1 00:00:01,068 --> 00:00:03,269 Viewers like you make this program possible. 2 00:00:03,270 --> 00:00:05,339 Support your local PBS station. 3 00:00:07,007 --> 00:00:10,377 - Tangier Island, 12 miles off the coast of Virginia, 4 00:00:10,378 --> 00:00:11,578 is sinking. 5 00:00:11,579 --> 00:00:12,779 - What if someone said to you 6 00:00:12,780 --> 00:00:14,881 that where you've lived for 200 years, 7 00:00:14,882 --> 00:00:17,818 your family, it's no longer going to exist? 8 00:00:18,686 --> 00:00:21,621 - That's 4 feet of land loss right there in this last storm. 9 00:00:21,622 --> 00:00:24,090 - Rising sea levels are swallowing the island 10 00:00:24,091 --> 00:00:27,762 and threatening to erase a centuries-old way of life. 11 00:00:28,162 --> 00:00:29,829 - It's already concerning. 12 00:00:29,830 --> 00:00:32,365 I mean, we've lost five or six other communities north of here. 13 00:00:32,366 --> 00:00:34,501 I doubt they could imagine that, one day, 14 00:00:34,502 --> 00:00:36,270 their community would be underwater. 15 00:00:36,804 --> 00:00:39,273 - This very well could be, you know, a human bone. 16 00:00:39,707 --> 00:00:41,674 - Along with the island's unique culture, 17 00:00:41,675 --> 00:00:44,811 an untold chapter of history is slipping away. 18 00:00:44,812 --> 00:00:46,679 - A lot of the slaves were granted their freedom 19 00:00:46,680 --> 00:00:49,716 on Tangier Island long before the Civil War. 20 00:00:49,717 --> 00:00:51,885 I'm very proud of that part of our history. 21 00:00:51,886 --> 00:00:53,420 - In 1812, 22 00:00:53,421 --> 00:00:55,523 the United States declared war on the British Empire. 23 00:00:56,490 --> 00:00:59,359 African-Americans escaped from American slavery 24 00:00:59,360 --> 00:01:01,295 and joined the British forces. 25 00:01:01,762 --> 00:01:04,998 - Freedom would be available to any black people 26 00:01:04,999 --> 00:01:06,967 who fought for the cause. 27 00:01:07,568 --> 00:01:09,302 - The strange thing about it is that 28 00:01:09,303 --> 00:01:11,504 not that many people know about it. 29 00:01:11,505 --> 00:01:12,840 That's what is so sad. 30 00:01:13,407 --> 00:01:15,208 - So everything is underwater. 31 00:01:15,209 --> 00:01:16,976 - As Tangier washes away, 32 00:01:16,977 --> 00:01:20,347 so does a little-known moment in black history. 33 00:01:21,682 --> 00:01:25,753 - It is like a metaphor for what has happened to the black story. 34 00:01:26,754 --> 00:01:30,023 The island itself, so much of it has disappeared into the ocean. 35 00:01:30,024 --> 00:01:32,625 So has the story just disappeared into the ether. 36 00:01:32,626 --> 00:01:35,361 You'll see there are 10 enslaved people living... 37 00:01:35,362 --> 00:01:36,430 - Here. - ...here. 38 00:01:36,997 --> 00:01:40,467 - Now descendants of Tangier's black soldiers 39 00:01:40,468 --> 00:01:43,436 are stepping forward to reclaim their past. 40 00:01:43,437 --> 00:01:46,639 - That's very significant to me to know this. 41 00:01:46,640 --> 00:01:48,141 My heart is full of joy. 42 00:01:48,142 --> 00:01:51,244 - We're related to a legend, and that's incredible. 43 00:01:51,245 --> 00:01:52,712 - Whoa-ho! - Wow! 44 00:01:52,713 --> 00:01:55,548 - A race is under way to save the island 45 00:01:55,549 --> 00:01:57,517 and its disappearing history. 46 00:01:57,518 --> 00:02:00,587 - You could do extensive reef restoration. 47 00:02:00,588 --> 00:02:03,223 We could simultaneously protect the past 48 00:02:03,224 --> 00:02:05,925 and the present so that the people here have a future. 49 00:02:05,926 --> 00:02:09,162 - Our black brothers and sisters are buried there. 50 00:02:09,163 --> 00:02:13,434 - To lose Tangier Island would be a final erasure. 51 00:02:14,535 --> 00:02:17,370 - Tangier is sacred ground because of the individuals 52 00:02:17,371 --> 00:02:20,674 who sacrificed so that they could be free. 53 00:02:25,212 --> 00:02:29,650 {\an8}♪ 54 00:02:31,485 --> 00:02:33,786 {\an8}♪ 55 00:02:33,787 --> 00:02:36,456 {\an8}- Lying in the middle of Chesapeake Bay, 56 00:02:36,457 --> 00:02:38,591 {\an8}Tangier Island is small-- 57 00:02:38,592 --> 00:02:41,794 {\an8}less than 1 1/2 square miles. 58 00:02:41,795 --> 00:02:45,132 And it's isolated, accessible only by boat. 59 00:02:46,166 --> 00:02:48,801 The majority of the island's 300 inhabitants 60 00:02:48,802 --> 00:02:51,905 can trace their roots back for generations. 61 00:02:51,906 --> 00:02:55,742 - My name is James Wyatt Eskridge, 62 00:02:55,743 --> 00:02:58,111 but I go by the nickname "Ooker." 63 00:02:58,112 --> 00:03:00,914 I used to have a pet rooster when I was 3 or 4 years old, 64 00:03:00,915 --> 00:03:03,383 and I tried to crow like the rooster, 65 00:03:03,384 --> 00:03:04,751 and that's sort of how it came out. 66 00:03:04,752 --> 00:03:06,953 Come on, Bella. Come on! 67 00:03:06,954 --> 00:03:08,321 Born and raised here. 68 00:03:08,322 --> 00:03:10,356 Been here 67 years. 69 00:03:10,357 --> 00:03:12,326 Also the mayor of Tangier Island. 70 00:03:13,127 --> 00:03:15,495 It's a two-year term, but after this term, 71 00:03:15,496 --> 00:03:19,033 I'll be in for 20 years. 72 00:03:20,334 --> 00:03:21,935 See this guy here? 73 00:03:21,936 --> 00:03:25,672 It's a pet. Summertime is his name. 74 00:03:25,673 --> 00:03:27,774 He's been coming for nine years now. 75 00:03:27,775 --> 00:03:29,842 Hangs out on the boat out here, 76 00:03:29,843 --> 00:03:32,845 and he's soon going to head for Florida. 77 00:03:32,846 --> 00:03:35,114 I feed him all the summer, and he leaves. 78 00:03:35,115 --> 00:03:38,118 He's going to get that one. There he goes. 79 00:03:39,853 --> 00:03:43,389 - Most people on Tangier, like Mayor Ooker, 80 00:03:43,390 --> 00:03:45,058 make their living on the water. 81 00:03:45,059 --> 00:03:49,028 {\an8}- My father was a crabber, grandfather, great-grandfather. 82 00:03:49,029 --> 00:03:51,564 {\an8}My older son's a crabber. 83 00:03:51,565 --> 00:03:52,999 Yeah, it's all about the seafood. 84 00:03:53,000 --> 00:03:55,568 That's what keeps the ball rolling out here. 85 00:03:55,569 --> 00:03:57,370 Bella, stop eating our bait! 86 00:03:57,371 --> 00:03:58,672 Stop it! 87 00:03:59,740 --> 00:04:02,041 You're gonna eat all of our bait. 88 00:04:02,042 --> 00:04:06,046 Myself and the community living out here, we love what we do. 89 00:04:07,581 --> 00:04:10,316 All in all, it's a wonderful life. 90 00:04:10,317 --> 00:04:14,754 {\an8}♪ 91 00:04:14,755 --> 00:04:17,056 - This is a tight-knit community, 92 00:04:17,057 --> 00:04:20,193 and they're fiercely protective of their way of life. 93 00:04:20,194 --> 00:04:23,763 - What a blessing, Lord, that you have bestowed on us 94 00:04:23,764 --> 00:04:26,734 to be able to come together in fellowship. 95 00:04:27,901 --> 00:04:31,671 - It's a good place. There's some good people here. 96 00:04:31,672 --> 00:04:34,608 I mean, everybody look out for everybody. 97 00:04:35,843 --> 00:04:41,748 All the kids can run around and go all over the island. 98 00:04:41,749 --> 00:04:44,684 - Yeah, we have a lot to be thankful for. 99 00:04:44,685 --> 00:04:48,554 - I feel very proud of being a Tangierman, as we call it. 100 00:04:48,555 --> 00:04:50,758 - I do, too. 101 00:04:52,059 --> 00:04:55,695 - On Tangier, the dead remain close to the living. 102 00:04:55,696 --> 00:04:59,132 Loved ones are buried alongside people's homes, 103 00:04:59,133 --> 00:05:03,002 most of them aboveground, due to the threat of flooding. 104 00:05:03,003 --> 00:05:07,807 - A lot of people just likes to bury 'em right close. 105 00:05:07,808 --> 00:05:11,679 There's both of my parents buried right there. 106 00:05:14,048 --> 00:05:17,818 - That whole place there is all our family. 107 00:05:19,353 --> 00:05:21,754 - Tangier Island's storied past 108 00:05:21,755 --> 00:05:24,124 stretches back hundreds of years. 109 00:05:25,159 --> 00:05:28,261 Surrounded by the warm waters of the Chesapeake, 110 00:05:28,262 --> 00:05:32,398 Tangier sits perfectly between the eastern shore of Virginia 111 00:05:32,399 --> 00:05:35,535 and the western coast of Maryland... 112 00:05:35,536 --> 00:05:38,037 a prime location for a long line of people 113 00:05:38,038 --> 00:05:41,541 who have lived off the ocean, from the indigenous inhabitants 114 00:05:41,542 --> 00:05:44,544 who thrived here before the 17th century, 115 00:05:44,545 --> 00:05:49,483 to the first European settlers, who arrived in the 18th century. 116 00:05:50,217 --> 00:05:54,754 Now this unique way of life is in jeopardy. 117 00:05:54,755 --> 00:05:57,423 {\an8}- Tangier Island and all its culture and history 118 00:05:57,424 --> 00:06:01,360 {\an8}are on the verge of being lost due to being washed away 119 00:06:01,361 --> 00:06:03,030 {\an8}and essentially drowned. 120 00:06:05,065 --> 00:06:08,035 The sea level has been rising. 121 00:06:09,269 --> 00:06:13,606 And over the last, say, 150 to 200 years, 122 00:06:13,607 --> 00:06:16,743 there has been an acceleration of that process. 123 00:06:16,744 --> 00:06:20,246 - Marine ecologist Dr. Russell Burke is in a race 124 00:06:20,247 --> 00:06:23,549 to protect what's left of Tangier Island. 125 00:06:23,550 --> 00:06:25,118 - What if someone said to you 126 00:06:25,119 --> 00:06:27,019 that where you've lived for 200 years, 127 00:06:27,020 --> 00:06:29,989 your family, not only do you have to move, 128 00:06:29,990 --> 00:06:32,192 but it's no longer going to exist? 129 00:06:33,060 --> 00:06:36,295 And this is our chance to show what we're really made of. 130 00:06:36,296 --> 00:06:40,166 Is this worth saving? Are they worth saving? 131 00:06:40,167 --> 00:06:46,139 - ♪ Thank you, Lord, for saving my soul ♪ 132 00:06:46,140 --> 00:06:51,979 ♪ Thank you, Lord, for making me whole ♪ 133 00:07:03,290 --> 00:07:05,525 - Good morning. - Morning. 134 00:07:05,526 --> 00:07:08,261 - Good to see you, Captain. - You, too. You ready to go out? 135 00:07:08,262 --> 00:07:10,196 - Oh, yeah. 136 00:07:10,197 --> 00:07:14,100 - Dr. Burke is determined to help save this village... 137 00:07:14,101 --> 00:07:16,936 and meets up with local environmentalist and activist 138 00:07:16,937 --> 00:07:20,206 Cameron Evans to see the remains of a community 139 00:07:20,207 --> 00:07:23,944 already lost to rising sea levels. 