African American Immigration and the Aftermath of the Underground Railroad 1850-1870
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University of Windsor Scholarship at UWindsor Major Papers Theses, Dissertations, and Major Papers October 2018 A PLACE TO CALL HOME: AFRICAN AMERICAN IMMIGRATION AND THE AFTERMATH OF THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD 1850-1870 John-Michael Markovic [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/major-papers Recommended Citation Markovic, John-Michael, "A PLACE TO CALL HOME: AFRICAN AMERICAN IMMIGRATION AND THE AFTERMATH OF THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD 1850-1870" (2018). Major Papers. 58. https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/major-papers/58 This Major Research Paper is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, and Major Papers at Scholarship at UWindsor. It has been accepted for inclusion in Major Papers by an authorized administrator of Scholarship at UWindsor. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A PLACE TO CALL HOME: AFRICAN AMERICAN IMMIGRATION AND THE AFTERMATH OF THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD 1850-1870 By John-Michael Markovic A Major Research Paper Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies through the Department of History in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts at the University of Windsor Windsor, Ontario, Canada 2018 © 2018 John-Michael Markovic A PLACE TO CALL HOME: AFRICAN AMERICAN IMMIGRATION AND THE AFTERMATH OF THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD 1850-1870 by John-Michael Markovic APPROVED BY: ______________________________________________ M. Wright Department of History ______________________________________________ G. Teasdale, Advisor Department of History September, 18, 2018 DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY I hereby certify that I am the sole author of this thesis and that no part of this thesis has been published or submitted for publication. I certify that, to the best of my knowledge, my thesis does not infringe upon anyone’s copyright nor violate any proprietary rights and that any ideas, techniques, quotations, or any other material from the work of other people included in my thesis, published or otherwise, are fully acknowledged in accordance with the standard referencing practices. Furthermore, to the extent that I have included copyrighted material that surpasses the bounds of fair dealing within the meaning of the Canada Copyright Act, I certify that I have obtained a written permission from the copyright owner(s) to include such material(s) in my thesis and have included copies of such copyright clearances to my appendix. I declare that this is a true copy of my thesis, including any final revisions, as approved by my thesis committee and the Graduate Studies office, and that this thesis has not been submitted for a higher degree to any other University or Institution. iii ABSTRACT With the turn of the 19th century, the United States continued and expanded its persecution of African Americans through the institution of slavery. Many African Americans took it upon themselves to act on their own and flee from slavery in the early 1800s in what was known as the Underground Railroad; however, after the conclusion of the Civil War, a substantial portion decided to return back to the US. Scholars have attempted to explain why these men and women decided to return to the United States despite the experiences they endured. While numerous reasons have been offered, this paper contends that, while other factors played an important role, the African Canadian population primarily returned to the United States because of the repeal of the 1850 Fugitive Slave Law and the abolishment of slavery. Using a variety of contemporary sources, census data, individual slave narratives, and modern research, this paper seeks to address the complex factors and reasons that motivated a substantial portion of the African Canadian population to leave Canada and find a future elsewhere. The aftermath of the Underground Railroad does not depict the end of a chapter in history, but rather the continuation of the trials and tribulations that lay ahead for the black population in North America. iv DEDICATION To my mother, father, and brother v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my advisor, Dr. Guillaume Teasdale, for his patience and careful analysis in carrying this paper through to completion. I would also like to extend my gratitude to Dr. Miriam Wright for her careful insights and suggestions. Thanks to Dr. Christina Simmons for her knowledge and advice, which helped create a foundation for the paper. I would also like to thank Dr. Karolyn Smardz Frost, whose technical advice and insights helped not only in determining the direction of the paper but also in understanding the issues. Thank you to the staff at the Burton Historical Collection who provided help in obtaining sources that added to this paper. To my mother, father, and brother: thank you for patience and assistance and support during these many long hours. To the entire department and those not mentioned here: your help was insurmountable and will always be appreciated. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY .............................................................................. iii ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... iv DEDICATION .....................................................................................................................v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................... vi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS/SYMBOLS ...................................................................... viii Introduction ..........................................................................................................................1 Historiography .....................................................................................................................3 The Underground Railroad ..................................................................................................9 The Civil War ....................................................................................................................22 The Journey Home .............................................................................................................26 Conclusion .........................................................................................................................44 Bibliography ......................................................................................................................47 Vita Auctoris ......................................................................................................................53 vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS/SYMBOLS FSA – Fugitive Slave Act FSL – Fugitive Slave Law CVC – Detroit Colored Vigilance Committee UGRR – Underground Railroad viii Introduction The United States faced numerous struggles throughout the 19th century. Social and cultural issues increasingly divided the burgeoning nation along multiple fronts as political issues became increasingly contentious. While many issues burdened the young nation, few issues did as much as the trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. Even early on, the United States was plagued with disputes on the eventual outcome of the institution of slavery. Attempts to reach compromises, including the passage of the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act, only further inflamed the situation. While these tensions were brewing in the 19th century, many African Americans – freedom seekers – took it upon themselves to act on their own and flee their predicament from slavery in the early 1800s. Known as the Underground Railroad (UGRR), scores of African Americans escaped bondage and prejudice, moving northward towards free-states and Canada in order to obtain a better life for them and their families. The UGRR began slowly, starting after the War of 1812, before finally developing into a massive undertaking that ultimately involved approximately 100,000 African Americans leaving their surroundings and travelling hundreds of miles leading to northern cities, including Detroit, Buffalo and Chicago. Thousands of these individuals (a minimum of 9,500 individuals) would go on to cross further north into Canada in order to find freedom. This process continued until the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 and the repeal of the 1850 Fugitive Slave Law in 1864. The issue of slavery proved increasingly controversial until it finally culminated into the American Civil War ending in 1865 and with it, the eventual end of the institution of slavery. This turbulent period ended up shaping a significant portion of American life and African American history. 1 History does not end there, however, as African Americans who fled to Canada continued on with their lives. Eventually, many returned to the United States despite the persecution and discrimination. Scholars have attempted to explain why these men and women decided to return to the United States despite the experiences they endured. Numerous reasons have been offered, including discrimination in Canada, the sluggish economy and poor living and working conditions. All of these reasons no doubt played an important role in encouraging some to return to the US; however, this paper contends that these were not the primary causes. Instead, African Americans primarily returned to the United States because of the conclusion of the threat that had caused them to originally flee. Additionally, although African Americans enjoyed greater rights and freedoms inside Canada than inside the United States, they did not