Who was the first Black man to be awarded the Victoria Cross?

Discover Canada records this in one direct passage. The guide writes: Able Seaman William Hall of Horton, Nova Scotia, whose parents were American slaves, was the first black man to be awarded the V.C. for his role in the Siege of Lucknow during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The figure the test wants is therefore Able Seaman William Hall.

Five precise commitments. Discover Canada commits Hall's V.C. to FIVE specific facts: (1) his name was Able Seaman William Hall; (2) he was from Horton, Nova Scotia; (3) his parents were American slaves; (4) he was the first black man to be awarded the V.C.; (5) the action was the Siege of Lucknow during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. So the source pinpoints his rank, hometown, family background, distinction, and named action.

Hall's story reflects Canadian diversity. Discover Canada commits Hall's family origin to "American slaves" — meaning his parents had escaped or otherwise reached Nova Scotia from the United States. The earlier history of black settlement in Nova Scotia is named in Discover Canada: "About 3,000 black Loyalists, freedmen and slaves came north seeking a better life," and "Thousands of slaves escaped from the United States, followed 'the North Star' and settled in Canada via the Underground Railroad, a Christian anti-slavery network." So Hall's family was part of this larger Canadian-immigration story — and his V.C. is one of the named achievements of black Canadians celebrated in the source.

The Victoria Cross is Canada's highest military honour. Discover Canada commits the V.C. to four specific named criteria: "the most conspicuous bravery, a daring or pre-eminent act of valour or self-sacrifice, or extreme devotion to duty in the presence of the enemy." The V.C. has been "awarded to 96 Canadians since 1854." Hall is named alongside other famous V.C. recipients in Discover Canada: Lieutenant Alexander Roberts Dunn (the first Canadian V.C. recipient, at Balaclava in the Crimean War, 1854); Corporal Filip Konowal (Battle of Hill 70, 1917 — the first Canadian Corps member not born in the British Empire to receive the V.C.); Captain Paul Triquet (Casa Berardi, Italy, 1943); and Lieutenant Robert Hampton Gray (last Canadian V.C. recipient to date, August 1945). So when the test asks who was the first black man to be awarded the Victoria Cross, the source-precise answer is Able Seaman William Hall — for his role in the Siege of Lucknow during the Indian Rebellion of 1857.

The question is testing whether new citizens know the first black V.C. recipient. Discover Canada commits to one named figure: Able Seaman William Hall. The right test answer matches that.

The wrong answer choices each substitute a different historical figure. The first choice describes the Olympic track and field champion (1928, 1932, 1936) — not the V.C. recipient. The second choice is not named in Discover Canada. The fourth choice describes Joseph Brant, a Loyalist Mohawk leader who came to Canada during the American Revolution — not a V.C. recipient. Only Able Seaman William Hall — the source's exact named first-black V.C. recipient — matches.