140 00:07:24,711 --> 00:07:25,978 {\an8}- So, right where we're at in the boat now, 141 00:07:25,979 --> 00:07:27,780 {\an8}you know, used to be land. 142 00:07:27,781 --> 00:07:29,882 {\an8}I'd say not quite this far, 143 00:07:29,883 --> 00:07:32,485 {\an8}but close to it, I remember land. 144 00:07:32,486 --> 00:07:35,788 I remember it used to be hunting lodges here after, 145 00:07:35,789 --> 00:07:37,824 - I guess, in the '80s, '90s. - Yeah? 146 00:07:37,825 --> 00:07:42,495 - And I remember three trailers here, riding lawnmowers. 147 00:07:42,496 --> 00:07:44,096 The whole cemetery was intact. 148 00:07:44,097 --> 00:07:45,865 And I've watched it all wash away 149 00:07:45,866 --> 00:07:47,266 just in my short lifetime. 150 00:07:47,267 --> 00:07:48,802 I'm only 25. - Right. 151 00:07:50,070 --> 00:07:52,306 - All of these shorelines had trees. 152 00:07:53,874 --> 00:07:56,175 See, here's part of sediment that's broke away. 153 00:07:56,176 --> 00:07:58,344 That's 4 feet of land lost right there in this last storm. 154 00:07:58,345 --> 00:07:59,979 - Yeah, in one shot. 155 00:07:59,980 --> 00:08:03,115 - Here's one of the bricks from one of the foundations. 156 00:08:03,116 --> 00:08:04,884 That was a part of one of the houses 157 00:08:04,885 --> 00:08:07,220 that was here in the early 1900s into the 1800s. 158 00:08:07,221 --> 00:08:10,656 - Wow. - Cemetery should be up here. 159 00:08:10,657 --> 00:08:13,159 You know what that is? - No. 160 00:08:13,160 --> 00:08:15,428 - This very well could be, you know, a human bone. 161 00:08:15,429 --> 00:08:19,532 I've found a lot of bones a lot bigger than this one. 162 00:08:19,533 --> 00:08:22,268 And I found a grave unearthed, 163 00:08:22,269 --> 00:08:24,003 washed out, and I was standing right by it. 164 00:08:24,004 --> 00:08:26,939 Didn't even realize it was until I saw the whole-- 165 00:08:26,940 --> 00:08:30,110 you know, whole skeleton and the outline of the casket. 166 00:08:32,179 --> 00:08:34,447 Back when these people were probably buried here, 167 00:08:34,448 --> 00:08:36,816 you know, the community was still thriving then 168 00:08:36,817 --> 00:08:38,384 and didn't have any indication 169 00:08:38,385 --> 00:08:40,053 that they were going to be moving away. 170 00:08:40,988 --> 00:08:45,391 - Wow. Look at this. I mean, is that marble? 171 00:08:45,392 --> 00:08:47,760 - Yeah. Yeah. 172 00:08:47,761 --> 00:08:51,530 It shows just how close we are to becoming, 173 00:08:51,531 --> 00:08:53,099 you know, exactly this. 174 00:08:53,100 --> 00:08:57,303 People finding our remnants here 150 years later. 175 00:08:57,304 --> 00:08:59,605 - Well, that is my concern for Tangier. 176 00:08:59,606 --> 00:09:01,274 It really puts it into perspective. 177 00:09:01,275 --> 00:09:03,542 You know, you see it, touch it, feel it. 178 00:09:03,543 --> 00:09:05,511 It's very real. 179 00:09:05,512 --> 00:09:08,614 Seeing parts of the island that have already been washed away 180 00:09:08,615 --> 00:09:11,918 really makes you understand why you need a good game plan, 181 00:09:11,919 --> 00:09:13,853 but also shows you how quickly history 182 00:09:13,854 --> 00:09:16,890 can be drowned away and lost. 183 00:09:19,326 --> 00:09:21,794 - The arrival of a fleet of British warships 184 00:09:21,795 --> 00:09:24,830 more than 200 years ago was a pivotal moment 185 00:09:24,831 --> 00:09:26,933 in Tangier Island's past. 186 00:09:26,934 --> 00:09:28,801 - So, this is where the British would have come in, 187 00:09:28,802 --> 00:09:30,803 right in here, right where my crab shanty is. 188 00:09:30,804 --> 00:09:32,839 There's a path that would go up to the island. 189 00:09:34,641 --> 00:09:36,275 My father and grandfather used to-- 190 00:09:36,276 --> 00:09:39,078 they used to talk to the people and just said, you know, 191 00:09:39,079 --> 00:09:41,981 fishermen were out here, and these ships showed up 192 00:09:41,982 --> 00:09:45,117 and anchored out here and said they noticed they had 193 00:09:45,118 --> 00:09:50,856 the British flag on the ship, and, yeah, quite intimidating. 194 00:09:50,857 --> 00:09:53,759 - The British ships brought the War of 1812 195 00:09:53,760 --> 00:09:55,995 to the shores of Tangier Island. 196 00:09:55,996 --> 00:09:58,631 - So, when the British arrived in the Chesapeake Bay, 197 00:09:58,632 --> 00:10:01,234 they brought with them two battalions of Royal Marines. 198 00:10:01,768 --> 00:10:03,636 - By day, Dr. Matthew Taylor 199 00:10:03,637 --> 00:10:07,239 manages correspondence at Britain's House of Lords, 200 00:10:07,240 --> 00:10:11,344 but his real passion lies two centuries in the past. 201 00:10:11,345 --> 00:10:14,347 A leading expert on the War of 1812, 202 00:10:14,348 --> 00:10:17,383 he lectures in full period dress. 203 00:10:17,384 --> 00:10:20,086 And he wrote the definitive account of the conflict's 204 00:10:20,087 --> 00:10:24,223 Colonial Marines, or "Black Redcoats." 205 00:10:24,224 --> 00:10:26,792 {\an8}- The War of 1812 was very poorly named, 206 00:10:26,793 --> 00:10:29,996 {\an8}as it lasted from 1812 to 1815. 207 00:10:29,997 --> 00:10:32,966 {\an8}It was very much a war that should not have happened. 208 00:10:34,968 --> 00:10:37,236 At the beginning of the War of 1812, 209 00:10:37,237 --> 00:10:39,338 the United States and Great Britain 210 00:10:39,339 --> 00:10:42,842 were in an ongoing diplomatic spat, 211 00:10:42,843 --> 00:10:46,145 which was itself a kind of reverberation 212 00:10:46,146 --> 00:10:48,848 of the much greater Napoleonic War going on 213 00:10:48,849 --> 00:10:51,651 between the French Empire and the British Empire at the time. 214 00:10:52,386 --> 00:10:55,454 The United States decided that the best way 215 00:10:55,455 --> 00:11:00,259 to make the British Empire change a maritime policy 216 00:11:00,260 --> 00:11:03,295 of impressment and duties and taxes 217 00:11:03,296 --> 00:11:05,965 on international trade was by invading what was 218 00:11:05,966 --> 00:11:07,400 to become Canada, 219 00:11:07,401 --> 00:11:10,870 seemingly intending to use occupation 220 00:11:10,871 --> 00:11:14,607 as a bargaining chip-- the idea that "We're here in Canada 221 00:11:14,608 --> 00:11:17,877 and we will leave if you give us what we want, politically." 222 00:11:17,878 --> 00:11:19,912 Unfortunately for the United States, 223 00:11:19,913 --> 00:11:22,048 it turns out that when you invade a territory, 224 00:11:22,049 --> 00:11:24,083 the people in that territory tend to fight back. 225 00:11:24,084 --> 00:11:26,620 [ Gunshots, explosions ] 226 00:11:27,287 --> 00:11:29,422 - The British Empire counters, 227 00:11:29,423 --> 00:11:32,758 seizing American land along the border. 228 00:11:32,759 --> 00:11:39,365 {\an8}And in a major escalation, the British Navy attacks Delaware. 229 00:11:39,366 --> 00:11:42,268 {\an8}They set their sights on a highly strategic location 230 00:11:42,269 --> 00:11:45,137 further south for their fort. 231 00:11:45,138 --> 00:11:49,208 Naval forces descend on Tangier, in hopes of capturing 232 00:11:49,209 --> 00:11:52,079 and occupying this small fishing community. 233 00:11:52,779 --> 00:11:55,014 From here, they will launch attacks 234 00:11:55,015 --> 00:11:56,949 throughout the Chesapeake region 235 00:11:56,950 --> 00:11:59,853 and eventually into the heart of America. 236 00:12:00,587 --> 00:12:02,988 - As a strategy that was taken on by the British 237 00:12:02,989 --> 00:12:06,225 to take away resources from the American enemies, 238 00:12:06,226 --> 00:12:10,797 {\an8}they encouraged black people to come join the British. 239 00:12:11,631 --> 00:12:14,166 - The man in charge of the operation-- 240 00:12:14,167 --> 00:12:17,403 Vice Admiral Alexander Cochrane. 241 00:12:17,404 --> 00:12:23,142 {\an8}- Admiral Cochrane presented a proclamation to tell slaves 242 00:12:23,143 --> 00:12:26,245 {\an8}that they could be free, 243 00:12:26,246 --> 00:12:29,615 they could serve as Colonial Marines here, 244 00:12:29,616 --> 00:12:31,051 to be trained here. 245 00:12:32,285 --> 00:12:36,055 They were also promised land in the British colonies-- 246 00:12:36,056 --> 00:12:39,126 Nova Scotia, Trinidad. 247 00:12:40,494 --> 00:12:43,262 - Cochrane's Proclamation significantly said 248 00:12:43,263 --> 00:12:45,231 that you would not only gain freedom, 249 00:12:45,232 --> 00:12:47,133 be taken away to British territory, 250 00:12:47,134 --> 00:12:50,369 but you would also receive tools and supplies 251 00:12:50,370 --> 00:12:52,873 necessary to build yourself a new life. 252 00:12:53,607 --> 00:12:58,144 The news of this proclamation made the American newspapers, 253 00:12:58,145 --> 00:12:59,845 and in so doing, 254 00:12:59,846 --> 00:13:04,350 they unwittingly transferred knowledge of the proclamation 255 00:13:04,351 --> 00:13:07,454 even more widely than the British could have themselves. 256 00:13:08,155 --> 00:13:12,124 - So those who can read will tell those who can't, 257 00:13:12,125 --> 00:13:13,726 because they have all of these networks, 258 00:13:13,727 --> 00:13:17,296 and these things will get back to more rural areas. 259 00:13:17,297 --> 00:13:20,399 - Dr. Deirdre McCorkindale is a leading historian 260 00:13:20,400 --> 00:13:23,702 of black history at the University of Guelph, 261 00:13:23,703 --> 00:13:26,372 whose research explores the lives and legacies 262 00:13:26,373 --> 00:13:28,841 of black communities in Canada. 263 00:13:28,842 --> 00:13:32,444 - Then there's a lot of inter-plantation networks. 264 00:13:32,445 --> 00:13:35,381 {\an8}People who could move between plantations, 265 00:13:35,382 --> 00:13:36,982 {\an8}people who could go on the water, 266 00:13:36,983 --> 00:13:38,584 {\an8}people who could go to the markets, 267 00:13:38,585 --> 00:13:41,020 {\an8}who were trusted to do those things 268 00:13:41,021 --> 00:13:42,756 were usually the message carriers. 269 00:13:44,057 --> 00:13:46,692 - Word of the proclamation spreads, 270 00:13:46,693 --> 00:13:50,296 and enslaved men risk everything to escape 271 00:13:50,297 --> 00:13:53,098 and accept the British offer of freedom. 272 00:13:53,099 --> 00:13:56,368 - As a slave trying to emancipate yourself, 273 00:13:56,369 --> 00:14:01,173 it was not easy to walk away from friends and others 274 00:14:01,174 --> 00:14:03,409 to go with the British and not look back. 275 00:14:03,410 --> 00:14:06,245 You had to find a way to dress 276 00:14:06,246 --> 00:14:09,415 so that you could not be identified as a slave. 