The forgotten potential fourteenth colony and its relation to the Fourteenth Star
By Timothy Page
For over two centuries, historians have debated why Nova Scotia never became the fourteenth colony to join the American Revolution.1 This question reveals a fascinating story of missed opportunity, geographic isolation, and the complex dynamics of revolutionary politics in eighteenth-century North America. Nova Scotia possessed many of the same conditions that drove the thirteen colonies to rebellion, and its population was overwhelmingly sympathetic to the American cause.
The demographic composition of Nova Scotia in 1775 made it a prime candidate for rebellion. An estimated three-quarters of Nova Scotia’s population of 20,000 were New Englanders who had brought with them deep suspicions of British authority and taxation policies.2 When news of the June 17, 1775, Battle of Bunker Hill reached Nova Scotia, those sympathetic to the American cause proclaimed the news far and wide.3 This enthusiastic reception of American military victories demonstrated the extent to which Nova Scotians identified with the revolutionary cause.
Universal magazine of knowledge and pleasure, 1781. London
Library of Congress collection
Strategic Importance and British Response
Both British and American forces recognized Nova Scotia’s strategic value. At the onset of the American Revolution, the British and Americans each sought to sway New England settlers and First Nations tribes in Nova Scotia.4 The colony’s geographic position made it crucial for controlling maritime access to the northern colonies and potentially cutting off British supply lines.
The British government was acutely aware of the revolutionary potential in Nova Scotia. Military fortifications were strengthened, and loyal officials were appointed to key positions to prevent the colony from joining the rebellion. Meanwhile, American agents worked to encourage Nova Scotian participation in the revolutionary cause.
Map by Le Rouge, Georges-Louis, 1792. Paris.
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Despite widespread sympathy for the American cause, several factors prevented Nova Scotia from joining the revolution. The colony’s geographic isolation from the main theater of conflict made coordinated action difficult, while the British naval presence in Halifax provided a strong deterrent to open rebellion. The sparse population and scattered settlements also hindered revolutionary organization. Unlike the thirteen colonies, which had developed sophisticated networks of communication and coordination through committees of correspondence, Nova Scotia lacked the institutional framework necessary for sustained resistance.
The Vermont Connection: Parallel Paths to Independence
Vermont’s experience during the Revolutionary period offers intriguing parallels to Nova Scotia’s situation. Many Vermonters participated in the American Revolution, but the Continental Congress did not recognize Vermont’s independence due to objections from New York, which had conflicting property claims.5 In 1777, Vermonters created an independent republic and adopted a constitution, essentially creating a revolution within the American Revolution.6
The Vermont Republic functioned as a sovereign nation from July 1777 until its admission to the United States in 1791 as the fourteenth state.7 During this period, Vermont issued its own currency and conducted diplomatic relations. The Vermont Republic’s experience demonstrated that smaller territories could successfully navigate the complex political landscape of the Revolutionary era. Had Nova Scotia chosen to rebel, it might have followed a similar path, declaring independence and seeking recognition as a separate republic.
Both Nova Scotia and Vermont experienced the challenges of frontier societies caught between competing imperial and national claims. Both territories had populations that were largely sympathetic to American revolutionary ideals, yet both faced unique obstacles in translating that sympathy into political action. The demographic similarities were striking—both had been settled primarily by New Englanders who brought traditions of local self-governance and resistance to distant authority.
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The Loyalist Migration and Its Aftermath
The aftermath of the American Revolution created another connection between Nova Scotia and Vermont. About 20,000 Loyalists fled to Nova Scotia during and after the American Revolution, most coming from New York.8 This massive migration fundamentally altered Nova Scotia’s demographic composition and political culture. Many of these Loyalists had fled from regions that bordered Vermont, creating indirect connections between the two territories. The Loyalist migration represented the road not taken—these were Americans who had chosen to remain within the British Empire rather than embrace independence.
The story of Nova Scotia’s potential as a fourteenth colony illuminates the contingent nature of the American Revolution. The term typically describes a territory that, while not part of the original thirteen colonies, still engaged in or was affected by the American Revolution.9 This definition applies to both Nova Scotia and Vermont, though in different ways.
Vermont’s successful navigation of the revolutionary period and its eventual statehood in 1791 demonstrated that alternative paths to American union were possible. Had Nova Scotia chosen rebellion, it might have followed a similar trajectory, potentially joining the United States as the fourteenth state rather than remaining within the British Empire.
The parallel experiences of Nova Scotia and Vermont during the American Revolutionary period reveal the complex dynamics that shaped the formation of both the United States and British North America. While Nova Scotia ultimately remained loyal to Britain, becoming a refuge for American Loyalists, Vermont successfully established its independence and eventually joined the American union.
These contrasting outcomes were not predetermined but resulted from specific geographic, demographic, and political circumstances. The story of Nova Scotia as the “almost-fourteenth colony” serves as a reminder that the boundaries and composition of the early American republic were far more fluid and contingent than later generations might assume. The connections between Nova Scotia and Vermont—through shared New England heritage, similar frontier experiences, and parallel challenges during the Revolutionary era—illustrate the complex web of relationships that shaped the political geography of northeastern North America.
Footnotes
- “When Nova Scotia Almost Joined the American Revolution.” Smithsonian Magazine, June 5, 2017. ↩
- “The Fight for the ’14th Colony,’ Nova Scotia.” HistoryNet, April 7, 2022. ↩
- “Nova Scotia in the American Revolution.” Wikipedia, accessed July 2025. ↩
- “Nova Scotia in the American Revolution.” Wikipedia, accessed July 2025. ↩
- “Vermont – Revolution, Statehood, Constitution.” Britannica, October 26, 1998. ↩
- “Vermont – Revolution, Statehood, Constitution.” Britannica, October 26, 1998. ↩
- “Vermont Republic.” Wikipedia, accessed July 2025. ↩
- Weaver, Emily P. “Nova Scotia and New England During the Revolution.” The American Historical Review, Vol. 10, No. 1 (Oct., 1904), pp. 52-71. ↩
- “Phraseology and the ‘Fourteenth Colony.'” Journal of the American Revolution, August 5, 2021. ↩