Underground Railroad

:This page is for the U.S. slave escape route. For railroads elsewhere built underground, see Metro and London Underground.

Effect on Canada

Estimates vary widely, but at least 20,000 slaves escaped to Canada via the Underground Railroad. This had an important effect on Canadian society. The largest group settled in southern Ontario, where a number of African Canadian communities developed, particularly in the triangle between Toronto, Niagara Falls and Windsor, particularly in Toronto where 1,000 refugees settled and in Kent and Essex counties where several rural villages made up largely of ex-slaves were established. Important settlements also developed in Nova Scotia and on Vancouver Island, where Governor James Douglas encouraged black immigration due to his opposition to slavery and because he hoped a significant black community would form a bulwark against those who wished to unite the island with the United States.

Related Topics:
African Canadian - Toronto - Niagara Falls - Windsor - Nova Scotia - Vancouver Island - Governor - James Douglas

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Upon arrival in Canada, many fugitives were disappointed. While Canada was free of slavery, discrimination was still common. Many of the new arrivals had great difficulty finding jobs, and open racism was common. However, most refugees remained. Of the 20,000 who emigrated to Upper Canada only 20% returned to the United States.2

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With the outbreak of the Civil War in the United States, a large number of black refugees enlisted in the Union Army and, while some later returned to Canada, many remained in the United States. Thousands of others returned to the American South after the war ended. The desire to reconnect with friends and family was strong, and most were hopeful about the changes emancipation and Reconstruction would bring.

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Today, Canadians take some pride on being a place American slaves sought as a refuge from the USA. In effect, in some Canadians' eyes, their country represented a place of true freedom for a time for an oppressed people that their neighbour, for all their rhetorical love for the value, refused to be. There are numerous momuments erected in Ontario to reflect that pride.

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