277 00:14:09,416 --> 00:14:14,820 You had to find a way to plot moving from place to place, 278 00:14:14,821 --> 00:14:20,727 usually by water, knowing the waterways, the inlets, the bay. 279 00:14:21,761 --> 00:14:24,230 - Slavery in the United States, at this point, 280 00:14:24,231 --> 00:14:27,299 predates the United States by about a century. 281 00:14:27,300 --> 00:14:30,636 So the overwhelming majority of the enslaved population there 282 00:14:30,637 --> 00:14:35,074 are born into slavery in the United States. 283 00:14:35,075 --> 00:14:36,976 Cochrane's Proclamation is a kind of 284 00:14:36,977 --> 00:14:42,781 incredible blank check offered to an enslaved population. 285 00:14:42,782 --> 00:14:44,083 - Admiral Cochrane, though-- 286 00:14:44,084 --> 00:14:46,185 he did not have entirely clean hands. 287 00:14:46,186 --> 00:14:47,853 He was himself a slave owner, 288 00:14:47,854 --> 00:14:51,324 owning several hundred people in the British colony of Trinidad. 289 00:14:52,158 --> 00:14:54,059 - With a deep hypocrisy, 290 00:14:54,060 --> 00:14:56,228 he knew that the ultimate thing 291 00:14:56,229 --> 00:14:57,796 you can offer to an enslaved person 292 00:14:57,797 --> 00:15:01,667 in any situation is freedom from enslavement 293 00:15:01,668 --> 00:15:04,603 and having the opportunity to be armed, 294 00:15:04,604 --> 00:15:07,106 uniformed as part of an adversary 295 00:15:07,107 --> 00:15:09,442 of your former enslavers. 296 00:15:10,410 --> 00:15:13,112 - It is believed that the uprising involved 297 00:15:13,113 --> 00:15:16,815 approximately 6,000 individuals. 298 00:15:16,816 --> 00:15:21,253 - Tangier Island becomes a thriving military camp. 299 00:15:21,254 --> 00:15:24,323 Alongside the newly emancipated soldiers, 300 00:15:24,324 --> 00:15:28,227 formerly enslaved civilians arrive to support the troops 301 00:15:28,228 --> 00:15:30,329 and gain their own freedom. 302 00:15:30,330 --> 00:15:33,266 - Tangier is sacred ground. 303 00:15:33,967 --> 00:15:36,568 It is sacred ground because of the individuals 304 00:15:36,569 --> 00:15:40,172 who sacrificed so that they could be free. 305 00:15:40,173 --> 00:15:42,541 But the strange thing about it is that 306 00:15:42,542 --> 00:15:45,377 not that many people know about it. 307 00:15:45,378 --> 00:15:46,880 That's what is so sad. 308 00:15:47,981 --> 00:15:50,582 - Mayor Ooker has asked Graham Nickerson to search 309 00:15:50,583 --> 00:15:53,419 for any evidence of the Colonial Marines, 310 00:15:53,420 --> 00:15:56,255 as the black soldiers were known. 311 00:15:56,256 --> 00:15:58,691 For Nickerson, this is personal. 312 00:15:58,692 --> 00:16:01,560 He can trace his ancestry back to the island 313 00:16:01,561 --> 00:16:03,996 and is on a mission to recover the history 314 00:16:03,997 --> 00:16:08,067 that disappeared after the Canadian border was crossed. 315 00:16:08,068 --> 00:16:12,104 - The way that history is appreciated, 316 00:16:12,105 --> 00:16:14,073 if there isn't a narrative 317 00:16:14,074 --> 00:16:19,378 that's been written by an old white guy from the past, 318 00:16:19,379 --> 00:16:20,579 people dismiss it. 319 00:16:20,580 --> 00:16:22,748 Our oral histories are dismissed. 320 00:16:22,749 --> 00:16:25,584 And so when we have this tangible evidence of 321 00:16:25,585 --> 00:16:28,320 our presence and the stories of our past, 322 00:16:28,321 --> 00:16:30,322 they're almost impossible to refute. 323 00:16:30,323 --> 00:16:33,325 - Well, welcome to the island. - Thank you. 324 00:16:33,326 --> 00:16:35,627 So, I see there's lots of golf carts here. 325 00:16:35,628 --> 00:16:37,963 - Yeah, that's the main mode of transportation here, 326 00:16:37,964 --> 00:16:39,531 golf carts. 327 00:16:39,532 --> 00:16:43,736 So, this building right here is the Methodist Parsonage. 328 00:16:43,737 --> 00:16:46,872 Building is probably about 120 years old. 329 00:16:46,873 --> 00:16:48,640 - Oh, it's beautiful. 330 00:16:48,641 --> 00:16:51,844 Well, I notice it's pretty flat. - Oh, yeah. Yeah. 331 00:16:51,845 --> 00:16:56,115 So, our high ground here is about 4 foot above sea level. 332 00:16:56,116 --> 00:16:57,583 - Okay. Yeah. 333 00:16:57,584 --> 00:17:00,687 - The island is about 3 miles long, maybe a mile wide. 334 00:17:01,621 --> 00:17:04,289 - The island is so different from anywhere else. 335 00:17:04,290 --> 00:17:05,225 - Yeah. 336 00:17:05,892 --> 00:17:08,660 - So, my family is a mixture of black people 337 00:17:08,661 --> 00:17:11,630 who fought for the British, mostly from Virginia... 338 00:17:11,631 --> 00:17:13,532 - Okay. - ...who came to Nova Scotia, 339 00:17:13,533 --> 00:17:15,501 but we know so little about them. 340 00:17:15,502 --> 00:17:18,670 We don't learn about them much in school. 341 00:17:18,671 --> 00:17:20,506 They're just these communities of black people 342 00:17:20,507 --> 00:17:23,242 who we know came from here. 343 00:17:23,243 --> 00:17:25,277 - Nickerson is one of many descendants 344 00:17:25,278 --> 00:17:28,647 whose family stories vanished at the border. 345 00:17:28,648 --> 00:17:31,483 Black Canadians with roots in the South 346 00:17:31,484 --> 00:17:35,487 left their pasts behind the moment they crossed into Canada. 347 00:17:35,488 --> 00:17:38,690 - It's almost like the boundary between Canada and the U.S. 348 00:17:38,691 --> 00:17:41,226 is an iron curtain in which history just dies 349 00:17:41,227 --> 00:17:42,728 when it reaches the border. 350 00:17:42,729 --> 00:17:47,599 And, so, like, I'm here where this story really unfolds. 351 00:17:47,600 --> 00:17:49,635 This is a sort of beacon, 352 00:17:49,636 --> 00:17:53,472 a central location that holds all of this history. 353 00:17:53,473 --> 00:17:55,374 - Nickerson is searching for the centerpiece 354 00:17:55,375 --> 00:17:57,476 of the Colonial Marines' history-- 355 00:17:57,477 --> 00:18:01,547 the original British fort built here centuries ago. 356 00:18:01,548 --> 00:18:03,949 - So, down here to the south of the island, 357 00:18:03,950 --> 00:18:05,717 this is where the fort would have been. 358 00:18:05,718 --> 00:18:08,987 So, the actual site is offshore now, underwater. 359 00:18:08,988 --> 00:18:12,024 It'd be interesting if it could be located-- 360 00:18:12,025 --> 00:18:15,494 like, the exact site-- in hopes that we could determine 361 00:18:15,495 --> 00:18:16,996 where the fort was. 362 00:18:18,031 --> 00:18:21,633 {\an8}- Fort Albion stood on the southern tip of Tangier Island, 363 00:18:21,634 --> 00:18:24,970 {\an8}a massive military installation, complete with barracks, 364 00:18:24,971 --> 00:18:29,107 training grounds, a hospital, even a church. 365 00:18:29,108 --> 00:18:34,080 It housed hundreds of soldiers and hundreds more support staff. 366 00:18:34,814 --> 00:18:37,049 - Somewhere in the region of maybe 1 out of every 7 367 00:18:37,050 --> 00:18:42,388 or 1 out of every 8 served as a Colonial Marine. 368 00:18:43,022 --> 00:18:45,290 - The other civilians were here to support 369 00:18:45,291 --> 00:18:47,192 the newly enlisted soldiers-- 370 00:18:47,193 --> 00:18:49,495 cooking meals, stitching uniforms, 371 00:18:49,496 --> 00:18:52,799 and handling necessary domestic tasks. 372 00:18:53,366 --> 00:18:55,601 - Well, alongside the primarily young men 373 00:18:55,602 --> 00:18:57,736 who became Colonial Marines, 374 00:18:57,737 --> 00:18:59,838 hundreds or potentially thousands of others, 375 00:18:59,839 --> 00:19:01,907 both men, women, and children, 376 00:19:01,908 --> 00:19:05,812 took upon other roles that aided the British cause. 377 00:19:06,613 --> 00:19:09,014 - We have so much modern convenience now 378 00:19:09,015 --> 00:19:10,349 that we take for granted. 379 00:19:10,350 --> 00:19:13,585 Laundry used to take a lot of time to do. 380 00:19:13,586 --> 00:19:16,388 Cooking also takes a lot of time. 381 00:19:16,389 --> 00:19:19,691 Formerly enslaved people who are smart, 382 00:19:19,692 --> 00:19:23,195 they're resilient, they're very, very good with, 383 00:19:23,196 --> 00:19:25,764 like, farming and building and all of those things. 384 00:19:25,765 --> 00:19:29,067 These are all very, very important skills 385 00:19:29,068 --> 00:19:30,770 that enslaved people had. 386 00:19:31,538 --> 00:19:33,672 But at the same time, the British 387 00:19:33,673 --> 00:19:37,175 wanted to capitalize on taking that labor away 388 00:19:37,176 --> 00:19:38,610 from the Americans. 389 00:19:38,611 --> 00:19:40,078 They see value in the work. 390 00:19:40,079 --> 00:19:42,347 They know how valuable it is to the people 391 00:19:42,348 --> 00:19:43,749 that they're trying to destroy. 392 00:19:43,750 --> 00:19:45,417 [ Gunshot, horse neighs ] 393 00:19:45,418 --> 00:19:47,519 - Black soldiers fight side by side 394 00:19:47,520 --> 00:19:49,655 with their British brothers-in-arms, 395 00:19:49,656 --> 00:19:52,491 but are segregated into their own unit-- 396 00:19:52,492 --> 00:19:55,427 the Corps of Colonial Marines. 397 00:19:55,428 --> 00:19:57,062 - Let's get into these. - What do you got for me? 398 00:19:57,063 --> 00:19:58,397 - I got you some maps. 399 00:19:58,398 --> 00:20:01,400 - Nickerson and Dr. Burke study a map 400 00:20:01,401 --> 00:20:05,939 to better understand what the soldiers would have experienced. 401 00:20:08,408 --> 00:20:09,808 - So, we're on this little island, 402 00:20:09,809 --> 00:20:13,211 and if we were standing here in 1814 403 00:20:13,212 --> 00:20:17,349 and we were looking out across the channel here and out to sea, 404 00:20:17,350 --> 00:20:21,887 we would have seen, like, the most powerful navy in the world 405 00:20:21,888 --> 00:20:26,626 basically patrolling this area and dominating the Chesapeake. 406 00:20:27,727 --> 00:20:30,228 {\an8}- With the valuable manpower the Colonial Marines 407 00:20:30,229 --> 00:20:31,730 brought to the fight, 408 00:20:31,731 --> 00:20:35,500 the British launch raid after raid from Fort Albion 409 00:20:35,501 --> 00:20:37,737 across the Chesapeake. 410 00:20:38,671 --> 00:20:40,672 - The Colonial Marines are local, 411 00:20:40,673 --> 00:20:42,908 so they're more likely to have a better feel for the ground 412 00:20:42,909 --> 00:20:45,777 and, therefore, guide the British Army more effectively. 