'Even here in what we now call Canada, where people often like to downplay the significance of slavery, it was brutal':
and other Black people who were enslaved in the Niagara region at the end of the month. Why is Cooley such a seminal figure in early Black Canadian history?
However, the incident did come to the attention of Lt.-Gov. Simcoe. Shortly after, Simcoe and the attorney general used the incident to introduce legislation that would have abolished slavery in Upper Canada. But because about half of the politicians themselves held slaves, they were opposed to that. Essentially, the compromise wasWe don’t know anything about her after that day. But here’s this woman who’s facing this violence at the hands of three white men, bound with rope and put in a boat.
He was a Black Loyalist. These were Black men who were enslaved in the United States but fought for the British in exchange for their freedom. And what’s Martin eventually succeeded in freeing his son. His brother had also fought for the British. After he died, Martin petitioned to acquire the land grant his brother was given for his service. In his petition, Martin explained that he wanted to sell his and his brother’s land to raise enough money to purchase his son’s freedom, which he did for £40.