Francois Baby house, Windsor
We’ve all been told time and again about the important role Windsor played in the Underground Railroad and how it was the final destination for many enslaved people who had freed themselves from slavery. In fact, the only aspect of Canadian history we heard more about was the Canadian fur trade, because goodness forbid we don’t know about the stinky fashion statement that was beaver hats… there’s a reason we don’t wear them anymore.
So it’s the big ol’ south with their nasty plantations and the Canadians up here waving flags around for freedom, right? Nope, not quite. In fact, there was a plantation style farm owned and run by the prominent Baby family in Windsor. Jacques and Suzanne Baby lived in Detroit before the American Revolution and moved to Windsor in 1796, bringing their slaves with them. Today, Windsorites can visit the Francois Baby house, a local heritage point otherwise known as the house Jacques and Suzanne Baby moved to and ran their plantation out of. Yet if you visit the house yourself, there is no mention of those enslaved by the Baby family; guess a plantation isn’t a good look for the destination of the Underground Railroad.
What’s that about True North, Strong and Free? Well here’s the thing – Michigan beat us to it. Slavery in the state of Michigan was banned in 1787. Guess when Ontario finally woke up and smelled the destruction? 1833. That’s right, Ontario was almost half a century behind Michigan in abolishing slavery. Thankfully, those enslaved in Ontario, both black and Indigenous, were smart enough not to wait around for abolition. In those 46 years of prolonged slavery in Ontario, enslaved people gained freedom through manumission if possible, or they fled to Michigan. In the case of Windsor, slaves swam across the Detroit River into Michigan; your textbook would say they were going the wrong way.
Those enslaved in Ontario were so efficient in gaining their rightful freedom for themselves that when slavery was finally abolished in Ontario, it only freed two people. Canada was not faultless in slavery, and unfortunately, nor are our textbooks.
Source:
Cooper, Afua. “The Fluid Frontier: Blacks and the Detroit River Region: a Focus on Henry Bibb”, in Canadian Review of American Studies. Vol. 30. Pgs. 129-149.