Toward Freedom

Oppression and Resistance:Canada and the United States

Ch 5 P146

Refuge in Canada

• Canada has offered refuge to Black Americans fleeing oppression in the United States throughout history.

• Slavery existed in both the USA and Canada.

• Blacks who came to freedom in Canada still experienced racism and discrimination.

The History

• Black Chattel Slavery:• existed in the 13 Colonies and New

France• The invention of the cotton gin by Eli

Whitney increased the demand for slaves on American plantations

• Resistance to slavery was common and took many forms

Marie-Joseph Angelique• April 1734 46 buildings burned to the ground

when fire spread though the city of Montreal• Supposedly caused by Marie-Joseph (29yr old

enslaved domestic) and her lover, Claude Thibault (white indentured servant) before trying to escape

• Angelique was captured and put on trial where she proclaimed her innocence

• She was convicted with no real evidence and horribly tortured in jail before being parade through the city in a garbage cart to where her hanging was carried out

• Her story has become symbolic of Black resistance in Canada

Migrations to Canada in the 1700s

• American Revolution (1776-1783):• Enslaved Blacks were encouraged to fight on the

side of the British in exchange for their freedom.• The Black Loyalists as they were known, fled to

the Atlantic colonies at the end of the war where they were promised land and freedom.

• Had to wait for what was often poor land in remote locations.

• Faced starvation and severe poverty.• In 1792 many(1200) took an opportunity to settle

in Sierra Leone. p153

After the Revolution

• 1808 USA joins other nations in discontinuing the trade in enslaved Africans

• Slavery continued to flourish in the southern USA

• 1830 86% of Black Americans are enslaved

• Many continued to resist and dreamed of freedom

Underground Railroad

• The Underground Railroad helped many to escape to Canada reaching its peak from 1830-1865

• At least 100,000 blacks escaped via this route

• Despite the secrecy which resulted in the loss of a lot of evidence we do know about the efforts of people like Harriet Tubman

The War of 1812

• War between Britain and the USA• 3500+ enslaved Blacks took

advantage of the British offer to fight for them in exchange for freedom

• 2000+ settled in BNA • Some received land but there were

lots of empty promises• Out of this grew the community of

Africville in the North End of Halifax

The Struggle for Abolition in the US

• The abolition movement began in Britain in the late 18th century and spread to the US

• Black and white abolitionists worked together to end slavery

• Newspapers: The North Star, The Rights of All

• Books: Uncle Tom’s Cabin (Harriet BeecherStowe), Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglas

Fugitive Slave Law 1850

• Stated that even escaped slaves living in free territories could be captured and returned to their owners

• Brought thousands more Black Americans to Canada:

• Many settled in Ontario where thriving communities developed

• 600 free Blacks left California and settled on Vancouver Island (B.C.) making major contributions to the community

The Civil War and its Aftermath

• War broke out between the northern and southern states

• Abolishing slavery was a key factor in the disputes that threatened to divide the country

• The Emancipation Proclamation 1863:• Promised emancipation (freedom) for the 3 million

enslaved Blacks living in the South when the war ended slavery was officially abolished on Dec 18, 1865

• The period that followed was known as the Reconstruction Period

Reconstruction: key aspects

• The Freedman’s Bureau was • created to help freed blacks find jobs

and housing, supported 3000 school in the south, reunited families separated by slavery

• Resistance by Southern whites led to federal troops being called in to maintain law and order

The Black Codes:

• Laws passed in southern states that limited the working rights of freed blacks, prevented land ownership, prohibited interracial marriages

• 14th,and 15th, Amendments passed in response to theses laws to ensure the civil rights of blacks

• States often found ways around laws especially about voting

Share Cropping:

• A family received a plot of land to cultivate in exchange for part of the harvest

• Became another form of bondage • Have to borrow against the next harvest to

get seeds and other supplies• Sharecroppers became indebted and the

landowners had cheap labor financially dependant on them

The Ku Klux Klan:

• Formed by a group of Confederate army vets in 1866

• Secret organization that terrorized blacks in the South through assault, murder and violence

• Some Blacks organized to fight back but lost their right to weapons

• Federal soldiers pulled out their protection in 1877

Blacks Return to the US

• Many Blacks chose to return to the US after the Civil War: reunite with family, seeking jobs

• Canada not free of racism and discrimination:

• Forced to live in separate communities• Denied rights and services• Segregated inferior schools and limited

educational opportunities

Black America and Canada at the turn of the 20th Century

• 1896 Supreme court legalizes segregation for all public services.

• “Jim Crow” state laws were created to ensure blacks received the worst public services

• Canada had no such written laws, however fully practiced Jim Crowism in other ways.

• Canadian blacks were barred by public opinion from participating in any interracial social activities such as religion, sports, housing, employment, shopping, travel, military and entertainment.

• 1910 Canada passed the Immigration act including the famous section 38 clause preventing blacks from entering the country.