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Home , Afua Cooper, Black Canadians

The African Canadian Experience (Hist 1913X1)

Winter Term 2018/19

Professor Dr Suzanne Hanson

Time MON & WED 4.00-5.30pm

Room: BAC237

Introduction

This course examines the multifaceted history of the diverse groups of peoples commonly referred to African . In exploring the distinctive and unique experiences of African Canadians this course reviews several important themes. Black migration to has occurred over hundreds of years and each migration flow was characterized by its own special set of circumstances and peoples. To fully comprehend the push and pull factors that stimulated this migration we must review the wider geopolitical circumstances in which ‘Canada’ was emerged, namely the and the North American milieu. Alongside these migratory patterns this course endeavors to explore the experiences of Canadians of African descent. As such, we will explore the socio-economic conditions, race relations, religious and spirituality belief systems and the political context which influenced the lives of people throughout this period. It is important to remember that the history of African Canadian peoples is often told by other groups, individuals who did not share their common experiences, beliefs or traditions. It is often based on scanty information or evidence derived purely from a colonialist or elitists sources. To provide a more balance view we shall wherever possible look to review sources which were written by or documented on behalf of Canadians or Americans of African descent. Furthermore, we must also remember that the history of African Canadian peoples cannot be separated from Canadian history in general, whilst we undertake to learn about this historiography in detail it remains an important part of the overall development of Canada.

Course Objectives:

1. To explore the socio- economic and political experiences of African Canadian peoples from 1600s to the present day 2. To consider the contribution African Canadian peoples have made to the development of contemporary Canada 3. To understand and assess the different types of evidence informing this for people of African descent

Teaching Strategy

This course will be taught through a variety of mediums. The Monday session will be delivered through a series of lectures that are teacher led. The Wednesday session will be seminar based and student led. Students will be expected to have prepared for seminars by completing the reading for each week and having prepared their response to seminar questions. Where possible teaching will incorporate videos, group discussion and a questions and answers time.

Contact information and office hours

Office BAC 412

Email [email protected]

Office hours Mondays and Wednesdays 3.00-3.45pm Course Outline

African Canadian Experience

Week Lecture and Seminar

1 Lecture: Introduction to African Canadian Experience Seminar: Reading : History, Experience and Social Conditions by Joseph Mensah (2010) Chapter 2: Conceptual Background pg 11 - 38

Block 1: Major Migration Flows to Canada

2 Lecture: Black in the Maritime Seminar reading Harvey Amani Whitfield “ The Struggle over slavery in the Maritime Colonies” Acadiensis 41, 2 (Summer/ Autumn 2012) 17 - 44 3 Lecture: No Lecture due to closure Martin Luther King Day Seminar reading: (2006) The Hanging of Angelique; The untold story of Canadian Slavery and the Burning of Old Chapter 3: The Secret of 4 Lecture: The Black Loyalists Seminar reading: The Black Loyalists by James St G Walker (1992) Chapter 2: Land and Settlement in ; the establishment of a free black community 1783 -91 5 Lecture: The Jamaican Seminar reading: The Black Loyalists by James St G Walker(1992) Chapter 3: Black Society in Loyalist Nova Scotia: The growth of a separate identity 1783-91 6 Lecture: The and the Black Fugitive Seminar reading: Harvey Amani Whitfield ‘The Development of Black Refugee Identity in Nova Scotia 1813 – 1850 Left History (fall 2005) pg 9-31 7 Mid Term Exam Seminar: William Still, A short film 8 Lecture: The and the Fugitive Slave Seminar reading: Some Scenes from the Life of by Sarah H Bradford (This is a short book available on-line) 9 Lecture: The California Pioneers and African Canadian Military Service Seminar reading: Heath, W (2017) The Wartime Diaries of Canadian Baptist Military Chaplin William H White 1917 – 1918 in Baptist Quarterly 06 July 2017 pg 165 - 181

Block 2: Struggles and Resistance: The Civil Rights Movement in Canada

10 Lecture: The North Star Myth - Jim Crow in Canada Seminar reading: Sarah- Jane Mathieu (2001) North of the Colour Line: Sleeping Car Porters and the battle against Jim Crow on Canadian Rails 1880-1920 in Labour / Le Travail vol 42, pg 9-41 11 Lecture: Blacks and Canada’s Immigration Policy Seminar: The Dresden Story: A short film by Julian Biggs (Oral Histories)

Block 3: Contemporary Lived Experiences

12 Lecture: The Modern African Canadian Experience Seminar reading: James W St G Walker(1997) Allegories and orientations in African – Canadian Historiography the Spirit of in The Dalhousie Review vol 77 issue 2 pg 154-177 Remembering Africville – A short film by NFB (Oral Histories) 13 Lecture: Conclusions: African Canadian Experiences Continuities and Discontinuities

Course Assessments

This course will be assessed by four individual assessments:

Assessment 1 (25%): Slave Narratives (1,500 words)

Using three slaves narratives, describe how these slaves portray their experiences in bondage

Hand in date: Friday 8th February 2019 online submission deadline 12pm

Assessment 2 (25%): The African Baptist Union and African Canadian Experience (1,500 words)

Using archival sources, describe and assess the role of the African Baptist Union in promoting the development of African Canadians in Nova Scotia.

Hand in date: Friday 29th March 2019 online submission deadline 12pm

Mid Term Examination (25%): This will take place in week 7 during the Monday slot lecture session

Final Examination (25%): This will take place during the final examination week(s) period

Please note: that individual assessment briefs for assessments 1 and 2 will be made available on the course website. These briefs will provide greater guidance as to how you may undertake these assignments.

Late submissions will receive a 5% deduction for each day it is late. If you are experiencing difficulties or problems in relation to your assessments please come and see me.

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, go to: writingcentre.acadiau.ca/writing-tutorials.html

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

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, 2018-2019.

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, 2018-2019. 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. Please note that under no circumstances will a breach of academic integrity be tolerated: 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:

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 provide 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]

Key Texts for this Course:

Given that this course covers a vast period of history a collection of books are listed that provide a good overview for this course material.

Cooper, Afua (2007) The Hanging of Angelique: The untold story of Canadian Slavery and the Burning of Old Montreal. Athens: University of Georgia Press

Carter, Velma and Akili, Wander. Leffler (1981) The Windows of our Memories, St : BCR Society of Alberta

Crawford, Kilian (1978) Go Do Some Great Things: The Black Pioneers of British Colombia,

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

Smardzt, Frost Karolyn (2007) Ive got a home in glory land: a lost tale of the underground, : Thomas Allen

Walker, James, W St.G (1976)The Search for a Promised Land in Nova Scotia and 1783- 1879, Longman Group Ltd and Dalhousie University Press

Walker, James, W. St G (1980) A history of blacks in Canada: A study guide for teachers and students,

Walker, James, W. St G (1985) Racial Discrimination in Canada the Black Experience, Ottawa: The Canadian Historical Society, Historical booklet 41.

Whitfield, Harvey, A (2016) North to Bondage, Loyalist Slavery in the Maritime, Vancouver: UBC Press

Whitfield, Harvey, A (2006) Blacks on the Border: the black refugees in 1815-1860, Burlington: University of Vermont Press

Whitfield, Harvey, A (2005) From American Slaves to Nova Scotia Subjects: the case of the black refugees 1813 – 1840, Toronto: Pearson/ Prentice Hall