Chloe Cooley and the 1793 Act to Limit Slavery in Upper Canada - Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario
Posted by: Weathervane
N 43° 11.162 W 079° 03.478
17T E 657815 N 4783304
Following the abduction of Chloe Cooley, an enslaved Black woman, Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe introduced legislation that set the stage for the great freedom movement of enslaved African Americans known as the Underground Railway.
Waymark Code: WMMH39
Location: Ontario, Canada
Date Posted: 09/21/2014
Views: 13
Text of the plaque
Chloe Cooley and the 1793 Act to Limit Slavery in Upper Canada
On March 14, 1793 Chloe Cooley, an enslaved Black woman in Queenston, was bound, thrown in a boat and sold across the river to a new owner in the United States. Her screams and violent resistance were brought to the attention of Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe by Peter Martin, a free Black and former soldier in Butler's Rangers, and William Grisley, a neighbour who witnessed the event. Simcoe immediately moved to abolish slavery in the new province. He was met with opposition in the House of Assembly, some of whose members owned slaves. A compromise was reached and on July 9, 1793 an Act was passed that prevented the further introduction of slaves into Upper Canada and allowed for the gradual abolition of slavery although no slaves already residing in the province were freed outright. It was the first piece of legislation in the British Empire to limit slavery and set the stage for the great freedom movement of enslaved African Americans known as the Underground Railway.
Address: Niagara Parkway - 3 km north of York Road (Road 81) Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario Canadsa
Web site: [Web Link]
Site Details: The plaque is outside and can be visited at any time
Open to the public?: Public
Name of organization who placed the marker: Ontario Heritage Trust - An agency of the government of Ontario
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Visit Instructions: Provide an original photo of the building and/or marker, and describe your visit.
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