The African Canadian Experience

HIST 1913X1 The African Canadian Experience

Bedford Basin near Halifax. Robert Petley, c. 1835 [Library & Archives Canada - National Archives of Canada C-115424]

Fall Term - 2017

Professor: Sara Beanlands

TIME: MON & WED 4:00 – 5:30 pm ROOM: BAC237

Syllabus September 2017

This course explores the history of the African Diaspora in Canada. The lectures and readings cover 400 years of African Canadian history and highlight the types of evidence – often scanty and difficult to access – which shed light on the lives and experiences of Black Canadians.

Contact Information and Office Hours:

Office: BAC 412

E-mail: [email protected]

Office hours: Monday and Wednesday, 3:00 – 3:45 pm or by appointment.

Course Website: Please watch this page for Course Announcements, readings and resources, opportunities to attend special events and talks, links to library indices and on- line articles, and more.

Course Themes:

1) Evidence: How do we know?

2) Voice: Whose voice are we hearing?

3) Resistance

Required Texts:

The required textbook for this course is available through the Acadia bookstore:

Mensah, Joseph. The Black Canadians: History, Experience and Social Conditions. 2nd ed. (Black Rock, NS: Fernwood Press, 2010).

There are a number of additional readings. You will be provided with links to on-line sources available either through databases such as JSTOR, which is online at the Acadia University’s Vaughan Library site, through the course website, or through publicly accessible websites.

Please PRINT the readings or have them available on your laptops during the reading group sessions on Wednesdays. Here is a short video on how to access journal articles at the Vaughan Library: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uBRruXXF7A

Watch the ACORN course website for announcements and additional resources. Additional articles, books, DVDs and how-to guides for locating research materials may be found on-line through the Vaughan Library or in volumes that I will make available electronically or by placing them on reserve at the library.

Course Weighting:

Class Attendance, Participation, Think Questions& Discussion Report (2-3 pages) 20% Short Assignment #1 (2 pages) 5% Short Assignment #2 (2 pages, plus footnotes or endnotes) 5% Midterm 20% Research Report (6-8 pages, plus bibliography or illustrations) & very short 25% presentation in class Final Exam 25%

Assessment:

The quality of your written work is important. Written assignments and reports must be free of typographical errors, so please take the time you need to complete your submissions to a high standard, and be sure to support your own ideas with logical argument and valid evidence.

Attendance:

Attendance will be taken in every class and your participation in this course represents 20% of your total mark. Lectures do not necessarily cover the same material as the readings do. You will be required to do about 20-25 pages of readings each week for the Wednesday class (some articles look longer but they have extensive foot or end notes, so don’t worry about the page count). These will be discussed in depth in reading groups administered, in turn, by your fellow students. Your attendance at every class is therefore essential.

It is important that you take detailed notes. A good deal of what will be taught is not contained in any one volume or set of sources, so you will need good notes in order to complete your assignments and also to be successful in your mid-term test and final examination. Should you absolutely have to be absent you will need to ask another student if they will kindly share their notes, as the content of classes is not posted on-line.

Use of Electronics in Class:

I will work to present interesting, informative lectures and to engage my students in the materials we are exploring together. In return, I appreciate the courtesy of having your full attention. It is preferable to write out your notes by hand, however you may use a laptop, if necessary. Do bring your laptops as we will occasionally be consulting websites together and I will be showing you how to access sources on-line.

Cell phones and all other electronic communication devices must be turned off (not to “vibrate” or “silent”).

Please note that digital voice recording of any part of this course is NOT permitted. Should you have special needs in this regard, please speak to me privately.

Format and Requirements

There are two classes each week.

1) The first class (Mondays) includes a presentation, guest lecture, or film that focuses on the African Canadian experience. Depending on timing, this may be followed by a question and answer period.

2) The second class (Wednesdays) is where discussion of each week’s readings will take place. Each discussion group will be student-led and result in the production of a short report based on points made during the group discussion. Time permitting there may also be a shorter lecture, a media presentation or a hands-on workshop.

Discussion Groups:

The class will be divided into discussion groups for the duration of the course. Each group is responsible for leading one or more discussions based on the weekly readings.

Each group will, in turn, be expected to:

• prepare a list of 10 “think questions” for discussion based on the readings assigned for that week,

• divide up so each student of the leading group will present the "think questions" and lead discussions of one of the other groups, and

• prepare a Discussion Report (2-3 pages) based on the results of the in-class discussion. It may be in point form based on the “think question” format. This is due one week following the discussion.

The “think questions” (which should include questions about the three course themes and their relevance to the readings), and the Discussion Report are important to your participation mark. The report should be based on the discussion and record the points made by the group you are leading. It will present their conclusions regarding the week’s readings (as well as your own). Both the “think questions" and Discussion Report are to be handed in BOTH electronically to my email address AND in hard-copy. Your discussion report is due exactly one week following the class you led. These will be returned at the end of term.

