The society and economy of a fishing community: Liverpool, Nova Scotia in the late 18th century.

• Main Author: Lane Jonah, Anne Marie.
• Other Authors: Craig, Béatrice
• Format: Thesis
• Language: unknown
• Published: University of Ottawa (Canada) 2002
• Subjects: History; Canadian; Canada; Newfoundland
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10393/6091; https://doi.org/10.20381/ruor-14680

The staples theory has dominated the history of the fisheries in Atlantic Canada for the last century. Historians have discussed the economic and social history of the region largely in terms of the impact of international trade and war. These two factors are important; however, they alone do not explain the development of the region. The people who lived there came from diverse backgrounds, chose to settle there for different reasons, and approached the exploitation of the resources of the region based on their own experiences and aspirations. This thesis builds on studies of maritime communities from New England to Newfoundland to explain how people in a fishing-based community in Nova Scotia in the late 18th century lived and worked. It examines the economic strategies found in this Nova Scotian fishing community in comparison with other studies of economic pluralism in rural communities from New England, Quebec, and New Brunswick. Liverpool, Nova Scotia was settled by New England Planters in 1759, after the expulsion of the Acadians. The circumstances of the new settlers were affected by the political climate and the changing conditions of international trade. Thirty years after their arrival, the New England Planters had shaped their economy and society based their environment and on their own traditions and expectations. This study examines the work lives of fishermen and seafarers, the work of women, and the economic role of the family in order to understand the full world of work that shaped this community. It examines the activities of local merchants as well as the role of community institutions to understand how this society functioned. Much as other historians have concluded about rural agricultural communities, this study concludes that this fishing based community had, and depended on, a plurality of economic activities, both commercial and non-commercial in nature, and that this plurality was a source of strength.