Lesson 14:Thomas Peters A Remarkable Man

Passage to Africa—and Freedom
The Sierra Leone Company did not expect many new
settlers. The company thought only a few hundred black
Loyalists would want to move. They were wrong. Nearly
1,200 people were interested! Thomas Peters helped organize
the settler families. In 1791, a group of ships sat in Halifax
harbor. The ships were ready for the trip to West Africa.
The black Loyalists set sail for Africa on January 15, 1792.
Peters and his family were among the new settlers. There
were weeks of raging storms at sea. Finally, in early March,
the entire fleet arrived safely. The settlers were free. They
could begin new lives!
Peters and the other Loyalists cleared land for a new
settlement. They were hopeful about their new lives. They
named the settlement Freetown.
The Death of Thomas Peters
Thomas Peters did not live long after arriving in Sierra Leone.
He died of malaria on June 25, 1792. But his legacy remains.
The founding of Freetown was an important moment in
black history. The settlement would provide freedom, equal
rights, and land to formerly enslaved people. This was an
important step toward ending slavery.
16