413 00:20:45,778 --> 00:20:48,981 Any encounters with civilian Americans shows 414 00:20:48,982 --> 00:20:50,949 that the British force is amenable 415 00:20:50,950 --> 00:20:55,054 and friendly to the enslaved, but not to the slave owners. 416 00:20:55,622 --> 00:20:58,156 - In August 1814, 417 00:20:58,157 --> 00:21:01,693 the Colonial Marines advance with the British forces, 418 00:21:01,694 --> 00:21:03,595 first to Bladensburg, Maryland, 419 00:21:03,596 --> 00:21:06,565 and then straight on to Washington, D.C. 420 00:21:06,566 --> 00:21:08,066 - And most famously, of course, 421 00:21:08,067 --> 00:21:10,335 the British Army burned down the White House. 422 00:21:10,336 --> 00:21:13,905 It's impossible to imagine that operation taking place 423 00:21:13,906 --> 00:21:16,908 without formerly enslaved African-Americans. 424 00:21:16,909 --> 00:21:19,811 - For an enslaved person to be part of an effort 425 00:21:19,812 --> 00:21:25,050 burning down the White House, to burn down the symbol 426 00:21:25,051 --> 00:21:30,789 that represents their continued lack of legal rights 427 00:21:30,790 --> 00:21:35,028 is pretty symbolic for a lot of black people. 428 00:21:35,662 --> 00:21:38,330 - And, you know, all of this stuff is happening 429 00:21:38,331 --> 00:21:41,099 out of this little island where we are right now. 430 00:21:41,100 --> 00:21:46,138 And, like, all of that evidence is-- it's missing. 431 00:21:46,139 --> 00:21:49,041 - It's missing because, as you can see on this map, 432 00:21:49,042 --> 00:21:52,811 there is a red and a green indicator. 433 00:21:52,812 --> 00:21:55,580 And the red is what Tangier Island was 434 00:21:55,581 --> 00:21:57,015 about 10 years ago. 435 00:21:57,016 --> 00:22:00,452 The green is what it was in 1850. 436 00:22:00,453 --> 00:22:02,087 So what you're noting here 437 00:22:02,088 --> 00:22:06,758 is a loss of almost 67% of the total landmass... 438 00:22:06,759 --> 00:22:08,694 - Holy smokes! - ...since 1850. 439 00:22:08,695 --> 00:22:10,696 One other thing I really wanted to point out 440 00:22:10,697 --> 00:22:14,866 is that our attention is in this part of the island, 441 00:22:14,867 --> 00:22:17,636 in particular Fort Albion. 442 00:22:17,637 --> 00:22:19,571 - So everything is underwater. 443 00:22:19,572 --> 00:22:22,140 Yeah, that's-- I mean, there's nothing there. 444 00:22:22,141 --> 00:22:23,809 - Yes. 445 00:22:23,810 --> 00:22:27,579 Given that the fort was burned down before the British left, 446 00:22:27,580 --> 00:22:32,384 all we really think we will be able to find is the foundation 447 00:22:32,385 --> 00:22:35,187 and maybe some of the timbers. 448 00:22:35,188 --> 00:22:39,324 - It is like a metaphor for what has happened to the black story. 449 00:22:39,325 --> 00:22:43,662 The island itself, so much of it has disappeared into the ocean. 450 00:22:43,663 --> 00:22:45,797 And, essentially, so has the story 451 00:22:45,798 --> 00:22:47,566 just disappeared into the ether. 452 00:22:47,567 --> 00:22:50,736 - Clues to what might remain of Fort Albion 453 00:22:50,737 --> 00:22:53,238 come from an original British plan discovered 454 00:22:53,239 --> 00:22:57,042 in the Cochrane Archives at The National Library of Scotland. 455 00:22:57,043 --> 00:22:59,845 - Okay, so, let's take a look at what was here. 456 00:22:59,846 --> 00:23:01,313 - Officer's barracks. - Officer's-- 457 00:23:01,314 --> 00:23:03,648 - And now we've got the-- - The regular barracks. 458 00:23:03,649 --> 00:23:05,150 - Regular barracks, right. 459 00:23:05,151 --> 00:23:07,986 - What else do we have there? - Are these graveyards? 460 00:23:07,987 --> 00:23:09,321 Or burial-- They're burial grounds. 461 00:23:09,322 --> 00:23:11,123 - Number 13, burial grounds. - Burial grounds. 462 00:23:11,124 --> 00:23:15,026 - So, I mean, that really changes the-- 463 00:23:15,027 --> 00:23:17,529 I mean, this is not just a place where black people 464 00:23:17,530 --> 00:23:19,030 lived and then left. 465 00:23:19,031 --> 00:23:22,134 Our black brothers and sisters are buried there. 466 00:23:22,135 --> 00:23:25,737 And it would be great to commemorate 467 00:23:25,738 --> 00:23:28,273 not only their presence in the ground, 468 00:23:28,274 --> 00:23:31,309 but their contribution to the freedoms 469 00:23:31,310 --> 00:23:33,078 that we all enjoy today. 470 00:23:33,079 --> 00:23:38,283 The presence of the cemetery at Fort Albion demonstrates to us 471 00:23:38,284 --> 00:23:41,052 that freedom has a cost 472 00:23:41,053 --> 00:23:46,525 and that even once people reached Tangier Island, 473 00:23:46,526 --> 00:23:49,427 the story and the risks weren't over. 474 00:23:49,428 --> 00:23:50,762 It goes beyond like, 475 00:23:50,763 --> 00:23:52,864 "The British gave these people freedom." 476 00:23:52,865 --> 00:23:54,233 These people freed themselves. 477 00:23:55,401 --> 00:23:58,271 They earned their freedom by fighting for the British. 478 00:23:59,005 --> 00:24:01,040 And that came with risks. 479 00:24:01,908 --> 00:24:05,011 In that time, medicine was not as advanced. 480 00:24:05,545 --> 00:24:07,746 Those people who suffered wounds 481 00:24:07,747 --> 00:24:09,614 got carried back to the fort. 482 00:24:09,615 --> 00:24:12,217 Sometimes, they survive. 483 00:24:12,218 --> 00:24:14,986 Other times, they perish from their wounds 484 00:24:14,987 --> 00:24:20,793 and their bodies are left in the graveyard on Tangier Island. 485 00:24:22,728 --> 00:24:26,865 - To lose Tangier Island to the forces of nature 486 00:24:26,866 --> 00:24:31,536 would probably be a kind of final erasure 487 00:24:31,537 --> 00:24:34,472 of what Tangier Island should probably always have meant 488 00:24:34,473 --> 00:24:36,675 in American history. 489 00:24:36,676 --> 00:24:38,977 - Nickerson and Dr. Burke's next task? 490 00:24:38,978 --> 00:24:41,680 Determining if the waters around the sunken fort 491 00:24:41,681 --> 00:24:44,983 are safe for underwater exploration. 492 00:24:44,984 --> 00:24:46,885 - Hey, you think this wind's gonna let up? 493 00:24:46,886 --> 00:24:49,588 - I hope it does. It's gonna make it bumpy out there. 494 00:24:49,589 --> 00:24:50,789 - [ Laughs ] 495 00:24:50,790 --> 00:24:53,058 - They head out on the same waters 496 00:24:53,059 --> 00:24:57,295 the British Navy once commanded more than two centuries ago. 497 00:24:57,296 --> 00:24:59,731 - Somewhere hidden away, there is this piece of history 498 00:24:59,732 --> 00:25:01,299 that ties to me. 499 00:25:01,300 --> 00:25:04,703 It's literally being swallowed up by the sea. 500 00:25:04,704 --> 00:25:08,740 If we don't do the work now, the site is going to disappear. 501 00:25:08,741 --> 00:25:10,508 And then, with the site disappearing, 502 00:25:10,509 --> 00:25:12,111 the story disappears. 503 00:25:13,279 --> 00:25:17,916 Black people who essentially rode out to this island 504 00:25:17,917 --> 00:25:19,251 from the mainland... 505 00:25:19,252 --> 00:25:20,418 [ Thunder crashes ] 506 00:25:20,419 --> 00:25:22,687 ...not only the Colonial Marines or the recruits, 507 00:25:22,688 --> 00:25:24,756 but their families also came out. 508 00:25:24,757 --> 00:25:27,225 And so these boats were loaded down with-- 509 00:25:27,226 --> 00:25:31,463 You can imagine, like, a whaler or even canoes with 510 00:25:31,464 --> 00:25:35,033 10, 12 people stuffed on them. 511 00:25:35,034 --> 00:25:40,038 I think about the freedom struggle all the time. 512 00:25:40,039 --> 00:25:44,409 These black people-- they knew what they wanted. 513 00:25:44,410 --> 00:25:47,345 They were willing to brave the challenges. 514 00:25:47,346 --> 00:25:53,184 - We've got 25-, 30-mile winds from the west, northwest, 515 00:25:53,185 --> 00:25:57,056 so it's gonna be pretty rough, pretty sloppy. 516 00:25:57,623 --> 00:25:59,891 - It makes you appreciate just 517 00:25:59,892 --> 00:26:02,929 how much they were driven to be free. 518 00:26:04,931 --> 00:26:07,599 Being here now and looking back at the land, 519 00:26:07,600 --> 00:26:10,435 you can imagine having a fortified position here. 520 00:26:10,436 --> 00:26:12,203 You have the Royal Navy supporting you, 521 00:26:12,204 --> 00:26:16,207 so you're safe from seaborne attack. 522 00:26:16,208 --> 00:26:18,543 But you also have all of the island. 523 00:26:18,544 --> 00:26:21,447 They were secure pretty much from land and from sea. 524 00:26:21,948 --> 00:26:23,481 - That's a good wave right there. 525 00:26:23,482 --> 00:26:27,252 Yeah, this is just the bay. Imagine the ocean. 526 00:26:27,253 --> 00:26:32,290 - We are encountering seemingly further-roughening conditions. 527 00:26:32,291 --> 00:26:34,926 It gives you a sense of what it must have been like 528 00:26:34,927 --> 00:26:37,862 to have been moving from the mainland 529 00:26:37,863 --> 00:26:40,466 to Tangier in a rowboat. 530 00:26:41,334 --> 00:26:42,801 - And here we go. 531 00:26:42,802 --> 00:26:45,503 - I'm just glad that I'm not over the side, throwing up. 532 00:26:45,504 --> 00:26:48,406 Wow! Wow! - Whoa-ho! 533 00:26:48,407 --> 00:26:51,509 - We must really want to see this place. 534 00:26:51,510 --> 00:26:54,580 - Rough seas bring the search to a halt. 535 00:26:55,481 --> 00:26:58,650 So Nickerson shifts his focus from the fort 536 00:26:58,651 --> 00:27:00,352 to a deeper mystery-- 537 00:27:00,353 --> 00:27:02,787 uncovering the names of those who lived 538 00:27:02,788 --> 00:27:05,256 and fought on Tangier Island. 539 00:27:05,257 --> 00:27:08,393 - So much history has been lost that we must do 540 00:27:08,394 --> 00:27:12,731 everything we can within our power to preserve it. 541 00:27:12,732 --> 00:27:14,833 - He and historian Dr. Clara Small 542 00:27:14,834 --> 00:27:17,369 head to the island's museum. 543 00:27:17,370 --> 00:27:21,306 - Dr. Small has a detailed knowledge 544 00:27:21,307 --> 00:27:25,910 of specifically the black people who lived in the Chesapeake. 545 00:27:25,911 --> 00:27:29,180 {\an8}And so I'm hoping to learn from her immense wealth 546 00:27:29,181 --> 00:27:31,182 {\an8}of knowledge individuals 547 00:27:31,183 --> 00:27:34,052 {\an8}who might have actually served in the Colonial Marines 548 00:27:34,053 --> 00:27:37,555 and been at Fort Albion here on Tangier Island. 549 00:27:37,556 --> 00:27:39,524 So, in Nova Scotia, we really don't know much 550 00:27:39,525 --> 00:27:40,859 about the history here. 551 00:27:40,860 --> 00:27:42,260 - Oh, my gosh! - How well-known is it 552 00:27:42,261 --> 00:27:45,063 for the black community on the Chesapeake? 