Slavery and Colonialism in Canada: Rescuing the Enslaved Africans

This research portfolio investigates economic growth in Canada through transatlantic slave trade which involved buying and selling of slaves at the borders of Canada. The slaves were the people from Africa whose function was to work without payment for the Canadians. The proposal argues slaves in Canada were rescued from captivity.

SLAVERY AND COLONIALISM
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Part 1: Introduction
The tremendous growth of the Canadian economy was aided by the African slaves
who worked for the Canadians. This economy led to the growth of industries among others as
a result of presence of the industrial materials and labour offered by the slaves in the
industries. The enslavement that Canadians used for their own gain was of huge harm to
human health as illustrated in slavery and colonisation.1 This research portfolio investigates
economic growth in Canada through transatlantic slave trade which involved buying and
selling of slaves at the borders of Canada. The slaves were the people from Africa whose
function was to work without payment for the Canadians. The people who were bought as
slaves were to meet certain requirements. For instance, being resistant to diseases and being
energetic. Additionally, the slaves contributed much in the growth of the Canadian economy
by doing house chores as well as working in the farms and industries for the Canadians.
Besides, the Canadians who owned slaves were considered well – heeled. Moreover, these
slaves were well – treated by some of the Canadians in contrast with the slaves of other
states. Slave managers handled the slaves well by offering them education, paying them for
their services and the deceased were taken back to their relatives to be buried. This proposal
argues slaves in Canada were rescued from captivity: there are several evidence on how
Canadian slaves were rescued: biography of Hackett Nelson and Harriet Tubman are some of
the evidence.
1 Miller, British Rights, 1835.

Part 2: Evidence
Secondary source #1: Stabler, Albert. "A fluid frontier: slavery, resistance, and the
underground railroad in the Detroit river borderland." (2017): 567-569.
In the biography of Hackett Nelson, it explains how the judiciary of the Upper Canada
rescued Molesby Solomon and Jessy Happy who were impeached of stealing irate horses.2
The writer continues to argue that the Canadian subjects were to take on operation in case the
law will not take. This assured Nelson that slavery had ended as well as paving way for him
to go away from his master and when the master realised Nelson’s disappearance, he accused
him for being responsible of disappearance of his horse. Nelson was reported in the Upper
Canada and his master jailed him. Despite accusation of stealing a hoarse, Nelson was also
accused of raping his master’s daughter whom he had adopted. Besides all this accusations,
Nelson defend himself that he had acknowledge to his master on the robbery issue due to the
torture from his master. Fortunately, the acting governor of Canada bespeak the governor to
liberate Nelson. His release made his master to petition and judiciary in Washington accused
Nelson for stealing his master’s horse and the friend of the Nelson master petitioned for the
reappearance of Nelson on that day when Nelson was accused of stealing the horse of the
master. In addition, the governor of Nelson County asked for the release of Nelson.
Furthermore, there was a new governor who ordered Nelson to be taken to exile without the
knowledge of other people. Later, British secretary authorized the release of Nelson. Nelson
biography clearly displays the release of the slaves in Canada.
2 Stabler, A fluid frontier

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Secondary source #2: Whitfield, Harvey Amani. "The African Diaspora in Atlantic Canada:
History, Historians, and Historiography." Acadiensis 46, no. 1 (2017).
In Harriet’s published story on how she managed to escape slavery and later went
back to rescue his family members, friends and relatives begins with her courage of walking
through the darkness leaving behind the estate where her parent’s worked and walked into a
slavery free zone. After a while, she went back to her parents to rescue them from the
captivity. She led the others on the right route to the slavery free zone. Subsequently, she run
away with her two brothers with her father to seek for safety. Abruptly, they were promised
to be given ransom of hundred United States dollar to each one of them and her brothers went
back but Harriet had made up her mind that she will not go back. Afterwards, she met a
person known as John and they both came up with a strategy in which they were to go to
Canada to aid those in the bondage to be free.3 Her willingness to rescue people from
captivity circulated widely that William the abolitionist heard about her and released her
siblings and her parents though they were doubted for helping others to escape. The story of
Harriet is of great significance due to its exhibition on how the slaveries in Canada were
rescued.
3 Whitfield, The African Diaspora.

Secondary source #3: Ward, Samuel Ringgold. Autobiography of a Fugitive Negro: His Anti-
Slavery Labours in the United States, Canada, & England. Jazzybee Verlag, 2014.
Those who were enslaved in Canada they had their own motto which stated that they
desired for a better country. Besides, they prayed for the slavery to end. Additionally, colonel
john, an English man was against slavery and vowed that as the governor of the Upper
Canada he would never tolerate the law that is in line with slavery though his colleagues
owned slaves in their homesteads.4 The chief justice in Canada added a ruling that the black
men should be equally treated like the white men. This eased delivery of the Africans from
slavery.
4 Ward, Autobiography of a Fugitive Negro.

