trace their roots back to Ireland.

But there was a time when the Irish

made up a quarter of the population here...

..and the majority came from the nine counties of Ulster.

English-speaking Canada had a noticeable Ulster accent.

This is the story of people from Ulster who, from the 18th century

to the present day, have made this country their home,

of how they came here in such large numbers that they didn't merely adapt

to the Canadian way of life, they helped to shape its culture,

its society, its politics and its economy.

I'm starting my Canadian journey in Halifax, Nova Scotia,

at Pier 21, Canada's Museum Of Immigration.

Once known as the Gateway to Canada, over a million immigrants

passed through its doors between 1928 and 1971.

Today, one in five Canadians can trace their roots through Pier 21.

70 or 80 years ago, this place would have been packed with people

who had literally just stepped off the boat.

After an arduous journey at sea,

this is where they first set foot on Canadian soil.

Young men and women seeking work,

families fleeing religious persecution and poverty,

evacuees and refugees.

Whatever the reason for leaving their homeland, for all of them,

Canada represented a second chance,

an opportunity for a better life.

Here they were processed through immigration and customs,

before taking the train to their final destination,

Montreal, Quebec or Toronto, the prairie provinces or

the pacific coast of British Columbia.

Among the Germans, Dutch, English and Scots,

there were people from Londonderry, Tyrone, Antrim and Down.

This is the Monteith family, who passed through Pier 21 in 1929.

The photograph was taken by a photographer

working for the Derry Standard

and it shows the family on board the Seamore,

the paddle steamer that took immigrants from Londonderry to

Moville, where they connected with the transatlantic liner

that would bring them to Canada.

And you can see here, marked on their luggage, their destination...

Halifax.

The Monteiths came from near Castlederg in County Tyrone

and it's thought that they were travelling west to Ontario

to join relatives or begin farming there.

What's really poignant about this photograph is the date - 1929.

Just as the Monteiths were beginning their new life in Canada,

the world's economy was plunged into a great depression

in the Wall Street crash and within just a couple of years,

severe dust storms in the prairies of Canada and America

forced tens of thousands of families to abandon their farms.

The story of Ulster migration to Canada began in Nova Scotia

long before Pier 21 opened its doors to families like the Monteiths.

BAGPIPES PLAY

If the kilts and bagpipes aren't enough of a clue,

the name Nova Scotia gives it away.

Latin for New Scotland,

this province wears its Scottish heritage as a badge of honour.

30% of Nova Scotians have Scottish ancestry and many are descended from

the thousands of Scots who came here in the 19th century, whole villages

and entire clans evicted from the land during the Highland Clearances.

What's less well known is that, before the mass immigration

of the Scots, there had been a small but significant settlement

here of people from Ulster.

Like much of Eastern Canada, the maritime provinces were

originally a French colony, known as Acadia,

but when, in 1713, the British took control, they expelled the French

colonists and set about planting the region with loyal British subjects.

To find suitable candidates,

they just have to look across the border to New England

and you can see here just how close New England is to Eastern Canada.

For all intents and purposes,

this was all British North America back then.

And the people in New England had already proven themselves

successful pioneers, so in 1759, the Governor of Nova Scotia

placed an ad in the Boston Gazette, offering land in the new colony.

One of those who read the advertisement with interest

was an immigrant from the north of Ireland,

an army officer called Alexander McNutt.

Sensing a business opportunity, he struck a deal with

the Governor of Nova Scotia -

he would provide suitable settlers in return for land for himself.

And in April 1761, 50 families

arrived in Halifax from Londonderry, New Hampshire.

Among those first planter families were the Archibalds,

who had emigrated to New Hampshire from County Londonderry, Ireland,

just 50 years before.

To find out more about them and the remarkable success they had

in Canada, I'm meeting one of their descendants, Allan Marble.

What persuaded the Archibald family to leave New Hampshire

and move to Canada?

The good land in around Londonderry, in New Hampshire

and along the Merrimack River,

all that land has now been used up or taken up.

So when they hear that there is excellent land in Nova Scotia

that they're going to be given free, and not only that,

but a large amount of land, 1,200 acres, they decide,

"OK, let's leave, let's go and do it."

So they come to Nova Scotia.

The instigator of the family's move from New Hampshire to Truro,

in Nova Scotia, was David Archibald.

He appears to have been a leader, because when he arrived,

he was immediately made the Justice of the Peace,

the Major of the Militia.

