New communities

In this learning activity, you will explore how life changed for Black communities in Canada from the mid to late 1800s, and how important events and people shaped the broader Canadian society of the time.

In the mid 1800s, Black communities often had to clear land and build their communities from scratch. Investigate the following three images and write down what you notice about them. You might wish to consider the communities present, and how they are similar or different from your community today.

What do these images tell us about early life in Black communities in Canada between 1850 and 1890? Record your ideas in your notebook or in a method of your choice.

Explore important key terms

Press the following tabs to learn more about important definitions you will need in this learning activity.

As you explore the learning activity, think about what liberty means, examples of it and why it mattered to people involved in the Abolitionist Movement.

Use the Frayer Model to help you explore and organize your understanding of the concept of liberty. A Frayer Model is a note‑taking strategy used to record key ideas, examples, and explanations related to a concept. In this activity, the focus is on liberty.

Complete the fillable and printable Frayer Model Organizer in your notebook or using the provided document. The definition portion is completed for you. You may also use speech‑to‑text or audio recording tools to record your ideas.

The Abolitionist Movement

The Abolitionist Movement was a growing effort to eliminate enslavement and promote equality. By the mid-1800s, the movement had gained momentum and was strong in the United States, Canada, and worldwide.

It’s important to note that the movement was widespread. Ideas were shared through newspapers and word-of-mouth. Members of the abolitionist movement gave speeches, organized conventions, created societies, and supported each other in the efforts to eliminate the practice of enslavement.

Key events, groups, and people

Press the following tabs to learn more about some key events, groups, and people in the abolitionist movement.

Fugitive Slave Act (1850)

The Fugitive Slave Act was a law passed in the United States in 1850, during a time when the northern states were mostly free states (enslavement was not permitted) and the southern states still allowed enslavement. Tensions between the two regions were growing.

This law said that all citizens, even in states where enslavement was illegal, had to help capture and return people who had escaped enslavement. This made the northern states unsafe for people fleeing enslavement. Many African Americans lived in constant fear of being caught and forced back into enslavement.

Because of this, Canada became a symbol of hope for freedom seekers. Enslavement had been abolished in most of the British Empire, including Canada, in 1833. This meant African Americans who reached Canada could live freely. After the Fugitive Slave Act was passed, approximately 35,000 African Americans escaped to Canada, with many settling in Ontario, Nova Scotia, and Quebec.

The Underground Railroad

The Underground Railroad was a secret network of abolitionists who helped Black Americans escape enslavement in the American south, and travel to the free northern states or Canada.

Examine the following map showing main paths that freedom seekers took to escape to northern states or into Canada.

Please note: This map uses outdated language. The preferred terms are enslaved people and freedom seekers.

Map of the Underground Railroad in the United States, Late 1850s

The journey to Canada

The journey to freedom was treacherous with freedom seekers traveling by foot, horse, boat, or wagon. Most travel took place at night so they wouldn’t be seen. Freedom seekers and their helpers called “conductors” used codes, messages, songs, and passwords to communicate with one another on their journey. Often, those escaping enslavement would hide during the day, often with the assistance of abolitionists. The journey was incredibly dangerous, because of the harsh terrain and severe weather conditions. Furthermore, freedom seekers and “conductors” on the Underground Railroad had to be careful of those seeking to capture and return the escapees.

They often hid during the day with help from abolitionists. Along the way, they faced many dangers, including people trying to catch them, difficult terrain, and harsh weather.

Once in Canada, these freedom seekers worked hard to build lives, establishing thriving communities, churches, schools, and businesses.

Many settled in communities like Dresden, Chatham, and London, where they built new lives, often with the support of abolitionist networks, and community leaders like Josiah Henson. Despite facing incredible challenges, including prejudice and discrimination, these new settlers contributed significantly to the development of communities in southern Ontario and across Canada.

Harriet Tubman

Harriet Tubman, who herself was formerly enslaved, made dozens of trips back to the United States, where she helped to guide hundreds of freedom seekers to Canada. She used her knowledge of the land, established safehouses, coded messages, and would travel at night to guide formerly enslaved people to Canada.

Her journeys were extremely dangerous. Not only were the conditions of travel treacherous, but she had a $40,000 reward for her capture.

