A Shining Moment in Canadian History

The Underground Railroad

Most of us have heard of the legendery Underground Railroad, a system of safe houses across the US and Canada, that assisted runaway slaves in their quest for freedom.  Definitely a proud moment in Canadian history.

But how did we become involved in such an endeavour, when many Canadians at the time, actually owned slaves?  Slave Auctions were held in Nova Scotia and newspapers often advertized skilled "Negros" for sale.  In Montreal, the case of Marie Joseph Angélique, a slave who was tortured and hanged in 1734, made front page news; and notices were often posted, offering large bounties for the return of escapees.  One lady mentioned going to a ball in Halifax in the late eighteenth century, and finding a black woman tied to a tree outside the hall.  When she asked why, she was told that she was being held there until after the dance, when she would be whipped for attempting to run.  Even Hebert's daughter owned a young black slave, whom they named Olivier Le Jeune; and Champlain referred to him as the 'family pet'.

What shifted the tide was Governor Simcoe's Anti-Slavery Act of 1793; perhaps his most important achievement as lieutenant-governor; where he set strict limitations on the owning of slaves.  Initially, he proposed the outright abolition of slavery, but the Legislative Assembly opposed this, since many Loyalists had brought enslaved people with them to Upper Canada, and we all know; what the Loyalists wanted, the Loyalists got. So, Simcoe compromised and legislation passed that allowed for gradual abolition: slaves already in the province would remain enslaved until death, no new slaves could be brought into Upper Canada, and children born to female slaves would be freed at age 25. This act was the first to limit slavery in the British Empire and remained in force until 1833 when the Emancipation Act abolished slavery in all British holdings, including Ontario

As news of this began to spread in the United States, it became a goal of the slaves to head north; their only chance for freedom. Soon after the War of 1812, John Beverley Robinson, Upper Canada's Attorney General, declared that residence in Canada made Blacks free, and that Canadian courts would uphold that freedom. So now, Slaves in the American border states began to hear that in Canada Blacks were not only free, but that their rights were protected by British law.  This created an urgency and a renewed sense of hope, and the Underground Railroad was formed.

I'm on my way to Canada That cold and distant land The dire effects of slavery I can no longer stand Farewell, old master. Don't come after me. I'm on my way to Canada Where black men are free.

Of course, the Underground Railroad had only mythical trains, and was actually a secret operation carried out by courageous individuals, willing to hide, feed and help fugitive slaves.  In the United States, it was mostly the Quakers and Methodists, who freed Blacks and slaves, and working out of border and northern states, they used railroad terms to confuse the public and deceive slave-owners.  The 'Conductors' actually drove carts, carriages or farm wagons loaded with passengers and produce; with slaves hidden in false compartments. 'Stations' were the places where the abolitionists transferred or temporarily hid their 'cargo'; and were usually barns, farmhouses, secret passages, cellars, attics and church belfries. The Underground Railroad developed a complicated system of connecting lines that included many networks and routes to Canada. Progress on these lines was seldom straightforward and generally 25 to 30 kilometres apart.  Paths zig-zagged, changed course and even doubled back to throw off pursuing slave-owners and their hired hunters.

By 1820, the UGR had established definite routes into Canada from Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, New York, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Missouri, Michigan and other states.  During the 1830s and ‘40s many terminals were also set up in Canada, with about 20 located along the Lake Erie shore, the Niagara River and the Detroit frontier, particularly at Amherstburg, Sandwich and Windsor. Fugitives also travelled by land and water to Toronto, Hamilton, St. Catharines, Brantford, Kingston and Prescott.

It's difficult to say how many slaves made their way to Canada during this time, but a conservative estimate would be about 30,000, between 1800 and 1869.  Later there were many attempts to kidnap Black refugees living in Canada and return them to the USA. Slave-catchers and kidnappers roamed the border towns, and Black refugees faced the constant threat of kidnapping by whites and Blacks who were lured by the generous bounties offered.

One of the most famous Canadian conductors on the railway, was  Alexander Milton Ross, a doctor from Belleville, Ontario.  Dr. Ross traveled extensively through the deep south during the 1850's using his international reputation as an ornithologist (bird watcher) to gain access to many plantations where he secretly held meetings to organize and facilitate the escape of hundreds of enslaved people.

Ross planned every operation carefully. Each time he visited the South, he arranged through his contacts to meet secretly at night with groups of trustworthy slaves; describing to them in detail the best escape routes and where they could go for help. At one meeting in Richmond, Virginia, 42 slaves gathered, and nine of them accepted Ross' offer of help to escape.  "To each I gave a few dollars in money, a pocket compass, a knife, and as much cold meat and bread as each could carry with ease."

Dr. Alexander Milton Ross

Many times Dr. Ross personally conducted slaves over the whole journey from a southern state to Canada. As a friend of fellow abolitionists, Harriet Tubman, Steven Douglass and John Brown; he remained devoted to the cause for many years. By the time of the American Civil War, Ross had become so well known for his activities that Abraham Lincoln invited him to the White House and asked him to help break a Confederate spy ring based in Montreal. After several months of detective work Ross uncovered the ring, which was led by a Southern woman who used the pseudonym 'Mrs. Williams'. However, Alexander Ross was only one of many, who risked their lives to bring freedom to enslaved human beings.  Mary Ann Cary who emigrated in 1851, published a newspaper advising runaway slaves and lectured extensively for the cause. One emancipated slave, Josiah Henson; who would later work in St. Catherine's with Harriet Tubman; describes his safe arrival in Canada.  "When my feet first touched the Canadian shore, I threw myself on the ground, rolled in the sand, seized handfuls of it and kissed them." Dr. Martin Luther King said that in the history of black America, "Canada was the north star." The old spiritual, "Follow the Drinking Gourd," gave slaves the hidden advice to keep their eyes on the Gourd [the Big Dipper], which pointed the way north to "heaven," in this case Canada.  Touche!

Uniquely Canadian Site Map

Victorian Canada Home Page