Heroes and Rebellions

Abolitionist movements in Canada

In Canada, many people actively lobbied against the enslavement of African people. On February 26th 1851, abolitionists formed The Anti-Slavery Society of Canada. The founding committee was a mix of white and Black men such as George Brown (Canadian founder of Confederation), Oliver Mowat (future Premier of Ontario) and Henry Bibb (Editor of Voice of the Fugitive) and Wilson Ruffin Abbott, a local businessman.

At its inaugural meeting, the committee adopted a constitution, bylaws and four resolutions. The adopted resolutions condemned slavery as inhumane and actively raised awareness about abolitions in newspapers. Additionally, they hosted meetings and a lecture series with guest speakers such as Frederick Douglass, who addressed the evil of chattel slavery.

In addition, the society established a night school to provide training to self-liberated enslaved people, so that they could secure stable employment. Secondly, the society openly advocated for desegregated schools, noting the quality of education for Black students in Canada was inferior to that of Canadian pupils. Finally, the society advised the government on matters related to the welfare of Black people. For example, Lord Elgin consulted with the society to determine whether freed enslaved Black folks should be resettled.