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A Study of Race-Relations Between Blacks and Whites Over Issues of Schooling in Upper Canada, 1840-1860: White Prejudice, Black Anti-Slavery and School Reform

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A Study of Race-Relations Between Blacks and Whites Over Issues of Schooling in Upper Canada, 1840-1860: White Prejudice, Black Anti-Slavery and School Reform A STUDY OF RACE-RELATIONS BETWEEN BLACKS AND WHITES OVER ISSUES OF SCHOOLING IN UPPER CANADA, 1840-1860: WHITE PREJUDICE, BLACK ANTI-SLAVERY AND SCHOOL REFORM By Alexandra Vinci A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Masters of Arts in the History of Education, Graduate Department of Theory and Policy Studies in Education Ontario Institute for Studies in Education University of Toronto © Copyright by Alexandra Vinci, 2010 ii Not So Black and White: A Study of Race-Relations Between Blacks and Whites Over Issues of Schooling, 1840-1860, White Prejudice, Blacks Anti-Slavery and School Reform Masters of Arts, History of Education, 2010 Alexandra Carmen-Rosa Suzette Vinci Department of Theory and Policy Studies in Education University of Toronto Abstract Between the years 1840 and 1860, white prejudice played an important role in shaping blacks‘ experiences in Upper Canada. This thesis explores and analyzes the history of black anti-slavery, whites‘ attitudes toward blacks and the development of mandatory and free public schooling in Upper Canada during the nineteenth century, in order to demonstrate that race-relations between blacks and whites were worst both after 1850 in general, and over issues of schooling in particular. iii Acknowledgements It is an honour for me to thank Harold Troper and David Levine, without whom this thesis simply would not exist. I have learned so much from you both and I cannot thank you enough for taking on this project. Thank you Professor Troper for all you have done. I am deeply grateful for your patience, guidance and kindness throughout this whole process. From day one, you have made the completion of this project possible. There are no words to describe how thankful I am to you. I would also like to thank Tom and Carmen Vinci. It is my privilege to call them my parents. You have supported me in so many ways. I am overwhelmed by your kindness. How do I love thee, let me count the ways… James, without you I would be lost. Thank you for your endless encouragement and patience. You inspire me to do what I want with my life. You are the love of my life. Thank you Chris and Becky, my brother and sister. You are my best friends. I would also like to acknowledge the following people for their support: Alex, thank you for the idea and the days at the library; Stazi, thank you for my ‗blue thesis book‘. Kate, Maddy, Johanna and Angela — you are my sisters. Thank you to everyone who supported me along the way. I am forever grateful. May life find you all well. Alex Vinci iv Dedication This thesis is dedicated to Becky Vinci, Sarah Somerville, Kate Hartnett and Johanna MacCulloch. Survivors of this world. Thank you for your strength. v Table of Contents Abstract ....................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements .................................................................................................... iii Dedication .................................................................................................................. iv Table of Contents ....................................................................................................... v CHAPTER ONE: ....................................................................................................... 1 An Introduction to Black History in Upper Canada, From 1791 to 1860 ............ 1 CHAPTER TWO: .................................................................................................... 16 Great Expectations: Blacks, Anti-Slavery and Racial Uplift in the 1850’s ........ 16 CHAPTER THREE: ................................................................................................ 34 The Attitudes and Responses of White Canadians to Blacks in Upper Canada Between 1800 and 1860 ............................................................................................ 34 CHAPTER FOUR: ................................................................................................... 53 Black Schooling in Upper Canada, 1840-1860 ...................................................... 53 CHAPTER FIVE: .................................................................................................... 75 “We Must Educate:” Black and White Attitudes to Education and Its’ Impact on Racial Tension Over Issues of Schooling During the 1850’s ........................... 75 CONCLUSION: ..................................................................................................... 105 A Perfect Storm ...................................................................................................... 