Tubman was also a strong advocate for women’s right to vote and civil rights, and fought for equality and justice until she passed away in 1913.

The newspaper

By the mid-1800s, newspapers in Canada played an important role in shaping public opinion and discussions on important issues of the time. Technological advancements made newspapers easier to produce and distribute; they became one of the best ways to share ideas and opinions.

Newspapers were an important method of communication and helped to spread ideas and news across the country and provided a voice for marginalized communities. Newspapers fostered a sense of community and connection among readers and influenced public opinion on important issues such as the abolition of enslavement, women’s rights, the right to vote, and equality.

Mary Ann Shadd and Henry Bibb were two prominent Black abolitionists who used their newspapers to fight for equality. As publishers of their own newspapers, Bibb’s Voice of the Fugitive and Shadd’s The Provincial Freeman, they used their platforms to advocate for the abolition of enslavement, women’s rights, and social justice.

Henry and Mary Bibb and Voice of the Fugitive

Henry Bibb was a previously enslaved African American man, who had escaped his captors and made his way to the free northern states. From there, he focused on his career as an abolitionist. He traveled with notable figures like Frederick Douglass and worked to support the efforts of the Underground Railroad. In 1847, Henry met Mary Miles, a teacher and abolitionist, they were then married and started a life together.

However, their safety was further threatened by the Fugitive Slave Act (1850), which allowed escaped enslaved people to be captured and returned to the south. Henry and Mary Bibb fled to Canada, where they settled near Windsor, Ontario.

In their community, the Bibbs established schools, held abolitionist conferences, and supported individuals and families settled in southern Ontario. They also founded Voice of the Fugitive, which was the first Black-owned newspaper in Canada. The newspaper was a vital resource for the growing community of refugees in Canada at this time. It provided news, helped to reunite families, and advocated for abolition, education and community initiatives.

Read the following excerpt from Voice of the Fugitive, which is an example of the type of information Henry and Mary Bibb would share in their publication. In this passage, they discuss how the Underground Railroad has brought over 15 new freedom seekers to the community, and how Windsor offers a life of freedom and opportunity.

Mary Ann Shadd and the Provincial Freeman

Mary Ann Shadd was born in the state of Delaware in 1823. Mary Ann Shadd’s parents were abolitionists who used their home as a stop on the Underground Railroad. In 1850, the Fugitive Slave Act threatened her safety, and she fled to and settled in Windsor, in southwestern Ontario.

Once in Canada, Mary Ann Shadd opened a racially integrated school, which was not common at the time. She established the newspaper Provincial Freeman in 1854, which strongly advocated for equality, abolitionist ideas, and access to education.

When the American Civil War began, Shadd returned to the United States to help recruit soldiers to the Union (northern) army, which fought to free enslaved people.

She later practiced law and became one of the first Black female lawyers in the United States. She spent years advocating for civil rights, equality under law and women’s right to vote.

Why do you think it was important for the Bibb's and Mary Ann Shad to share information and messages in their newspapers? How might this have helped to support freedom seekers?

Check your understanding

Now that you’ve learned more about the Abolitionist Movement and the fight for equality, complete the following two activities to check your understanding.

Part 1: Matching

For each key term, select the corresponding description.

Part 2: Consider the following

In this section of the learning activity, you learned about several key figures in the abolitionist movement and how their ideas and actions shaped the experiences of Black people in Canada. Reflect on what you’ve learned and answer the following prompts in a method of your choice. Use evidence from your learning and notes from your Frayer Model to support your responses.

Prompt 1:

How did these leaders contribute to progress toward liberty and equality? Explain the impact of their actions on Black individuals and communities. Be sure to use examples from your Frayer Model to support your answer.

Prompt 2:

Revisit the photographs in the Minds On section of this learning activity. How did Black freedom seekers and abolitionists work together during the mid‑1800s to build institutions such as newspapers, schools, and churches that supported liberty and helped communities respond to challenges? What role do these institutions play in the fight for liberty and equality?

Reflection

As you read the following descriptions, select the one that best describes your current understanding of the learning in this activity. Press the corresponding button once you have made your choice.

Now, expand on your ideas by recording your thoughts using a voice recorder, speech-to-text, or writing tool.

When you review your notes on this learning activity later, reflect on whether you would select a different description based on your further review of the material in this learning activity.