553 00:27:45,064 --> 00:27:48,733 - Not very many people know it, because in the beginning, 554 00:27:48,734 --> 00:27:52,404 many slaves or free blacks were-- according to the law, 555 00:27:52,405 --> 00:27:55,306 were prevented from writing their history, 556 00:27:55,307 --> 00:27:59,244 from even learning to read and write. 557 00:27:59,245 --> 00:28:01,379 And so a lot of it is oral history. 558 00:28:01,380 --> 00:28:04,115 As a slave, you receive little 559 00:28:04,116 --> 00:28:07,318 {\an8}or no protection whatsoever 560 00:28:07,319 --> 00:28:09,487 {\an8}from your owner, not even from the law, 561 00:28:09,488 --> 00:28:12,524 {\an8}because you were property, the same as your shoes. 562 00:28:12,525 --> 00:28:17,295 When someone came and offered to you the right to be free, 563 00:28:17,296 --> 00:28:19,931 to have liberty, justice and equality, 564 00:28:19,932 --> 00:28:22,934 as a slave, you took that opportunity, 565 00:28:22,935 --> 00:28:25,571 because you might not ever get it again. 566 00:28:26,105 --> 00:28:28,273 This history-- I hope that they're 567 00:28:28,274 --> 00:28:30,075 preserving a lot of it here. 568 00:28:30,076 --> 00:28:33,211 My gosh. It's amazing. - Oh, look, War of 1812. 569 00:28:33,212 --> 00:28:35,180 There's a whole display dedicated to it. 570 00:28:35,181 --> 00:28:38,316 - Yes. Oh, imagine-- Look, the cannon. 571 00:28:38,317 --> 00:28:42,220 32-pound cannon, solid iron shot. 572 00:28:42,221 --> 00:28:45,256 Imagine seeing one of those coming towards you. 573 00:28:45,257 --> 00:28:50,528 Once you have become free from your master's plantation, 574 00:28:50,529 --> 00:28:54,833 you had to learn how to fight with guns and ammunition, 575 00:28:54,834 --> 00:28:58,503 because the laws had been passed in Virginia and Maryland 576 00:28:58,504 --> 00:29:03,242 that prevented a slave to have guns and ammunition. 577 00:29:03,909 --> 00:29:07,645 - So, I know, like, the general history of this area. 578 00:29:07,646 --> 00:29:10,348 Do you know, like, intimate details of people 579 00:29:10,349 --> 00:29:13,084 who may have participated in the war? 580 00:29:13,085 --> 00:29:15,353 - Some details of some individuals. 581 00:29:15,354 --> 00:29:18,089 Maybe the most famous individual, 582 00:29:18,090 --> 00:29:20,024 or the one we know a lot about, 583 00:29:20,025 --> 00:29:22,627 was a man by the name of William Dare-- 584 00:29:22,628 --> 00:29:24,896 but we know of him as William Deer-- 585 00:29:24,897 --> 00:29:26,231 and his wife, Nancy. 586 00:29:26,232 --> 00:29:28,233 [ Insects chirping, owl hooting ] 587 00:29:28,234 --> 00:29:30,802 - William escaped his plantation in Maryland 588 00:29:30,803 --> 00:29:33,404 and joined the British Army. 589 00:29:33,405 --> 00:29:36,574 Once enlisted, he famously risked his life, 590 00:29:36,575 --> 00:29:40,512 returning to the plantation to rescue his wife, Nancy. 591 00:29:40,513 --> 00:29:46,417 - And after the war, ended up in Nova Scotia, 592 00:29:46,418 --> 00:29:47,919 raised a family, 593 00:29:47,920 --> 00:29:51,956 and also established an inn-- became very, very prosperous. 594 00:29:51,957 --> 00:29:54,559 The inn was the Stag Inn. 595 00:29:54,560 --> 00:29:57,595 - I know of the Stag Inn. It's in Preston, Nova Scotia. 596 00:29:57,596 --> 00:30:01,533 There's still a black refugee community in the Preston area. 597 00:30:01,534 --> 00:30:03,602 - Oh, my gosh! - So it's amazing. 598 00:30:04,236 --> 00:30:06,671 - William and Nancy Deer were among the thousands 599 00:30:06,672 --> 00:30:09,073 {\an8}who claimed land, promised by the British, 600 00:30:09,074 --> 00:30:10,441 {\an8}in Nova Scotia-- 601 00:30:10,442 --> 00:30:14,078 {\an8}more than 600 miles north of Tangier Island. 602 00:30:14,079 --> 00:30:16,347 {\an8}[ Thunder rumbles ] 603 00:30:16,348 --> 00:30:21,586 - It's very hard to truly grasp the kind of emotional state 604 00:30:21,587 --> 00:30:25,056 that people like William and Nancy must have been in. 605 00:30:25,057 --> 00:30:28,993 Because they'd left a known state of horror 606 00:30:28,994 --> 00:30:32,298 {\an8}for an uncertain state of freedom. 607 00:30:32,998 --> 00:30:35,567 The British offer of encouragement 608 00:30:35,568 --> 00:30:37,969 primarily took the form of land grants, 609 00:30:37,970 --> 00:30:41,339 and the authorities they are now under-- the British authorities 610 00:30:41,340 --> 00:30:43,474 and soon to be the Nova Scotian authorities-- 611 00:30:43,475 --> 00:30:47,712 might be as indifferent or neglectful as anyone else 612 00:30:47,713 --> 00:30:49,080 in looking after them. 613 00:30:49,081 --> 00:30:51,917 It's very much their own show from now on. 614 00:30:52,751 --> 00:30:55,753 {\an8}- Like so many others, the story of William and Nancy's 615 00:30:55,754 --> 00:31:00,159 {\an8}escape to freedom disappears at the Canadian border. 616 00:31:01,193 --> 00:31:03,661 Back in Nova Scotia, Nickerson knows 617 00:31:03,662 --> 00:31:07,599 how rarely black stories make it into the history books. 618 00:31:07,600 --> 00:31:08,933 At his alma mater, 619 00:31:08,934 --> 00:31:11,402 St. Mary's University in Halifax, 620 00:31:11,403 --> 00:31:15,640 he searches for any trace of William and Nancy Deer. 621 00:31:15,641 --> 00:31:18,476 Against the odds, he finds two-- 622 00:31:18,477 --> 00:31:20,478 "Acadia; or, A Month with the Blue Noses," 623 00:31:20,479 --> 00:31:23,114 featuring an interview with Nancy, 624 00:31:23,115 --> 00:31:25,450 and "Traditional Lifetime Stories," 625 00:31:25,451 --> 00:31:28,786 containing recollections from a Deer family descendant. 626 00:31:28,787 --> 00:31:31,522 - I found an interview with George Brooks, 627 00:31:31,523 --> 00:31:34,993 who is a descendant of the William and Nancy. 628 00:31:34,994 --> 00:31:37,095 And, so, it talks about them coming here 629 00:31:37,096 --> 00:31:39,530 and starting the Stag Hotel in Preston, 630 00:31:39,531 --> 00:31:42,600 which is-- I didn't know this-- 631 00:31:42,601 --> 00:31:46,537 is the first hotel to be run by a black person in the area. 632 00:31:46,538 --> 00:31:51,276 And there's a quote here about William, and it says, 633 00:31:51,277 --> 00:31:54,312 "He came here, I guess, as a slave from the south 634 00:31:54,313 --> 00:31:56,080 and lived here for years." 635 00:31:56,081 --> 00:31:57,382 {\an8}- I'm glad you found something. 636 00:31:57,383 --> 00:31:59,117 {\an8}I had no idea about all this history, 637 00:31:59,118 --> 00:32:01,120 {\an8}so it's quite fascinating stuff. 638 00:32:02,788 --> 00:32:05,556 - Between 1835 and 1840, 639 00:32:05,557 --> 00:32:09,227 William and Nancy Deer established the Stag Inn, 640 00:32:09,228 --> 00:32:11,296 which became well-known 641 00:32:11,297 --> 00:32:14,767 and was featured in the travelogue "Acadia." 642 00:32:15,801 --> 00:32:17,368 - I was looking in another one of our books. 643 00:32:17,369 --> 00:32:19,570 This is on "Acadia," but there's a whole section here 644 00:32:19,571 --> 00:32:21,839 which talks about the Deer family in Chapter 3. 645 00:32:21,840 --> 00:32:24,375 I think it's the same folks you're looking at. 646 00:32:24,376 --> 00:32:25,910 - There's a question in here, 647 00:32:25,911 --> 00:32:29,480 "'In which place do you like the best, this or Maryland?' 648 00:32:29,481 --> 00:32:33,351 'Well,' said Mrs. Deer, 'I like Nova Scotia best.'" 649 00:32:33,352 --> 00:32:35,520 - [ Laughs ] I think that's the right answer. 650 00:32:35,521 --> 00:32:37,188 That's amazing. What a discovery. 651 00:32:37,189 --> 00:32:39,291 Oh, that's great. - Yeah, it's fascinating. 652 00:32:39,992 --> 00:32:41,693 - Armed with determination, 653 00:32:41,694 --> 00:32:43,861 William and Nancy turned their plot of land 654 00:32:43,862 --> 00:32:47,899 into a thriving home for a growing family. 655 00:32:47,900 --> 00:32:51,436 But the story of their bravery and where they came from 656 00:32:51,437 --> 00:32:53,871 remains a mystery to their descendants. 657 00:32:53,872 --> 00:32:58,176 - I'm Nicole Brooks. I'm African-Nova Scotian. 658 00:32:58,177 --> 00:33:00,345 Nova Scotia means "New Scotland" in Latin. 659 00:33:00,346 --> 00:33:02,880 {\an8}The province itself is sort of painted as 660 00:33:02,881 --> 00:33:06,517 {\an8}the land of seafarers and Scotsmen and Irishmen 661 00:33:06,518 --> 00:33:08,619 who came to the province 662 00:33:08,620 --> 00:33:10,888 and, you know, established its roots here, 663 00:33:10,889 --> 00:33:12,657 and that's the legacy. 664 00:33:12,658 --> 00:33:17,862 What is often forgotten in the legacy is the many other people 665 00:33:17,863 --> 00:33:20,665 who existed before, 666 00:33:20,666 --> 00:33:24,669 how African-Nova Scotians-- how we arrived here 667 00:33:24,670 --> 00:33:28,506 and how we made a lasting mark on the province's history. 668 00:33:28,507 --> 00:33:31,242 It's not something that's inherent in 669 00:33:31,243 --> 00:33:33,979 a lot of the history teachings of Nova Scotia. 670 00:33:35,881 --> 00:33:37,749 {\an8}- Nicole Brooks and her father, Herman, 671 00:33:37,750 --> 00:33:40,753 {\an8}are direct descendants of the Deers. 672 00:33:42,721 --> 00:33:46,224 Two centuries after William and Nancy settled in Canada, 673 00:33:46,225 --> 00:33:50,529 Nicole and Herman wait for word about their family's past. 674 00:33:51,797 --> 00:33:52,930 - So nice to meet you, 675 00:33:52,931 --> 00:33:54,966 and I'm glad that you agreed to talk to me 676 00:33:54,967 --> 00:34:01,672 about your family and what you know of the Deer family. 677 00:34:01,673 --> 00:34:05,076 So, in this book, George Brooks... 678 00:34:05,077 --> 00:34:06,344 - Granddad. - Yep. 679 00:34:06,345 --> 00:34:07,945 - Yeah. - ...is interviewed. 680 00:34:07,946 --> 00:34:12,718 And, so, he talks about what he knew about William. 681 00:34:13,385 --> 00:34:15,820 And, so, the interview sort of chronicles, 682 00:34:15,821 --> 00:34:19,824 like, he is a descendant of William and Nancy. 683 00:34:19,825 --> 00:34:23,895 They run the Stags Inn Hotel, which is, like, 684 00:34:23,896 --> 00:34:27,432 the first hotel to be run by a black person in this area, 685 00:34:27,433 --> 00:34:30,435 and it's a very popular landmark for the community. 