The course is designed so that 20% of your mark comes from in-class work, discussion and a short report based on readings and presentations made thereon. Your marks are partly dependent on the quality of the discussion(s) led by the group in which you are placed. This includes the handed-in “think questions” and Discussion Report.

It is essential that each student keep up with the readings. The readings are designed to provide important foundations for assignments (5% + 5% +25%) and the midterm, which represents 20% of your mark. Your final exam is worth 25%.

PLEASE NOTE: Students who neglect to do their readings negatively affect not only their own group’s mark, but also that of the individual leading your group’s discussion that week.

In the event of a school closure or class cancellation (storm, power outage, etc.) the scheduled discussion group will move to the next available class time.

Assignments:

Short Assignment #1: This will be a report on a guest lecture, website(s) or film (2 pages) that speaks to the essential role African Canadians have played in this nation

Short Assignment #2: This will be a report focusing on sources that provide information about the lives and experiences of African descended peoples in Canada (2 pages, plus footnotes/endnotes)

Research Report: Your report will reflect that you have used a variety of primary and secondary sources. It will explore the influence of political, economic, social and other changes in the larger society upon a specific aspect of the African Canadian experience, as well as the ways in which Black Canadians chose to confront and surmount the challenges with which they were presented (6-8 pages not counting bibliography and illustrations).

All assignments must be BOTH handed in on-line (which date-stamps them automatically) AND in hard copy. You may either bring hard-copy to the class or hand it in at my office on or before the due date.

Penalties for late papers will be imposed.

Citations, Quotations and References:

All assignments require a bibliography and proper citation of sources. Historians use footnotes or endnotes – APA style (in-line citation) is not acceptable.

For this course, please use ONLY the format available online through the website for the Acadia Writing Centre at the Vaughan Memorial Library https://library.acadiau.ca/writing/ under "Chicago/Turabian style."If you use an electronic reference system, i.e. Endnote, set it to use the Chicago Manual of Style format.

For assignments, photographs, maps and other illustrations that enhance points you are making can be included. They must be labelled and cited, and a “list of illustrations” should be included. Illustrations and lists thereof, bibliographies and appendices are in addition to the required number of pages for each assignment.

The Writing Centre offers free help to all students wishing to improve their writing skills. You can sign up online today: • To book a one-to-one appointment with a trained writing tutor, click here: writingcentre.acadiau.ca/writing-tutorials.html

• To see which helpful presentations and workshops you’ll want to attend this year, click here: writingcentre.acadiau.ca/workshops-and-presentations.html

PLEASE NOTE:

• You cannot leave history assignments to the last minute. It takes time to discover and assess primary and secondary source material. It also takes a while to build up sufficient understanding of the data you have collected in order to interpret it in light of both existing secondary sources, and your own ideas.

Academic Honesty:

Students should review the Acadia University’s Academic Honesty policy for themselves at: https://library.acadiau.ca/studentPlag and read the section “Academic Integrity” on p. 58 in the “Academic Policy and Regulations” section of the Acadia University Calendar, 2017-2018.

Plagiarism is a breach of both copyright and scholarly ethics. It includes – but is not limited to - using ideas, concepts or phraseology from someone else’s work without citing that work to acknowledge your debt to that particularly scholar. The penalties for plagiarism are very severe. They ought to be. It’s cheating yourself out of a good education, your fellow students out of fair marking, and your professors out of a chance to assess your work honestly so they can help you improve.

I refer you to the section “Academic Integrity” to be found on p. 58 in the “Academic Policy and Regulations” section of the Acadia University Calendar, 2017-2018. You must be familiar with these guidelines to be enrolled in this course. Plagiarism is also viewed seriously by the Department of History and Classics: it is departmental policy that plagiarised work will receive a grade of F (zero), with no departmental appeal possible. In especially bad cases more severe penalties, including a course grade of F (zero) and/or a recommendation for expulsion from the university, are possible. If the transgression warrants it, I will not hesitate to seek the application of such a penalty. Please note that under no circumstances will I tolerate a breach of academic integrity: transgressions such as cheating, plagiarism, or actively aiding another student in such an act will result in -- at the very least -- a grade of zero on the offending assignment.

Student papers will be submitted to Turnitin, which is an electronic software package designed to catch examples of plagiarism.

Assistance with Assignments:

I really want my students to do well! Come and see me during office hours or make an appointment.