Secondary source #4: Kitossa, Tamari. "Black Canadian Studies and the resurgence of the
insurgent African Canadian intelligentsia." Southern Journal of Canadian Studies 5, no. 1
(2012): 255-284.
The governor of Ontario gave out a bill which claims abolition of captivity. This gave
hopes slaves that they will be liberated. The governor promised to free any kind of slave. In
addition, Canada was against United State orders that escaping slaves should be returned to
their owners and this made Canada to be a conducive state for the slaves: they lived freely
bearing in mind that they will no more suffer from torture. In decade, slaves from other
nation went to Canada to search for liberty.5 Therefore, this document shows how the slavery
in Canada ceased and every person was treated equally due to the fair law in Canada.8
Primary source #1: Brittany Luby, Kathryn Labelle, and Alison Norman, “(Re) naming and
(De) colonizing the (I?)Indigenous People(s) of North America – Part II,” ActiveHistory.ca, 8
Nov. 2016.
5 Kitossa, Black Canadian Studies, 260.

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The area where slaves lived was a major contribution of the end of slavery in Canada
since for they were all – out and this gave them the chance to establish a new community
with certain cultural features due to the unfavourable circumstances that they were
undergoing. Their residence gave them suitable places for discussing their issues on their
work place. Everyone came up with different ideas on how they should escape this torture
that caused harm to them physically, emotionally and socially. The church played a major
role in the lives of the slaves in Canada.6 The church members engaged in the various
activities of the church like leading in the church, forming bands, as well as forming
antislavery groups which were protesting against slavery. These activities assisted them to be
liberated from the bondage.
6 Brittany, Labelle, and Alison, (Re) naming and (De) colonizing.

Conclusion
In conclusion, the scholarly act of Hackett Nelson and Harriet exhibits how the
Africans in the Canada captivity were rescued. All these sources played a crucial role in
supporting this argument. Harriet journey to Canada to save those in slavery made the
Canadian slaves free. Nelson himself as a slave was aided by the law of Canada to liberate
from the captivity, the historical document of Nadine gives a clear evidence on how the
governor of Ontario fought for the slaves to be equally treated with the Canadians. Brayan’s
newspaper stated how the slaves in Canada were determined for their liberty. Finally, in
James article, he demonstrates the environment that slaves were living united them in various
activities which made them to know that they needed to be liberated and this made them to
form movements which helped them to protest for their rights.

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Part 3: Bibliography
Brittany Luby, Kathryn Labelle, and Alison Norman, “(Re) naming and (De) colonizing the
(I?)Indigenous People(s) of North America – Part II,” ActiveHistory.ca, 8 Nov 2016.
http://activehistory.ca/2016/11/renaming-and-decolonizing-the-indigenous-peoples-
of-north-america-part-i/
Elgersman, Maureen G. "Unyielding Spirits: Black Women and Slavery in Early Canada and
Jamaica." (2014).
Kitossa, Tamari. "Black Canadian Studies and the resurgence of the insurgent African
Canadian intelligentsia." Southern Journal of Canadian Studies 5, no. 1 (2012): 255-
284.
http://www.academia.edu/9625889/Black_Canadian_Studies_and_the_Resurgence_of
_the_Insurgent_African_Canadian_Intelligentsia
Keeling, Arn, and John Sandlos. Mining and communities in Northern Canada: History,
Politics, and memory. University of Calgary Press, 2015.
https://press.ucalgary.ca/books/9781552388044
Maynard, Robyn. "Reading Black Resistance through Afrofuturism: Notes on post-
Apocalyptic Blackness and Black Rebel Cyborgs in Canada." TOPIA: Canadian
Journal of Cultural Studies (2018): 29-47.
Martinico, Giuseppe, Richard Albert, Antonia Baraggia, and Cristina Fasone. "An
.

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Opportunity for Reflection–A Special Issue on “The Constitution of Canada: History,
Evolution, Influence and Reform”." Perspectives on Federalism 9, no. 3 (2017): Ed-I.
Stabler, Albert. "A fluid frontier: slavery, resistance, and the underground railroad in the
Detroit river borderland." (2017): 567-569.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01419870.2016.1229495
Miller, Bradley. "British Rights and Liberal Law in Canada's Fugitive Slave Debate, 1833–
1843." Freedom's Conditions in the US-Canadian Borderlands in the Age of
Emancipation (2011):
Ward, Samuel Ringgold. Autobiography of a Fugitive Negro: His Anti-Slavery Labours in
The United States, Canada, & England. Jazzybee Verlag, 2014.
https://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/wards/ward.html
Whitfield, Harvey Amani. "The African Diaspora in Atlantic Canada: History,
Historians, and Historiography." Acadiensis 46, no. 1 (2017).
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