686 00:34:30,436 --> 00:34:35,406 {\an8}- When I was a kid growing up, the place was there, 687 00:34:35,407 --> 00:34:37,609 {\an8}but no one lived in it at that time. 688 00:34:38,844 --> 00:34:41,647 I used to run in and out it when I was a kid. 689 00:34:42,815 --> 00:34:46,818 {\an8}I didn't realize who this Deer person was. 690 00:34:46,819 --> 00:34:49,754 {\an8}- We didn't know any of the significance. 691 00:34:49,755 --> 00:34:54,125 We didn't realize it was the only black-owned inn 692 00:34:54,126 --> 00:34:55,726 of that time, ever, period. 693 00:34:55,727 --> 00:34:58,496 And, like, that's huge. I mean, it's monumental. 694 00:34:58,497 --> 00:35:02,099 - I've been wondering for years, "Where did I come from?" 695 00:35:02,100 --> 00:35:03,601 You know? - Yep. 696 00:35:03,602 --> 00:35:06,804 - And now that these-- tracing these roots back, 697 00:35:06,805 --> 00:35:09,006 gosh, we've come a long ways. 698 00:35:09,007 --> 00:35:10,975 Look where we were at, and, all of a sudden, 699 00:35:10,976 --> 00:35:12,009 we're over here now. 700 00:35:12,010 --> 00:35:13,144 - Yeah. - You know? 701 00:35:13,145 --> 00:35:14,779 - We're still here. - Yeah. 702 00:35:14,780 --> 00:35:18,683 - So, this is a great entry point to this book, which you're... 703 00:35:18,684 --> 00:35:20,818 - Okay. - ...really going to like. 704 00:35:20,819 --> 00:35:24,388 - Okay. - Which is a first edition. 705 00:35:24,389 --> 00:35:27,358 It was written in 1859. 706 00:35:27,359 --> 00:35:28,727 - Okay. 707 00:35:29,628 --> 00:35:32,630 I'm nervous. - And he's asking Nancy, 708 00:35:32,631 --> 00:35:36,101 "Did you prefer Nova Scotia or Maryland?" 709 00:35:37,035 --> 00:35:39,670 - "'Why, I never had so much work to do at home 710 00:35:39,671 --> 00:35:43,407 as I have to do here, grubbin' up old stumps and stones; 711 00:35:43,408 --> 00:35:45,376 it isn't women's work. 712 00:35:45,377 --> 00:35:48,179 When I was home, I had only to wait on misses, 713 00:35:48,180 --> 00:35:50,715 and work was light and easy.' 714 00:35:50,716 --> 00:35:52,550 {\an8}'But which place do you like best?' 715 00:35:52,551 --> 00:35:55,052 'I like Nova Scotia best.' 716 00:35:55,053 --> 00:35:58,924 {\an8}'Why... do you prefer Nova Scotia to Maryland?' 717 00:35:59,958 --> 00:36:03,861 'The difference is, when I work here, I work for myself, 718 00:36:03,862 --> 00:36:06,197 and when I was working at home, 719 00:36:06,198 --> 00:36:09,401 I was working for other people.'" 720 00:36:10,335 --> 00:36:12,637 - William, here, is a soldier. 721 00:36:12,638 --> 00:36:14,338 You know, they're on Tangier Island 722 00:36:14,339 --> 00:36:16,040 in a fort called Fort Albion. 723 00:36:16,041 --> 00:36:18,109 And they're part of the Royal Marines-- 724 00:36:18,110 --> 00:36:20,077 this endeavor that the British were taking. 725 00:36:20,078 --> 00:36:21,946 - They're part of, like, this British war machine, 726 00:36:21,947 --> 00:36:23,481 essentially. - Yes. A crucial part. 727 00:36:23,482 --> 00:36:24,982 - Yeah. - They basically have 728 00:36:24,983 --> 00:36:28,786 roughshod all over the Chesapeake for a year. 729 00:36:28,787 --> 00:36:31,923 And they go and burn the White House. 730 00:36:31,924 --> 00:36:36,460 And then they end up going to Nova Scotia. 731 00:36:36,461 --> 00:36:40,765 - That's very significant to me to know this. 732 00:36:40,766 --> 00:36:43,634 - We're related to a legend. 733 00:36:43,635 --> 00:36:44,936 And that's incredible. 734 00:36:44,937 --> 00:36:47,973 - My forefathers were great people. 735 00:36:49,107 --> 00:36:52,777 They persevered through slavery. 736 00:36:52,778 --> 00:36:55,947 My heart is full of joy. - Oh. 737 00:36:55,948 --> 00:36:57,815 - I'm very proud. 738 00:36:57,816 --> 00:37:00,185 - Yeah. - Yeah. Very proud. 739 00:37:00,953 --> 00:37:03,788 - The property remains in the Brooks family. 740 00:37:03,789 --> 00:37:05,957 And they agree to an excavation, 741 00:37:05,958 --> 00:37:07,959 in hopes of uncovering physical evidence 742 00:37:07,960 --> 00:37:11,696 of the life William and Nancy built here. 743 00:37:11,697 --> 00:37:14,432 {\an8}- These large stones that we're seeing here 744 00:37:14,433 --> 00:37:16,534 {\an8}are part of the actual foundation, 745 00:37:16,535 --> 00:37:18,603 {\an8}the back wall of the building. 746 00:37:18,604 --> 00:37:22,006 - There you go. - Look at that. What is that? 747 00:37:22,007 --> 00:37:23,708 - Now, that's a very interesting piece. 748 00:37:23,709 --> 00:37:25,476 - It's pink! - It's pink. 749 00:37:25,477 --> 00:37:28,012 It's a very early use of the color red. 750 00:37:28,013 --> 00:37:29,780 - Because I was gonna say, you see, like, 751 00:37:29,781 --> 00:37:31,482 a lot of old dishes, and, usually, it's a lot of blue. 752 00:37:31,483 --> 00:37:32,850 - Yes. Yeah, yeah. 753 00:37:32,851 --> 00:37:34,552 That was a color that they mastered earlier. 754 00:37:34,553 --> 00:37:36,220 - Okay. - By about 1830, 755 00:37:36,221 --> 00:37:38,889 they're experimenting with other colors, including red. 756 00:37:38,890 --> 00:37:43,494 Now, the family is here, operating the inn in that era. 757 00:37:43,495 --> 00:37:45,630 - Like, I'm thinking about the symbolism of having, 758 00:37:45,631 --> 00:37:49,400 like, the brand-new colors on your brand-new plates 759 00:37:49,401 --> 00:37:50,735 and what that means. 760 00:37:50,736 --> 00:37:53,571 Like, obviously, the inn is doing well. 761 00:37:53,572 --> 00:37:55,640 That's so meaningful to me that, 762 00:37:55,641 --> 00:37:57,908 you know, Nancy picked out those dishes 763 00:37:57,909 --> 00:38:01,112 especially for her business and for her home 764 00:38:01,113 --> 00:38:04,382 and what that would have been like as a free woman 765 00:38:04,383 --> 00:38:06,450 in your own business, your own space. 766 00:38:06,451 --> 00:38:07,919 That's amazing. 767 00:38:08,954 --> 00:38:12,089 - The Brookses are invited to the Museum of Natural History 768 00:38:12,090 --> 00:38:16,494 in Halifax to see an important artifact from the Stag Inn 769 00:38:16,495 --> 00:38:18,696 that's been hidden away for years. 770 00:38:18,697 --> 00:38:19,897 - Hello again. - Hi. 771 00:38:19,898 --> 00:38:21,165 - Hi. - Hi. 772 00:38:21,166 --> 00:38:22,533 - How are you? - Welcome. 773 00:38:22,534 --> 00:38:25,036 So, here, we have the sign from the Stag Inn. 774 00:38:25,037 --> 00:38:26,737 - It looks really good for an old sign. 775 00:38:26,738 --> 00:38:28,205 - It's amazing, isn't it? - Yeah. 776 00:38:28,206 --> 00:38:30,007 - Like, it looks like it's in excellent shape 777 00:38:30,008 --> 00:38:33,077 for being almost 200 years old. 778 00:38:33,078 --> 00:38:36,681 - "Brandy, whiskey, hop, spruce, ginger beer, 779 00:38:36,682 --> 00:38:39,117 clean beds, and food for horses here. 780 00:38:39,551 --> 00:38:42,086 To suit the public's taste is clear. 781 00:38:42,087 --> 00:38:46,357 Bill Deer will labour. So will his dearest dear." 782 00:38:46,358 --> 00:38:47,992 Nancy? - Nancy. Yes, Nancy. 783 00:38:47,993 --> 00:38:50,561 - Nancy being mentioned on the sign of the Stag Inn-- 784 00:38:50,562 --> 00:38:52,963 it seems very much so that they were a team. 785 00:38:52,964 --> 00:38:57,201 {\an8}When we're talking about the running of an inn, 786 00:38:57,202 --> 00:38:58,536 {\an8}that's running a house. 787 00:38:58,537 --> 00:39:00,404 I think she probably knew more about 788 00:39:00,405 --> 00:39:02,907 how to do that than he did. 789 00:39:02,908 --> 00:39:05,143 And he gave her the recognition. 790 00:39:07,245 --> 00:39:10,214 - While Nancy and William tend to their guests, 791 00:39:10,215 --> 00:39:12,116 their son Bill helps out, 792 00:39:12,117 --> 00:39:14,752 picking up visitors like Frederic Cozzens, 793 00:39:14,753 --> 00:39:18,723 who interviewed the Deers for the travelogue "Acadia." 794 00:39:18,724 --> 00:39:21,559 - "The pony under the hands of Bill is still cheerful 795 00:39:21,560 --> 00:39:24,296 despite the long travel up and down hills. 796 00:39:24,863 --> 00:39:27,364 A savoury odour of fried bacon and eggs 797 00:39:27,365 --> 00:39:29,033 stole forth from the door 798 00:39:29,034 --> 00:39:33,237 as we sat in the calm summer air upon the stone fence. 799 00:39:33,238 --> 00:39:34,939 'Mrs. Deer,' said I, 800 00:39:34,940 --> 00:39:38,275 'is that your husband's portrait on the back of the sign?' 801 00:39:38,276 --> 00:39:39,844 'Why,' replied Mrs. Deer, 802 00:39:39,845 --> 00:39:43,047 'he doesn't look quite good to brag on, 803 00:39:43,048 --> 00:39:46,717 but I don't think he looks quite like a beast either.'" 804 00:39:46,718 --> 00:39:47,985 I think that's a fitting description 805 00:39:47,986 --> 00:39:51,255 after years of marriage and trials. 806 00:39:51,256 --> 00:39:55,259 Then, yeah, not to mention war, you know? 807 00:39:55,260 --> 00:39:57,428 We know that she was strong and that she was 808 00:39:57,429 --> 00:40:02,433 very, very competent and not afraid to speak her mind. 809 00:40:02,434 --> 00:40:05,770 And many of those characteristics 810 00:40:05,771 --> 00:40:07,972 are the characteristics of so many black women 811 00:40:07,973 --> 00:40:09,607 whose names we don't know. 812 00:40:09,608 --> 00:40:12,643 They were smart. They were resourceful. 813 00:40:12,644 --> 00:40:14,178 They were brave. 814 00:40:14,179 --> 00:40:17,915 Knowing those things can be very, very helpful, 815 00:40:17,916 --> 00:40:22,386 especially to black families, who often-- 816 00:40:22,387 --> 00:40:26,824 due to the way that our history has been suppressed, 817 00:40:26,825 --> 00:40:31,462 often don't know very much about who our ancestors were 818 00:40:31,463 --> 00:40:33,698 and the things that they did. 819 00:40:35,333 --> 00:40:38,202 - Determined to learn more about their ancestors, 820 00:40:38,203 --> 00:40:41,605 Nicole and Herman travel more than 600 miles south 821 00:40:41,606 --> 00:40:43,475 to Tangier Island. 822 00:40:43,942 --> 00:40:46,143 - Are you ready? - Yes, I'm ready. 823 00:40:46,144 --> 00:40:50,114 - Alright, let's do it. - Let's go. 824 00:40:50,115 --> 00:40:53,250 - It's been such an exciting experience learning more about 825 00:40:53,251 --> 00:40:56,554 where we came from and our family story. 826 00:40:56,555 --> 00:41:00,558 But now, to have the experience to go up to Tangier Island 827 00:41:00,559 --> 00:41:04,328 and figure out who our ancestors were and walk in their shoes 828 00:41:04,329 --> 00:41:05,830 and find out what their lived experience 829 00:41:05,831 --> 00:41:09,334 was leading up to that, I can't wait. 830 00:41:12,370 --> 00:41:14,138 - Back on Tangier Island, 831 00:41:14,139 --> 00:41:18,509 Dr. Burke discovers a troubling sign in the island's interior. 