He became very important for Truro because he was responsible

for building the first school, for bringing in the first minister.

Archibalds are very, very focused on education

and that all comes from David.

When you think of the 18th century, you know, I hate to say it,

but it was true that very few women could write, OK?

And his daughters could write.

I have evidence that they could write

and that's an indication that he did not just want to promote

education among his sons, but among his daughters.

With a strong work ethic and a good education behind them,

the Archibalds became influential citizens of the new colony.

When you look at the first election in Nova Scotia

for the House of Assembly, I mean, David Archibald is elected

to represent that area.

His son was elected to represent the area, his grandson becomes the

Attorney General of Nova Scotia and the Chief Justice of Nova Scotia.

It just goes on and on, so that they're very involved in politics,

in anything to do with leadership.

David's great grandson, Adams George Archibald, made a huge contribution

to Canadian history when, in 1867, as Attorney General of Nova Scotia,

he was one of the signatories that united the colonies of New Brunswick,

Nova Scotia, Quebec and Ontario, creating the Confederation of Canada.

Archibald just was one of those people who was considered to be one

of the leaders to contribute to this creating of a country.

How successful do you think the Archibald family

has been in the history of Canada?

I would say the most successful family in Canada.

One of the leading opera singers in the world now

is one of the Archibalds from Truro.

One of the leading players in the National Hockey League

is an Archibald.

The golfing champion for Germany during Hitler's time

was an Archibald.

And Hitler refused to give him the medal.

It's like a family of Forrest Gumps! They keep showing up.

That's right! And an amazing family and...

I think the...

the idea that David, and his brothers, because he wasn't alone,

they instilled this idea of,

you can do anything with your life, you know.

You just have to do it.

Those first settler families like the Archibalds

were exactly what the new colony wanted.

They were loyal to the Crown,

Protestant and financially independent.

And the man who brought them here, Alexander McNutt,

was already drawing up plans to bring up to 10,000 more

Protestant Irish to Nova Scotia.

In the end, his plans were thwarted by the Privy Council,

who were alarmed at the prospect of mass immigration

from the Protestant districts of Ireland.

They thought that could have dangerous consequences.

But had McNutt realised his dream

of Ulster Protestant colonization in Nova Scotia,

we might today have a Red Hand of Ulster

rather than a saltire on the Nova Scotian flag.

McNutt had helped lay the foundations for emigration from the north

of Ireland to Canada and, within a generation, tens of thousands

of Irish men and women were making their way to the new colony.

I'm travelling northwest from Halifax to the province of New Brunswick,

for it was here in the 1820s

that many of those Irish immigrants settled.

Driven by poor economic conditions at home and the prospect of land

and job opportunities in Canada,

many, perhaps most of those migrants, came from the North,

because Armagh, Antrim and Down

were the most densely populated counties in Ireland.

I've come to Gagetown in the Saint John River Valley

to meet historian Bradford Gaunce, who has been studying

the settlement of this area by people originally from Fermanagh.

You've done a lot of research into this area.

What have you discovered about the settlers who came here?

There was a concentrated chain migration beginning in 1815

from the town land of Ederney in County Fermanagh to Gagetown.

Family members, cousins, uncles, they were all arriving.

You can envision them crossing the Atlantic, looking for opportunity,

leaving the Ulster that was essentially devastated economically.

The settlers in general that came from Ulster to this region

and much of New Brunswick probably had some resources

when they arrived, they weren't the poorest of the poor.

They were able to set themselves up nicely within probably a generation.

And once the hard work of clearing the land for farming was done,

these immigrants built churches and schools and many Protestant

settlements, such as Gagetown, also established an Orange Lodge.

But Bradford has discovered something about the people who came here

from County Fermanagh that is both unusual and unexpected.

I discovered something unique.

Upon researching the 1901 Census, there was a question on line 33

which asked, "Mother tongue?"

Some of these individuals were recorded as

"Mother tongue - Irish speakers."

Now, that goes against the grain, considering we normally

associate Catholics with speaking the Irish language.

So, we have this community from Ederney

that was carrying the language over with them.

And so in the Orange Hall that we have here in the village,

you would've had some members of the Orange Hall who speak Irish?

Yeah, I've found in total 22 members who were recorded as

mother tongue or ancestors of those recorded as mother tongue.

Did you discover any of your own personal story

-in the historical research you've done?

-I did.

I found, through the research, that my family was involved in this

chain migration from Ederney and, being a historian, it was exciting

to find you're involved in this unusual mix of circumstances.