105 BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................................................................................. 110 vi 1 CHAPTER ONE: An Introduction to Black History in Upper Canada, From 1791 to 1860 At the turn of the eighteenth century Upper Canada was still a frontier colony unorganized, uncultivated and under populated. Its inhabitants were socially and politically divided between upper-class British loyalists, many of whom had been in Upper Canada since the American Revolution, and more recent immigrants, largely destitute and uneducated, lured or forced to Canada by the idea of a new start.1 For most immigrants in rural areas life was hard, days consisted of clearing and cultivating land and building homes. Churches and schools were rare a luxury reserved for the upper classes.2 The colonial government was controlled by a conservative, educated and upper class elite who maintained a hegemonic dominance over Upper Canadian politics until the 1830s when the political climate began to change. But the government was largely ineffectual. Because of the scattered nature of settlement, poor communications and lack of societal infrastructure, the laws and regulations proscribed by the legislature were neither enacted nor enforced in settlement areas. There was moderate growth in Upper Canada after the conclusion of the War of 1812. Agriculture and fishing became main industries. Trade, commerce and banking began to mature. Newspapers sprang up and as people‘s lives eased, they took more interest in the affairs of the state. This growing public interest began to conflict with the 1The City of Toronto and the Ontario Black History Society, Black History in Early Ontario. (Toronto, Market Gallery, City of Toronto Archives, February 7-March 15, 1981), 6 2 Audrey N.B Walker, History of Education in Ontario, (M.A. Thesis; Lennoxville, Bishop‘s University, 1946), 4 2 ruling oligarchy.3 Political tensions between Conservatives and Reformers erupted with the Rebellion of 1837. The rebellion struck fear into the heart of British officialdom, having revealed Upper Canada as politically vulnerable. This realization strengthened the colonial government‘s resolve to keep out influences found threatening. And a distinctive anti-American and anti-republican sentiment became an entrenched part of mainstream political thought in Upper Canada. During the 1830s and 1840s increasing government centralization, secularization and bureaucratization accompanied a growing governmental interest and subsequent involvement in the lives of Upper Canadian settlers. This shift in how the colonial government conducted its business was accompanied by a wave of immigrants from the British Isles flooding into Upper Canadian cities, towns and incorporated villages. And by 1850, Upper Canada was home to a diverse group of settlers, who possessed distinctive reasons and goals for living in the colony. Irish and British immigrants, colonial British officials and numerous religious groups scattered across Upper Canada. And among these groups were black4 settlers from the United States. Thousands of American blacks immigrated to Upper Canada during the first half of the nineteenth century. Once in Canada, the majority of blacks settled in towns and other areas where other blacks were already living. The new arrivals particularly congregated in the border region which acted as a fluid frontier for the Underground Railroad.5 Newly arrived blacks were usually met by charitable societies that helped get 3 Walker, History of Education in Ontario, 12 4 I have chosen to utilize a lower-case ―b‖ when using the term ―black‖. Many scholars of black history capitalize the ―b‖, however, I feel that doing so unnecessarily distinguishes blacks from the other groups of people this thesis discusses. Because blacks were a diverse group, whose distinctions went well beyond racial uniformity. 5 Afua Ava Pamela Cooper, ―Doing Battle in Freedom’s Cause‖: Henry Bibb, Abolitionism, Race Uplift, and Black Manhood, 1842-1854, (Ph d., Dissertation; Toronto, University of Toronto, 2000), 4 3 them on their feet while encouraging them to move inland —the farther from the border, the safer from slave catchers.6 Blacks also tended to live in the poorest sections of an area and under the poorest of conditions.7 Life was hard for the new arrivals. Recalled one black settler, ―My pay has been little, for our people all start poor, and have to struggle to support themselves.‖8 And not all moved inland. Many remained in the border region, employed in menial, seasonal and manual labor. And not all who came poor remained so either. Many engaged successfully in a variety of trades and professions. I have been through…Upper…Canada, and I have found the colored people keeping stores, farming, ect., and doing well…I know several colored people who have become wealthy by industry…one
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