832 00:41:18,510 --> 00:41:20,711 - Everyone notices the erosion on the outside, 833 00:41:20,712 --> 00:41:23,547 but it's not just shorelines-- it's people's properties, right? 834 00:41:23,548 --> 00:41:25,583 Where their houses are, where the grasses are turning 835 00:41:25,584 --> 00:41:28,619 from regular grass to wetland grasses. 836 00:41:28,620 --> 00:41:32,723 {\an8}♪ 837 00:41:32,724 --> 00:41:35,893 Right now, I am standing in the marsh. 838 00:41:35,894 --> 00:41:38,262 {\an8}If you look around, it doesn't look like it's the marsh. 839 00:41:38,263 --> 00:41:39,930 {\an8}It looks like it's someone's lawn. 840 00:41:39,931 --> 00:41:42,733 {\an8}It once was. Now it is wetland. 841 00:41:42,734 --> 00:41:44,969 And this conversion from upland to wetland 842 00:41:44,970 --> 00:41:48,005 is the silent killer of this island, 843 00:41:48,006 --> 00:41:50,708 because this is what's happening in people's backyards, 844 00:41:50,709 --> 00:41:53,978 even in the interior of the island. 845 00:41:53,979 --> 00:41:56,747 - Dr. Burke is using nature itself-- 846 00:41:56,748 --> 00:42:01,018 newly built oyster reefs-- to fight erosion. 847 00:42:01,019 --> 00:42:03,954 - I started with oyster restoration, so when I see-- 848 00:42:03,955 --> 00:42:05,322 - All the oysters all over. 849 00:42:05,323 --> 00:42:07,024 - Yeah, I just can't help but to get excited. 850 00:42:07,025 --> 00:42:09,094 - Gets you excited. - It does. I want to jump out. 851 00:42:10,729 --> 00:42:13,030 So, this definitely helps for the erosion. 852 00:42:13,031 --> 00:42:14,798 I'm looking at this flat over here, 853 00:42:14,799 --> 00:42:19,136 and you could do extensive reef restoration, 854 00:42:19,137 --> 00:42:20,437 and that would provide a lot of protection 855 00:42:20,438 --> 00:42:21,739 for what's back there. 856 00:42:21,740 --> 00:42:23,040 And that's really what we're hoping to do 857 00:42:23,041 --> 00:42:26,744 right up past that last crab house. 858 00:42:26,745 --> 00:42:29,113 Oysters grow in clusters and clumps 859 00:42:29,114 --> 00:42:31,749 and eventually form oyster rock. 860 00:42:31,750 --> 00:42:34,184 They rely on something to settle on. 861 00:42:34,185 --> 00:42:37,154 So they float around in their larval state, 862 00:42:37,155 --> 00:42:39,924 looking for a good place to land. 863 00:42:39,925 --> 00:42:43,060 This reef, we call it an "X" reef. 864 00:42:43,061 --> 00:42:45,095 We make sure we have nooks and crannies, 865 00:42:45,096 --> 00:42:47,298 because when they're really small, they'll settle in there. 866 00:42:47,299 --> 00:42:48,999 And you won't see them for a while, 867 00:42:49,000 --> 00:42:51,302 but, eventually, they're going to grow out and emerge 868 00:42:51,303 --> 00:42:53,837 like a flower blooms and comes out. 869 00:42:53,838 --> 00:42:55,906 So, a reef, when we first put it out there, 870 00:42:55,907 --> 00:42:57,508 provides a certain amount of protection, 871 00:42:57,509 --> 00:43:01,179 but when it's a full, living, growing reef, it does even more. 872 00:43:04,149 --> 00:43:07,918 The parallels between trying to save a history that's been lost, 873 00:43:07,919 --> 00:43:09,486 and maybe would have been lost forever, 874 00:43:09,487 --> 00:43:11,522 at the same moment that we're trying to save 875 00:43:11,523 --> 00:43:13,891 a living community that could also be lost 876 00:43:13,892 --> 00:43:16,360 to history if we don't act? 877 00:43:16,361 --> 00:43:19,029 So we could simultaneously protect the past 878 00:43:19,030 --> 00:43:21,532 and the present so that the people here have a future. 879 00:43:21,533 --> 00:43:24,868 And that really is what is giving me goose bumps right now, 880 00:43:24,869 --> 00:43:26,271 just talking about it. 881 00:43:28,173 --> 00:43:30,007 - Nickerson joins the Brookses 882 00:43:30,008 --> 00:43:33,478 as they set out to learn more about their ancestors. 883 00:43:34,079 --> 00:43:36,780 First stop, Benedict, Maryland, 884 00:43:36,781 --> 00:43:39,650 60 miles north of Tangier Island. 885 00:43:39,651 --> 00:43:42,821 He has something deeply meaningful to show them. 886 00:43:44,089 --> 00:43:46,223 - I have no idea where we're going. 887 00:43:46,224 --> 00:43:48,192 I have no idea what Graham has in store, 888 00:43:48,193 --> 00:43:50,828 but it's time for an adventure. 889 00:43:50,829 --> 00:43:52,796 But what's so weird is that, like, 890 00:43:52,797 --> 00:43:54,498 in the year of our Lord 2026, 891 00:43:54,499 --> 00:43:56,300 it still says Williams Wharf Plantation 892 00:43:56,301 --> 00:44:00,170 on, like, the signs to these communities, which, like, ick. 893 00:44:00,171 --> 00:44:02,272 It doesn't feel like it's warm enough here to grow cotton... 894 00:44:02,273 --> 00:44:04,675 - No, I don't think so. - ...but what do I know? 895 00:44:04,676 --> 00:44:07,678 Which is, like, what a privilege to say, right? 896 00:44:07,679 --> 00:44:09,880 I don't know how cotton is grown. 897 00:44:09,881 --> 00:44:12,549 And I love that for me. May I never find out. 898 00:44:12,550 --> 00:44:14,685 - [ Laughs ] Don't want to pick it either. 899 00:44:14,686 --> 00:44:16,054 - Oh! Exactly. 900 00:44:17,956 --> 00:44:20,224 It's a big house. - It is. 901 00:44:20,225 --> 00:44:22,559 - Hi! - Hello! How are you today? 902 00:44:22,560 --> 00:44:25,596 This is the location where William and Nancy 903 00:44:25,597 --> 00:44:27,965 would have been enslaved. 904 00:44:27,966 --> 00:44:30,201 - Oh, okay. Okay. - Oh, my. Okay. 905 00:44:31,436 --> 00:44:37,241 - And at one point, in the census of 1810... 906 00:44:37,242 --> 00:44:38,509 - Right. 907 00:44:38,510 --> 00:44:40,077 - ...they are-- 908 00:44:40,078 --> 00:44:43,047 well, they didn't list black people by name at the time. 909 00:44:43,048 --> 00:44:46,917 So, you'll see there are 10 enslaved people living... 910 00:44:46,918 --> 00:44:49,319 - Here. - ...here, on this property. 911 00:44:49,320 --> 00:44:52,022 - And 10 people, including William and Nancy? 912 00:44:52,023 --> 00:44:54,324 - William and Nancy. - Wow. 913 00:44:54,325 --> 00:44:56,693 - Never mentioned their names, but mentioned by number. 914 00:44:56,694 --> 00:44:57,728 - Yes. - Yeah. 915 00:44:57,729 --> 00:44:59,630 - Yeah, because they... 916 00:44:59,631 --> 00:45:03,101 they didn't really consider them to be people at the time. 917 00:45:04,335 --> 00:45:06,603 - The Brookses explore the grounds, 918 00:45:06,604 --> 00:45:10,408 imagining how their ancestors might have escaped. 919 00:45:13,178 --> 00:45:15,345 - It's a long way to go, hey? - Yes. 920 00:45:15,346 --> 00:45:17,714 There's the river, and-- - That's the river. 921 00:45:17,715 --> 00:45:19,617 - It's a long walk. 922 00:45:20,952 --> 00:45:24,688 What would probably happen would be the British would show up. 923 00:45:24,689 --> 00:45:27,591 The militia would set something on fire or whatever 924 00:45:27,592 --> 00:45:29,493 and cause distractions. 925 00:45:29,494 --> 00:45:32,096 And so you have all this chaos, and in that chaos, 926 00:45:32,097 --> 00:45:33,797 the British would send a whaleboat in. 927 00:45:33,798 --> 00:45:35,499 - Gotcha. - And they would hop on, and... 928 00:45:35,500 --> 00:45:39,069 - It was opportunity. - Opportunity and planning. 929 00:45:39,070 --> 00:45:40,571 [ Thunder rumbles, crashes ] 930 00:45:40,572 --> 00:45:44,008 - William distinguishes himself on the battlefield. 931 00:45:44,876 --> 00:45:46,810 Then, during the Battle of Bladensburg, 932 00:45:46,811 --> 00:45:49,947 an eyewitness account describes him asking permission 933 00:45:49,948 --> 00:45:54,084 to return to Maryland and face a different kind of danger-- 934 00:45:54,085 --> 00:45:56,653 saving his wife from slavery. 935 00:45:56,654 --> 00:45:58,555 [ Dogs barking ] 936 00:45:58,556 --> 00:46:00,424 - It's clear that he must have been held 937 00:46:00,425 --> 00:46:03,427 in some kind of high regard, that he, as a Colonial Marine, 938 00:46:03,428 --> 00:46:07,498 {\an8}had been released from his duties in order to go 939 00:46:07,499 --> 00:46:10,367 {\an8}and attempt to rescue his wife, Nancy, 940 00:46:10,368 --> 00:46:12,236 who remained in enslavement. 941 00:46:12,237 --> 00:46:14,371 To be trusted not just to leave the ranks, 942 00:46:14,372 --> 00:46:18,041 but leave the ranks on quite a dangerous kind of solo mission 943 00:46:18,042 --> 00:46:20,245 and be expected to return. 944 00:46:21,012 --> 00:46:23,981 - William and Nancy Deer self-emancipated, 945 00:46:23,982 --> 00:46:26,583 but their freedom came at a price. 946 00:46:26,584 --> 00:46:30,087 When the Treaty of Ghent is signed, ending the war, 947 00:46:30,088 --> 00:46:33,223 Britain agrees to pay the Deers' former enslavers 948 00:46:33,224 --> 00:46:35,292 for the loss of "property." 949 00:46:35,293 --> 00:46:38,695 William and Nancy are reduced to line items, 950 00:46:38,696 --> 00:46:42,399 their lives stripped down to a number and a price. 951 00:46:42,400 --> 00:46:44,368 - One of the big stipulations is 952 00:46:44,369 --> 00:46:48,839 for the American enslavers to be compensated for the people 953 00:46:48,840 --> 00:46:50,507 that joined the British. 954 00:46:50,508 --> 00:46:52,075 - Okay. 955 00:46:52,076 --> 00:46:53,610 It says, 956 00:46:53,611 --> 00:46:56,780 "Indemnities due under the award of the Emperor of Russia, 957 00:46:56,781 --> 00:47:00,817 for slaves and other private property carried away 958 00:47:00,818 --> 00:47:02,720 by the British forces." 959 00:47:04,355 --> 00:47:06,356 "Private property." 960 00:47:06,357 --> 00:47:08,091 And their average value? 961 00:47:08,092 --> 00:47:10,194 $280. - Oh, okay. 962 00:47:10,195 --> 00:47:15,799 $280 was my worth, according to them. 963 00:47:15,800 --> 00:47:16,934 - That's correct. 964 00:47:16,935 --> 00:47:18,536 - Wow. 965 00:47:19,904 --> 00:47:24,308 - The thing that I have come to do when I am in a place 966 00:47:24,309 --> 00:47:26,510 where the ancestors live... - Okay. 967 00:47:26,511 --> 00:47:30,147 - ...is I give libation for what the ancestors sacrificed 968 00:47:30,148 --> 00:47:32,150 for us to be here. 969 00:47:35,153 --> 00:47:37,387 It gives some closure. - It does. 970 00:47:37,388 --> 00:47:38,590 - Yeah. 971 00:47:39,924 --> 00:47:42,659 Much appreciated. - No problem. 