You kind of appreciate the historical significance.

Like the network of Orange Lodges and memories of townlands back home,

the Irish language was all but forgotten, as those who spoke it

ceased to be Ulster immigrants and became new Canadians.

I've come 400 miles west to Quebec,

the most distinctly French of all Canadian cities.

A Unesco World Heritage Site,

Quebec is the last remaining walled city in North America,

but these walls would not be here today if it wasn't for a man

from County Down, one of the British Empire's most successful diplomats.

In 1872, Frederick Temple Blackwood,

the first Marquees of Dufferin and Ava,

became the third Governor General of Canada and one of its most popular.

There's scarcely a town or city in the province that doesn't have

a Dufferin Street or a Dufferin Avenue.

When Lord Dufferin came to Canada,

he immediately set about raising the profile of the Governor General,

taking a much more proactive role than any of his predecessors.

He believed that, by getting to know the country and its people,

he would not only help unify the new Canadian Confederation, he would

also help boost the position of the British Empire in North America.

To this aim, Lord Dufferin and his family toured parts of the new nation

no Governor General had visited before.

They threw grand parties in their residence in Ottawa

and opened a public ice rink in its grounds.

The Dufferins genuinely enjoyed exploring Canada.

Lady Dufferin, who was a prolific letter writer,

often wrote home about their adventures river rafting,

fishing and camping with the children

and about how easy she found Canadian society to get on with.

But it was in Quebec where they felt most at home.

Lady Dufferin wrote, "If only we can find a house at Quebec,

"we shall go there - for the more we see of that place,

"the more we like it."

But they did find a suitable home in Quebec here at the Citadelle,

which was built in the early 19th century as a fortress

to protect the colony from the Americans.

Lady Dufferin described it to her mother,

"All the books about Canada will tell you how splendid

"is the situation of the Citadelle.

"I sit out and look down hundreds of feet upon the town

"lying below me or at the St Lawrence itself and the blue hills

"far away - in fact, at one of the most celebrated views of the world!"

It was in Quebec City that Lord Dufferin made his final

public appearance as Governor General when he laid the foundation stone

for Dufferin Terrace, built to his own design.

Dufferin Terrace certainly lives up to its reputation

as one of the most scenic promenades in the world.

But it's for his role in saving the city walls

that Dufferin is himself best remembered here.

Built by the French to protect the city from attack,

Quebec's walls had huge historical significance,

so when he heard that city officials had begun to tear them down,

Dufferin stepped in to protect and restore them for future generations.

In some ways, Lord Dufferin wasn't so very different to any other migrant.

He hoped Canada would give him an opportunity to further his career,

and it did.

In 1884, he became the eighth Viceroy of India.

Not all of his countrymen were so fortunate.

Just 20 miles from here, in the middle of the St Lawrence River,

is Grosse Ile.

In 1832, the island was set up as a quarantine station to contain

a cholera epidemic and later to stop the spread of typhus that had been

contracted by immigrants fleeing the famine in Ireland.

More than half a million Irish people passed through Grosse Ile

and thousands died there.

They came from all social and religious backgrounds

and from every part of Ireland.

500 miles west of Quebec,

Buxton, Ontario, is just an hour from the American border.

And back in the mid-19th century, if you were a black American,

that border meant the difference between freedom and slavery.

I've come here to find out about one extraordinary Ulsterman's journey

from slave owner to abolitionist and about the role he played

in what became known as the Underground Railroad.

Set amid fields of flaxseed, corn and rye,

Buxton is a rural community of just 200 people.

Yet 150 years ago, it had ten times that population

and was making headlines all across North America, for this was

a settlement of black Americans who had escaped slavery

and it was the brainchild of the Reverend William King from Limavady.

Born in 1812, William King studied Greek and Latin at university

in Glasgow, before emigrating to America at the age of 21.

He took up a job as a teacher in Louisiana, where his students

were the sons of slave owners, a system that appalled him.

Yet, when he married the daughter of a wealthy plantation owner,

William King became a slave owner himself.

To find out more about William King and the Buxton settlement,

I've come to meet the curator of the Buxton Museum, Shannon Price,

herself the direct descendent of slaves who came here from Tennessee.

So, these are some of the artefacts that we have in the museum,

and...they're - again, they're very, very powerful.

These are original ankle shackles.

When they boarded the slave ships, they would usually brand them

so the master would know who you belonged to.

