The Light of Nature and the Law of God: Antislavery in Ontario, 1833-1877

Wesley B. Turner is an associate professor of history at Brock
University and author of The War of 1812: The War That Both Sides Won.

Allen Stouffer focuses his study “on the movement among whites in . .
. Ontario . . . to end slavery in the United States between 1833 and
1877.” Previous writings emphasized Canada’s proximity to the United
States as the chief determinant of abolitionist sentiments and
activities. Stouffer’s research leads him to propose a different
emphasis, one in which idealism plays a stronger role and the influence
of British abolitionism becomes more central. He also seeks to break new
ground by attempting a quantitative analysis of the people involved.
Thus, he discusses the leaders of Canadian antislavery (132 men), but is
limited in his examination of the followers by paucity of information.
What he is able to offer, as representative of the rank and file, is a
picture of the 335 stockholders of the Elgin Association. From this, he
concludes that “there was large-scale involvement by the working
classes in Canadian antislavery.” Women, too, played an important
role, independent of male-dominated organizations.

Antislavery passed through several phases in the years under study.
Stouffer’s careful analysis shows the valiant efforts of a few
individuals to organize societies, raise funds, assist fugitive slaves,
and promote tolerance against the apathy and, indeed, prejudice of many.
This negative attitude sprang from a “virulent stain of racism” that
the author finds present in the outlook of most Canadians both before
and after the American Civil War.

A historian at St. Francis Xavier University, Stouffer adds to our
understanding of antislavery in Canada and suggests directions for
further study.