- In Windsor, Ontario, there is a national historic site honouring the Underground Railroad and its significance in Canadian history.
- From the early 19th century until the American Civil War, settlements along the Detroit and Niagara rivers were key locations of the Underground Railroad where white and black abolitionists helped bring African American slaves to freedom.
- In 1861 around 30,000 freedom-seekers found safety and began residing in Ontario, and while some returned to the US after the Civil War, these people played a vital role in shaping Canada's modern identity.
- One famous individual, Harriet Tubman, born in 1820, escaped the US and moved to St. Catharines, Ontario in 1851 and like many other slaves, risked her life and went back and forth to the US to aid others in their escape to Canada.
- However, some scholars/historians note there could be some exaggeration in regards to how many slaves were helped through the railroad as many escaped on their own accord.
- Moreover, there was once a time (around 1777) where slaves escaped south from British North American colonies, from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, to the United States, particularly Vermont, who abolished slavery in the 1790s when British colonies abolished slavery in the 1830s.
- Nevertheless, the legacy of the Underground Railroad remain an important part of early Canada-US history.
Canada. Parks Canada. Directory of Federal Heritage Designations. Underground Railroad National Historic Event. [Windsor, Ontario], 1925. https://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/dfhd/page_nhs_eng.aspx?id=1320
For more information on the Underground Railroad: https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/underground-railroad#:~:text=An%20estimated%2030%2C000%20to%2040%2C000,of%20what%20is%20now%20Ontario. & https://www.canadashistory.ca/explore/politics-law/history-spotlight-the-underground-railroad & https://www.pbs.org/black-culture/shows/list/underground-railroad/stories-freedom/settlements-canada/
& https://www.historicacanada.ca/content/heritage-minutes/underground-railroad & https://www.heritagetrust.on.ca/en/pages/our-stories/slavery-to-freedom/history/the-underground-railroad
For the Government of Canada's Video Tribute to Harriet Tubman on the 100th anniversary of her death: https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/black-history-month/transcript-harriet-tubman.html
For more information on Canada and North America's often 'untold' history of slavery: https://humanrights.ca/story/the-story-of-slavery-in-canadian-history