Slavery

Slavery in what is now Canada was practised by a number of Indian tribes, notably those on the Northwest Coast. As practised by Europeans it may have begun with the Portuguese explorer Gaspar CORTE-REAL, who enslaved 50 Indian men and women in 1500 in Newfoundland. Black slaves were introduced by the French as early as 1608. The first slave transported directly from Africa was sold in 1629. Slavery received a legal foundation in NEW FRANCE, 1689-1709, and by 1759 there were 3604 recorded slaves, of whom 1132 were black. Whereas the French preferred panis (Indians, so called after the often docile Pawnee), the English settlers brought in African slaves. Slavery expanded rapidly after 1783, as American LOYALISTS brought their slaves with them. The total was never high, however, as slavery was generally unsuited to Canadian agriculture or commerce, and most of the BLACKS who settled in Nova Scotia immediately following the AMERICAN REVOLUTION were free. Slavery technically remained legal in most of Canada until it was abolished for the entire British Empire in 1834 (legislation, 1833), though slavery as an institution declined steadily after 1793, when John Graves SIMCOE challenged the legality of slavery for Upper Canada. Upper Canada's act to abolish slavery freed no slaves, however, since it proposed only gradual emancipation.

In Canada slaves generally worked as personal servants or on the wharves. A few settlers had many slaves, but more than 20 was considered unusual. This made the attack on slavery far simpler than it was in plantation economies, where their labour was more important. The most effective and sustained attack on slavery came in New Brunswick in 1800, when Ward CHIPMAN prepared an especially thorough legal, historical and moral statement against slavery. Generally, slavery was physically benign, and especially so in PEI, though there were recorded instances of harsh punishment and many advertisements for the return of runaway slaves. The UNDERGROUND RAILROAD assisted fugitive American slaves to reach Canada prior to the abolition of slavery in the US during the AMERICAN CIVIL WAR. In Canada the last surviving former slave died in Cornwall, Ont, in 1871.

Author ROBIN W. WINKS

Suggested Reading
Robin W. Winks, The Blacks in Canada (1971).

Links to Other Sites
Historica-Dominion Institute
The website for the Historica-Dominion Institute, parent organization of The Canadian Encyclopedia and the Encyclopedia of Music in Canada. Check out their extensive online feature about the War of 1812, the "Heritage Minutes" video collection, and many other interactive resources concerning Canadian history, culture, and heritage.

Buxton Settlement National Historic Site of Canada
See a description of heritage characteristics of the Buxton Settlement National Historic Site of Canada, a stop on the Ontario portion of the Underground Railroad. Search this site for other locations on this historic route to freedom for ex-slaves from the US. From Parks Canada.

Anti-Slavery Movement in Canada
A small online collection of historical documents about early Black settlements and the anti-slavery movement in Canada. Fom Library and Archives Canada.

Archives of Ontario: Black History
A selection of archival documents that relate to Black history in Ontario. An Archives of Ontario website.

Great Unsolved Mysteries in Canadian History
Solve some the "Great Unsolved Mysteries in Canadian History." Learn about investigative techniques and Canadian history. From the University of Victoria.

The Underground Railroad
Follow the flight to freedom along the Underground Railroad to Canada. This Canada’s Digital Collections web site focuses on St. Catharines and other locations in the Niagara Region. Also profiles noteworthy individuals such as Harriet Tubman. Wind your way through mazes and other fun games.

African Nova Scotians in the Age of Slavery and Abolition
Stories, documents and pictures provide compelling glimpses into the individual lives of early African Nova Scotians.

Ward Chipman Slavery Brief
A great information source about anti-slavery issues in Canada during the 19th century. Features the full court transcript of the “Chipman Brief” which was part of an 1800 New Brunswick anti-slavery case. Also offers biographies of Ward Chipman and others related to this case.

Black History Canada
An extensive Internet portal featuring links to online resources about the history and culture of the Black community in Canada. Topics include enslavement, early Black settlements, human rights, immigration, and prominent personalities and community leaders in business, government, religion, sports, the military, and the arts. From the Historica-Dominion Institute.