In the article “Acts of resistance” many stories of individuals fighting slavery are told. There was a black Canadian woman by the name of Chloe Cooley who was tied up against her will, shipped overseas, and sold into slavery. Her master, William Vrooman was highly abusive towards her. He went on to murder her one day and because of her screams, the attention of Peter Martin and William Grisley was caught. As witnesses they brought this issue to court. They could not charge Vrooman for killing a slave for that was legal then, so the decided charges would be for disturbing the peace. Though this proved unsuccessful, it did incite John Simcoe to change things. He proposed a law to abolish slavery, or at the very least limit it. In the end, the law restricted importation of new slaves, and limited purchasing of slaves, but did little else. This compromise left Simcoe unhappy as it did not free any slaves. Though the change was small, it is still very significant as this change led to many other changes and eventually led to the abolishment of slavery altogether. Another case worth noting is the case of Henry Lewis, a slave to William Jarvis who was secretary of the province. Henry Lewis made an act of resistance by escaping to New York and purchasing himself. He wrote a letter back to Jarvis stating his opposition to slavery, and basically stated how Jarvis cannot legally do anything about him escaping, as slavery was outlawed in New York (and the other former northwest territories). Reading this article made me realize the true extent of the slave trade in Canada. I was under the impression that Canada was a safe haven for slaves to escape to and they’d be given their freedom as soon as they step foot in the country. Today I learned that this was not entirely the case, and that slavery used to be alive and rampant in the country, with black Canadians being traded and sold as property. I learned not only the extent at which slavery existed in Canada, but also just how poorly the slaves were treated.
Author: Jon
What is History?
History is a recording of past events used in a scholarly context. History serves many crucial purposes; not only to educate people about the past, but to provide people a background of how their modern lives and societies came to be. The study of history is not only a collection of information about the past but also the examination of patterns and sequences and how they may help people to be more prepared for events that are still to come. Historians pay close attention to these patterns throughout history, as they reflect aspects of human nature; which can help identify how humanity has evolved over time. The historians also look at the actual cultures and societies; these aspects can help add background to historical events and why they happened the way that they did. There is such a wide range of information about history available. In order to study history, one must decide on a topic or period of time, and then find a way of accessing information on said topic. With regards to the information available, it may be put into two categories: primary sources and secondary sources. A primary source is an original document: something written or recorded by a direct witness of the events being examined. While a secondary source is an examination of a primary source, providing insight that the reader may not have picked up on through the use of only primary source. The proper study of history incorporates the use of both these, but the emphasis is often focused on primary sources as they are considered the most reputable. One other thing to remember is to incorporate many sources, as information tends to vary from source to source. Diversifying the sources helps to compile different information and a conclusion may be drawn from that. Ideally, these conclusions drawn from the successes and errors of the past may be used to prevent errors being repeated in the future. That is why history is not only interesting, but it is also absolutely necessary.