Enslaved Africans in Upper Canada, an exhibit produced by the Archives of Ontario and the Ministry of Culture and Immigration, was recently featured at the Ontario government's official launch for Black History Month 2008 held at the Royal Ontario Museum. The exhibit, along with The Ontario Bicentenary Exhibition: The Act to Abolish the British Slave Trade, will remain on display throughout Black History Month. Both exhibits were produced by the Government of Ontario to mark the 200th anniversary of the 1807 Act that signalled the end of slavery in the British Empire.

“Our government is pleased to pay tribute to the many Black Ontarians who have helped weave the social, cultural and economic fabric of our province,” said Ontario Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Michael Chan.

Enslaved Africans in Upper Canada

Produced by the Archives of Ontario as a travelling exhibit, Enslaved Africans delves into the history and people who were connected to the practice of slavery in Upper Canada. Historical photographs and documents of slaves and their owners paint a clear picture of the personal experiences of five Ontario slaves.

Sophia Berthen Pooley was an American slave sold to Mohawk chieftain Joseph Brant, who owned some thirty slaves at his home in the Mohawk reserve in Upper Canada.

Having escaped to Schenectady, New York, Canadian slave Henry Lewis wrote to his ex-owner in Niagara to buy his freedom. For some slaves, difficult behaviour was a form of resistance. Peggy was a slave considered so troublesome that she could not be sold by her owner. In 1804, the fortunate Dorinda Baker and her three children were unexpectedly freed after the drowning death of their owner, who had specified their freedom in his will.