Assistance in research is available through the reference staff at the Vaughan Library, the Esther Clarke Wright Archives and through the University Writing Centre, the latter of which provides students with help in writing papers. The Writing Centre is located in the Vaughan Memorial Library. One-on-one tutorials are available as are a host of other services: http://writingcentre.acadiau.ca/home.html

Acadia University also provides assistance for students facing challenges. If you are a student with a documented disability who anticipates needing accommodations, please inform Kathy O’Rourke (902-585-1823) in Accessible Learning Services, Fountain Commons - [email protected]

The African Canadian Experience

Wednesday, September 6 - Class 1: Introduction

Introduction by Professor Sara Beanlands Course Outline, Themes and Expectations Video on the “Atlantic Slave Trade”

READING FOR MONDAY (Sept. 11) CLASS:

Course Textbook: Mensah, "Racism, Slavery, Colonialism and Christianity," pages 33-39

Posted to Course Website: Selections from: The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano (1789)

Monday: September 11 - Class 2: The Atlantic Slave Trade and the Americas

Professor: Triangular Trade, the Middle Passage, and the Beginning of Slavery in North America

CLASS DISCUSSION OF ASSIGNED READING

Demonstration of process to be used in group discussions.

READING FOR WEDNESDAY (Sept. 13) CLASS:

On-line at Library “History of Blacks in Canada,” Chapter 3, pages 45-57

Wednesday, September 13 - Class 3: Africans in the Americas

Professor: TBA

DISCUSSION OF READING: GROUP 1 (The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano (1789))

READINGS FOR MONDAY (Sept. 18) CLASS:

Course Website: Ken Donovan, “Slaves in Ile Royale, 1713-1758," French Colonial History, Michigan State University Press, 5 (2004): 25-42.

On-line at Library William Renwick Riddell, "The Code Noir, Journal of Negro History 10, 3 (July, 1925): 321-329.

Monday, September 18 – Class 4: Slavery in New France

Professor: Slavery in New France and the Code Noir. Selections from The Hanging of Angelique: The Untold Story of Canadian Slavery and the Burning of Old Montreal (2006)

Wednesday, September 20: Class 5 – The British Colonial Period: Slavery and Freedom

Professor: Planting Slavery in the Promised Land – Planters and Loyalists in Maritime Canada

DISCUSSION OF READINGS: GROUP 2 (Donovan/Riddell)

READINGS FOR MONDAY (Sept. 25) CLASS:

Course Website: Harvey Amani Whitfield, "African and New World African Immigration to Mainland Nova Scotia, 1749-1816," Royal Nova Scotia Society (Feb. 18, 2004) – 5 pages of text.

Course Website: James W. St. G. Walker, "Blacks as American Loyalists: The Slaves’ War for Independence,” in Historical Reflections, II, 1(Summer 1975), 51-67, reprinted in Slavery, Revolutionary America and the New Nation, Paul Finkelman, ed., (New York & London: Garland Publ. Inc., 1989), 447-63.

NOTE: SHORT ASSIGNMENT#1 - DUE IN CLASS 8, Mon., Oct. 2 (2-3 pages)

Monday, September 25: Class 6 - Race and Slavery in Colonial Canada

Professor: Emigration from Maritime Canada – Black Loyalists to Sierra Leone, and the Jamaican Maroons

Wednesday, September 27: Class 7 - The War of 1812

Professor: The War of 1812 and the Black Refugees

DISCUSSION OF READINGS: GROUP 3 (Whitfield/Walker)

READINGS FOR MONDAY (Oct. 2) CLASS:

On-line at Library Harvey Amani Whitfield, “The Struggle over Slavery in the Maritime Colonies,” Acadiensis 41, 2 (Summer/Autumn 2012): 17-44

Harvey Amani Whitfield, “The Development of Black Refugee Identity in Nova Scotia,1813-1850,” Left History 10, 2 (Fall, 2005): 9-31 (14 pages of text plus notes)

Monday, October 2: Class 8 - The Jamaican Maroons

Professor: The Jamaican Maroons and the Nova Scotia Migration

SHORT ASSIGNMENT #1 DUE – bring hard-copy with you, and ALSO submit your paper through ACORN.

Wednesday, October 4: Class 9 - Haitian Revolution & Black Refugees

Professor: The Haitian Revolution & The Black Refugees

DISCUSSION OF READINGS: GROUP 4 (Whitfield/Whitfield)

READINGS FOR WEDNESDAY (Oct. 11) CLASS: TBA

Monday, October 9: No Class (Thanksgiving Day)

Wednesday, October 11: Class 10 - TBA

Professor: TBA

READINGS FOR MONDAY (Oct. 16) CLASS:

Posted to Course Website: Afua Cooper, "Black Men and Women Engage Slavery in Upper Canada, 1793- 1803, Ontario History, 99, 1 (Spring 2007): 5-17.

Posted to Course Website: E. Green, "Upper Canada's Black Defenders,” Ontario History 27 (1931): 365-91.