972 00:47:42,660 --> 00:47:46,063 {\an8}♪ 973 00:47:46,064 --> 00:47:48,065 - The Brookses cross the Chesapeake Bay to 974 00:47:48,066 --> 00:47:50,767 Tangier Island, retracing the journey 975 00:47:50,768 --> 00:47:54,805 William and Nancy made in their quest for freedom. 976 00:47:54,806 --> 00:47:58,475 - I cannot imagine leaving, 977 00:47:58,476 --> 00:48:04,716 getting across this huge body of water in a rowboat to freedom. 978 00:48:05,750 --> 00:48:08,752 I cannot even imagine what William or Nancy 979 00:48:08,753 --> 00:48:09,886 must have been thinking. 980 00:48:09,887 --> 00:48:11,555 They are so brave. 981 00:48:11,556 --> 00:48:15,592 {\an8}♪ 982 00:48:15,593 --> 00:48:17,527 - To pay tribute to the sacrifices 983 00:48:17,528 --> 00:48:19,963 William made on behalf of the British, 984 00:48:19,964 --> 00:48:24,234 a Royal Marine is sent to meet the Brookses on Tangier Island 985 00:48:24,235 --> 00:48:27,739 and honor the Corps of Colonial Marines. 986 00:48:29,340 --> 00:48:32,676 - It's a real honor and a privilege to be here today, 987 00:48:32,677 --> 00:48:35,445 {\an8}I think probably more than 200 years 988 00:48:35,446 --> 00:48:40,284 {\an8}since any previous Royal Marine has stood on Tangier Island, 989 00:48:40,285 --> 00:48:44,421 to commemorate fallen Royal Naval, Royal Marines, 990 00:48:44,422 --> 00:48:47,457 and, of course, the Corps of Colonial Marines 991 00:48:47,458 --> 00:48:51,596 who lived and died on this incredible island. 992 00:48:52,430 --> 00:48:54,431 I'm personally very delighted that the Royal Marines 993 00:48:54,432 --> 00:48:57,534 recognize this incredible part of their history. 994 00:48:57,535 --> 00:49:00,003 This is not a story about Britain coming 995 00:49:00,004 --> 00:49:03,840 into the United States and rescuing people from slavery. 996 00:49:03,841 --> 00:49:07,544 British forces were present and provided the means, 997 00:49:07,545 --> 00:49:10,681 but the people who caught their own freedom 998 00:49:10,682 --> 00:49:12,983 were the enslaved people themselves, 999 00:49:12,984 --> 00:49:16,286 who took the incredibly courageous risk of fleeing 1000 00:49:16,287 --> 00:49:18,790 from slavery to try and find freedom. 1001 00:49:19,924 --> 00:49:23,660 - As Lieutenant Colonel James Smith prepares the plaque, 1002 00:49:23,661 --> 00:49:26,997 Nickerson makes another attempt at locating Fort Albion. 1003 00:49:26,998 --> 00:49:29,566 - Alright, Graham, you want to direct our divers? 1004 00:49:29,567 --> 00:49:31,201 - Sure. Okay. 1005 00:49:31,202 --> 00:49:33,704 The site itself is much more elaborate 1006 00:49:33,705 --> 00:49:36,873 than what we thought originally, so... 1007 00:49:36,874 --> 00:49:38,642 - It looks extensive. - Yeah. 1008 00:49:38,643 --> 00:49:42,546 There's lots of potential artifacts you could come across. 1009 00:49:42,547 --> 00:49:43,781 - Okay. 1010 00:49:45,350 --> 00:49:47,384 - So, what are we expecting the divers to see? 1011 00:49:47,385 --> 00:49:48,785 - It's hard to know. 1012 00:49:48,786 --> 00:49:51,855 We know that the British burned it once it was abandoned. 1013 00:49:51,856 --> 00:49:53,690 It was an extensive wooden structure, 1014 00:49:53,691 --> 00:49:56,960 so we should find, hopefully, remnants of preserved wood. 1015 00:49:56,961 --> 00:49:58,195 - Okay. 1016 00:49:58,196 --> 00:50:00,030 - There were thousands of people there. 1017 00:50:00,031 --> 00:50:01,732 They were building lives there. 1018 00:50:01,733 --> 00:50:03,600 There were gardens. There were markets. 1019 00:50:03,601 --> 00:50:05,435 And the other thing is that there's 1020 00:50:05,436 --> 00:50:08,472 a pretty substantial graveyard. 1021 00:50:08,473 --> 00:50:10,574 - Wow. - And so we might find 1022 00:50:10,575 --> 00:50:13,577 grave markers, human bone, or-- 1023 00:50:13,578 --> 00:50:16,513 it's really difficult to know. 1024 00:50:16,514 --> 00:50:19,383 - Oh, it's such a shame that it's all underwater now. 1025 00:50:19,384 --> 00:50:21,785 I... That's... 1026 00:50:21,786 --> 00:50:23,987 - Well, the thing about it being underwater is that 1027 00:50:23,988 --> 00:50:27,457 it means that it's been preserved, hard to get to, 1028 00:50:27,458 --> 00:50:29,559 so it might still be there. 1029 00:50:29,560 --> 00:50:30,427 - Okay. 1030 00:50:30,428 --> 00:50:32,562 - Diver in the water! 1031 00:50:32,563 --> 00:50:47,077 {\an8}♪ 1032 00:50:47,078 --> 00:50:49,946 - Buried beneath the sands of the Chesapeake Bay, 1033 00:50:49,947 --> 00:50:54,285 divers uncover what could be remnants of Fort Albion. 1034 00:50:55,253 --> 00:50:57,487 - Looks like we found a little bit 1035 00:50:57,488 --> 00:50:59,890 of a debris field down there. 1036 00:50:59,891 --> 00:51:04,294 {\an8}It looked like flecks of either old wood or stuff like that. 1037 00:51:04,295 --> 00:51:06,129 - Wow. So you actually found wood down there. 1038 00:51:06,130 --> 00:51:07,364 Do you think it was part of the fort? 1039 00:51:07,365 --> 00:51:08,665 - It very well could have been. 1040 00:51:08,666 --> 00:51:11,435 {\an8}It was almost like petrified wood, 1041 00:51:11,436 --> 00:51:13,603 {\an8}which very well could have been part of the fort. 1042 00:51:13,604 --> 00:51:16,006 Mother Nature takes its toll over 200 years, 1043 00:51:16,007 --> 00:51:18,442 but it very well could have been something that, you know, 1044 00:51:18,443 --> 00:51:22,213 was part of the history of this fort that was here. 1045 00:51:23,014 --> 00:51:25,949 - This petrified wood may be the only remaining evidence 1046 00:51:25,950 --> 00:51:29,286 that the Colonial Marines stood here... 1047 00:51:29,287 --> 00:51:32,256 but their story is no longer buried. 1048 00:51:32,990 --> 00:51:35,592 Islanders, descendants, and Royal Marines 1049 00:51:35,593 --> 00:51:39,529 now come together to honor their legacy. 1050 00:51:39,530 --> 00:51:42,365 - Good afternoon, Tangier Island. 1051 00:51:42,366 --> 00:51:44,334 It is a real honor 1052 00:51:44,335 --> 00:51:48,905 and a privilege to be here today to remember 1053 00:51:48,906 --> 00:51:54,579 and to commemorate the Corps of Colonial Marines. 1054 00:51:55,580 --> 00:51:58,482 The motto of my first Royal Marines company, 1055 00:51:58,483 --> 00:52:03,887 the unit that I first joined, is "Slave to no man." 1056 00:52:03,888 --> 00:52:07,624 And the Colonial Marines personified this ethos. 1057 00:52:07,625 --> 00:52:12,496 The Colonial Marines braved impossible odds, 1058 00:52:12,497 --> 00:52:18,034 a hostile shore, 16 miles of merciless sea 1059 00:52:18,035 --> 00:52:21,137 to reach this place... 1060 00:52:21,138 --> 00:52:23,406 to claim their freedom... 1061 00:52:23,407 --> 00:52:26,177 and to fight as free men. 1062 00:52:27,011 --> 00:52:30,947 And it is a real honor to be here today with 1063 00:52:30,948 --> 00:52:35,485 a number of descendants of the Colonial Marines. 1064 00:52:35,486 --> 00:52:37,687 Thank you for being here. 1065 00:52:37,688 --> 00:52:42,759 It's been wonderful to meet you and to understand your story. 1066 00:52:42,760 --> 00:52:44,895 We have a saying in the Royal Marines... 1067 00:52:44,896 --> 00:52:48,032 "Once a Marine, always a Marine." 1068 00:52:49,300 --> 00:52:54,571 And that is a promise that transcends not just continents, 1069 00:52:54,572 --> 00:52:56,239 but also generations. 1070 00:52:56,240 --> 00:52:59,609 So it's my pleasure to welcome you to the Royal Marines family. 1071 00:52:59,610 --> 00:53:01,545 You're in it whether you want to be or not, right? 1072 00:53:01,546 --> 00:53:03,179 You've got no choice. You're in the family. 1073 00:53:03,180 --> 00:53:04,581 I'm sorry. [ Laughter ] 1074 00:53:04,582 --> 00:53:07,117 - Greetings, my brother. 1075 00:53:07,118 --> 00:53:10,620 - It's a pretty good way to join the Marines, I'd say. 1076 00:53:10,621 --> 00:53:13,424 - Thank you. - Thank you. 1077 00:53:15,626 --> 00:53:16,894 Thank you so much. 1078 00:53:19,463 --> 00:53:21,464 - The wreath, please. 1079 00:53:21,465 --> 00:53:24,901 {\an8}♪ 1080 00:53:24,902 --> 00:53:26,269 Thank you. 1081 00:53:26,270 --> 00:53:30,173 {\an8}♪ 1082 00:53:30,174 --> 00:53:33,376 - I am so grateful that everybody came to the ceremony today. 1083 00:53:33,377 --> 00:53:35,478 Thank you so much. 1084 00:53:35,479 --> 00:53:38,982 I'm just reflecting and looking at this beautiful medallion-- 1085 00:53:38,983 --> 00:53:41,284 "Once a Marine, always a Marine"-- 1086 00:53:41,285 --> 00:53:44,854 and James' words, "Slave to no man." 1087 00:53:44,855 --> 00:53:48,925 May none of us be slaves to any man again. 1088 00:53:48,926 --> 00:53:50,194 Thank you. 1089 00:53:51,228 --> 00:53:54,198 - It's such a privilege to be here and to... 1090 00:53:55,566 --> 00:53:58,035 to share this moment with you all. 1091 00:54:00,805 --> 00:54:03,173 I've been thinking to myself, 1092 00:54:03,174 --> 00:54:08,178 God has put me here for this particular time and place. 1093 00:54:08,179 --> 00:54:11,982 I'm so pleased to see you all 1094 00:54:11,983 --> 00:54:16,586 honor those who fought in the Royal Marine. 1095 00:54:16,587 --> 00:54:21,025 My heart will be ever grateful to you all. 1096 00:54:22,460 --> 00:54:25,629 - The ceremony was really the sort of-- 1097 00:54:25,630 --> 00:54:28,465 the punching home of what we're trying to do, 1098 00:54:28,466 --> 00:54:30,800 is we want everyone who's involved 1099 00:54:30,801 --> 00:54:32,736 and the descendants of the Royal Marines-- 1100 00:54:32,737 --> 00:54:35,171 and the black refugees in general-- 1101 00:54:35,172 --> 00:54:38,174 to feel this emotional connection to Tangier, 1102 00:54:38,175 --> 00:54:41,044 {\an8}to Fort Albion, to own their place in history 1103 00:54:41,045 --> 00:54:45,783 {\an8}as what the story of the War of 1812 actually was. 1104 00:54:47,051 --> 00:54:49,786 {\an8}- I hope they're so proud of how far we've come. 1105 00:54:49,787 --> 00:54:52,022 {\an8}It pushes me to want to go further 1106 00:54:52,023 --> 00:54:56,693 {\an8}and make sure their story is heard 1107 00:54:56,694 --> 00:55:01,197 {\an8}and that their contributions are understood and heard. 1108 00:55:01,198 --> 00:55:06,936 {\an8}- ♪ Thank you, Lord, for giving to me ♪ 1109 00:55:06,937 --> 00:55:13,144 {\an8}♪ Thy great salvation, so rich and free ♪