And the men would get it someplace on their face and the women would

get it on the front of their shoulder

or the back of their shoulder,

so you might have numerous brands

depending on how many times you were bought or sold. Yeah.

This is a slave collar

they would put on slaves,

-and it weighs maybe 25 pounds or so.

-Yeah.

But they would put that,

but they would make it fit everyone's individual neck.

So, this was punishment if you tried to run away.

If you were a runner that tried it several times,

the punishment would be more severe,

so what they would do, they would take a metal bar

and they would attach it to the top of your neck harness.

It would come all the way down your back, but they would hinge it at

your thigh so you could at least bend over to pick your cotton,

-and then attach it to your ankle shackles...

-Oh.

..so you have to work and sleep with this on.

-You wouldn't run very far wearing that.

-No, you wouldn't.

-Yeah.

-Very heavy.

-No. Between the weight...

-And then even trying to sleep with it on.

-Oh!

-Yeah.

How do you feel when you're holding these...?

Well, you know, to me, it's...

-They're powerful but then it's a reminder... I'm going to cry.

-Yeah.

..of what our ancestors overcame.

Sometimes it is emotional, like it is now, and other times it's just,

I'm very blessed to be able to add another chapter to that book that

my ancestors started,

so now I can continue that legacy with my family, you know,

so we don't repeat the past.

But they are a reminder...

-Horrible. It's horrible.

-..of what our ancestors had to endure.

We think of William King today as an abolitionist.

How did he become a slave owner?

He married into a slave-holding family,

and because of his views against... toward slavery,

he felt that even though he married

into this family, he would be able to do something,

to liberate them, but was misled that he was not able to do such.

-Because of the laws in...

-Because of the laws in the United States, yes.

He grappled with this idea on what to do,

-and it just tore him apart, you know...

-Yeah.

..dealing with this issue of slavery,

and what he, you know, as a person, a human being, could do.

King decided he could no longer live in a slave-owning society

and returned to Scotland to train for the Presbyterian ministry.

But while he was there, his wife and child tragically died

and King found himself the sole owner of 15 slaves in Louisiana.

After he graduated from school,

his first appointment as a minister was to the Presbyterian Synod

here in Toronto,

and when they heard that here was this white man coming to

the land of freedom with slaves,

they were quite appalled because slavery had been abolished here,

so, basically, Reverend King turned the tables, if you will,

and asked them if there was some place where he could bring

his 15 slaves and where other blacks

could come for the better opportunities of life.

With the help of the church, King raised enough money to

purchase 9,000 acres, with plans for housing built to a high standard,

and 50 acres of land for every family,

to be paid off over ten years.

So, the plan was to bring them from the United States,

across the border, and that border meant freedom?

That border meant freedom.

-What is the Underground Railroad?

-The Underground Railroad was

neither a railroad, it was not underground.

It was a secret network, comprised of people and places,

both black and white,

that were assisting enslaved blacks

to make it to freedom,

whether in the northern states or up here to Canada.

William King used this underground network to smuggle his 15 slaves

north from Louisiana, and in November 1849,

they became the first residents of Buxton.

When he secured the land, he said, you know,

"I'm founding this land on three principles."

You know, "One, I have the land. Two, there's going to be that

"education and, three, there's going to be religion."

You know, once he had the land, and then he built the schools

and then the churches.

When was this school built?

The school was built right here in 1861, and it was built due to

the overcrowding at the other end of the settlement.

-And a fully integrated school?

-Fully integrated school.

What kind of curriculum did they have?

It was referred to as a classical education,

so everything, plus Greek, Latin,

in a Christian-based education was provided for the students,

because that religious component

was very, very important to Reverend King.

-Do you know much about the children who were educated here?

-Yes, we do.

There was... Quite a few went on to

become, like, the first great, uh, the first black doctor in Canada,

the first congressman, speaker in the state legislature,

circuit court judge riders,

principals of university and high school,

educated here in Buxton, but went back to the United States.

So, that tells a lot about why

people were coming to Canada for freedom,

but coming to Buxton to educate their children.

How do you feel about him, personally?

Well, I admire him because of the path in his life that he chose.

This would not happen,

would not have been here because of him, you know.

-Would you have been here?

-No, I would not have been here,

because of what he had chosen in his life, so we, as, you know,

ancestors and descendants are very, very grateful to him.

This really is an extraordinary story

and, at the heart of it, is an Ulsterman with a passion for freedom,

who wanted to share that freedom with those he met here in the New World.