Monday, October 16: Class 11 – End of Slavery in Upper Canada & African Canadian Military Service

Professor: TBA

Wednesday, October 18: Class 12 – Thornton and Lucie Blackburn

Professor: The Story of Thornton and Lucie Blackburn

DISCUSSION OF READINGS: GROUP 5 (Cooper/Green)

Monday, October 23: Class 13 - MIDTERM

Wednesday, October 25: Class 14 – Essay Writing and Grammar

READINGS FOR MONDAY (Oct. 30) CLASS

Posted to Course Website: Fred Landon, “The Anti-Slavery Society of Canada,” Journal of Negro History 4, 1 (Jan., 1919): 33-40.

Fred Landon, “The Negro Migration to Canada after the Passing of the Fugitive Slave Act,” Journal of Negro History 5, 1 (Jan., 1920): 22-36.

ASSIGNMENT OF RESEARCH REPORT DUE NOV. 27 (6-8 pages, plus bibliography and illustrations)

PLEASE PRESENT YOUR PROPOSED TOPIC TO PROFESSOR IN CLASS 16, NOV 1

Monday, October 30: Class 15 – Underground to Canada

Professor: The Underground Railroad

Wednesday, November 1: Class 16 – The Underground Railroad

SUBMIT PROPOSED TOPIC FOR RESEARCH REPORT TO PROFESSOR

FILM: The William Still Story

DISCUSSION OF READINGS: GROUP 6 (Landon/Landon)

READINGS FOR MONDAY (Nov. 6) CLASS

On-line: R. Bruce Shepherd, “Diplomatic Racism: Canadian Government and Black Migration From Oklahoma, 1905-1912,” Great Plains Quarterly 3, 1 (Winter: 1983): 5-16. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/greatplainsquarterly/1738/.

Posted to Course Website: Tom M. Henson, “The Ku Klux Klan in Western Canada,” Alberta History 26, no. 4 (Autumn 1977): 1-8.

Monday, November 6: Class 17 –The African Canadian Experience in British Colombia

Professor: The Black Migration to Vancouver Island in 1858

Wednesday, November 8: Class 18 – GUEST LECTURE: TBA

SHORT ASSIGNMENT #2 DUE – bring hard-copy with you, and ALSO submit your paper through ACORN.

READINGS FOR MONDAY (Nov. 20) CLASS

On-line at the Vaughan Library: John Schultz, “White Man’s Country: Canada and the West Indian Immigrant, 1900-1965, American Review of Canadian Studies 12, 1 (Spring 1982): 53-64.

Course Textbook: Mensah, “Blacks and Canada’s Immigration Policy,” pages 69-79 AND “The Case of Domestic Women from the Caribbean,” pages 164-5.

Monday, November 13: No Class – Remembrance Day

Wednesday, November 15: No Class – Study Day

Monday, November 20: Class 19 – World War 1, Montreal and Black Activism Between The Wars

Professor: TBA

Wednesday, November 22: Class 20 – Urban “Renewal” from Coast to Coast –Africville & Hogan’s Alley

FILM: Remember Africville (Shelagh Mackenzie, 1991)

WEBSITE: Hogan’s Alley Memorial Project (2007 to present)

DISCUSSION OF READINGS: GROUP 7 (Shultz/Mensah)

READINGS FOR MONDAY (Nov. 27) CLASS

Course Website: Constance Backhouse, “‘I Was Unable to Identify with Topsy’: Carrie M. Best’s Struggle against Racial Segregation in Nova Scotia, 1942,” Atlantis 22, 2 (Spring/Summer 1998): 16-26.

Course Website: Adrienne Shadd, “”Where are You Really From?’ Notes of an ‘Immigrant’ From North Buxton, Ontario,” Carl L. James & A. Shadd, eds., Talking About Identity: Encounters in Race, Ethnicity, and Language (Toronto: Between the Lines, 2001): 10-16.

Monday, November 27: Class 21 - The Modern African Canadian Experience

GUEST LECTURE- TBA

Wednesday, November 29: Class 22

DISCUSSION OF READINGS: GROUP 8 (Backhouse/Shadd)

READINGS FOR MONDAY (Dec. 4) CLASS:

Course Textbook: “Multiculturalism in Canada,” 212-233.

Monday, December 4: Class 23

RESEARCH REPORT DUE – bring hard-copy with you to class and ALSO submit your paper through the course website on ACORN.

Presentations: In two or three sentences - tell the class what you found out from your research

Course Website: James St. George Walker, “African Canadians,” in Encyclopedia of Canada’s Peoples, ed. Paul R. Magosci (Toronto: University of Toronto Press,1999): 139-176.

Wednesday, December 6: Class 24

REVIEW FOR EXAM

FINAL EXAM (TBD)