Overview of Our Ancestors Were Messy on Code Switch
This Code Switch episode features a live recording of Nicole Hill’s history-comedy show Our Ancestors Were Messy, with NPR’s B.A. Parker and Gene Demby as guests. The episode tells the story of Black Loyalists during the American Revolution and its aftermath, blending historical research with audience participation, humor, and improvisation to explore how enslaved and free Black people navigated war, faith, freedom, and survival.
What the Episode Is About
Nicole Hill centers the story of David George, an enslaved man who becomes a Baptist preacher and later a key figure in the Black Loyalist migration. The episode follows him and other Black people through several major decisions during the Revolutionary era:
- whether to flee slavery or stay
- whether to fight for the British or the American patriots
- whether to remain in Nova Scotia or leave for Sierra Leone
The result is a deeply entertaining but historically grounded portrait of Black people making impossible choices under slavery, war, and broken promises.
Key Historical Storyline
David George and the rise of Silver Bluff Baptist
- David George is born enslaved in Virginia and escapes multiple times.
- After a period of deep despair, religion becomes central to his life.
- He converts, learns to read, and becomes a preacher.
- He and his wife Phyllis help build Silver Bluff Baptist, one of the earliest Black churches in America.
- The church becomes a spiritual and organizing center for enslaved people, especially through the Exodus story and the idea of divine deliverance.
Black Loyalists during the Revolutionary War
- When the Revolutionary War begins, many enslaved Black people see the conflict as a chance for freedom.
- The British promise freedom to enslaved people who fight for them, while the patriots offer no such guarantee.
- David George and many others choose the British side.
- The episode highlights how this was not a simple “good vs. bad” decision, but one shaped by survival and the hope of emancipation.
Nova Scotia and Birchtown
- After the war, Black Loyalists are relocated to Nova Scotia, where the British fail to provide adequate land, food, housing, or fairness.
- Black settlers are pushed into Birchtown, where they build the largest free Black community in North America at the time.
- They face brutal winters, racism, scarcity, and broken promises, but also build churches, support networks, and a life of relative freedom.
Shelburne riot and racial violence
- Tensions between white and Black Loyalists erupt in the Shelburne riot of 1784, one of the earliest recorded race riots in North America.
- White Loyalists, angry about economic hardship and racial hierarchy, attack Black homes and communities.
- Birchtown survives, but Blacktown is devastated.
- David George continues preaching and community-building despite the violence.
Sierra Leone and the final migration
- Later, Black leader Thomas Peters helps organize a move to Sierra Leone for Black Loyalists seeking a more stable and truly free future.
- Many decide to take the risk of crossing the Atlantic again.
- David George, Phyllis, and many others ultimately go to Sierra Leone, where they become part of the founding Black settler community in Freetown.
- Their descendants become part of Sierra Leone’s Creole/Krio population.
Main Takeaways
1. Black freedom in the Revolutionary era was always conditional and contested
The episode makes clear that freedom was not simply granted; it was negotiated, promised, withheld, and often betrayed.
2. Black people were active agents in shaping history
Rather than being passive victims, Black Loyalists made strategic decisions, built institutions, and created communities under extraordinary pressure.
3. The Black church was both spiritual and political infrastructure
Churches like Silver Bluff Baptist were not just places of worship — they were spaces for literacy, leadership, mutual aid, and collective survival.
4. “Promised land” was often an illusion
The British repeatedly promised freedom and land, but those promises were unreliable. Even after relocation to Nova Scotia and Sierra Leone, Black settlers faced colonial exploitation and instability.
5. The story of Black Loyalists is foundational but often missing from mainstream history
The episode argues that these stories should be central to how we understand the American Revolution, Canada, and the broader Atlantic world.
Notable People Mentioned
- David George — enslaved man, preacher, Black Loyalist leader
- Phyllis — David George’s wife and partner
- Thomas Peters — Black Loyalist organizer and leader of the Sierra Leone migration
- Harry Washington — formerly enslaved man who fought for the British
- Moses Wilkinson — Black preacher in Nova Scotia
- Benjamin Franklin and George Washington — referenced as enslavers and key Revolutionary figures
Tone and Style
The episode uses:
- live audience interaction
- comedic “choose your own adventure” decisions
- historical reenactment and improvisation
- sharp commentary on race, religion, and power
Even with the humor, the story lands as a serious meditation on Black survival, migration, and the cost of freedom.
Closing Thought
The episode’s core message is that Black history is not just pain or struggle — it is also strategy, faith, creativity, and community-building in the face of impossible odds. Nicole Hill turns a difficult chapter of Revolutionary-era history into a vivid, funny, and emotionally powerful story about ancestors who were, indeed, messy — and monumental.