The Chatham Vigilance Committee was formulated before the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

by black abolitionists in the Chatham, Ontario area to save people from being sold into slavery. Some of the members of the group were graduates of

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio. It is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational liberal arts college in the United S ...

in Ohio. It is most well known for its rescue of Sylvanus Demarest, but the Committee rescued other people.

Background

The largest waves of African Americans seeking freedom in Canada began in 1841 and continued through to 1865. Thousands came to and through Chatham.

Emancipation Day Emancipation Day is observed in many former European colonies in the Caribbean and areas of the United States on various dates to commemorate the emancipation of slaves of African descent. On August 1, 1985, Trinidad and Tobago became the fir ...

, enacted in 1833, was a day when people could celebrate their freedom. A deep community spirit, called "True Bands", meant that people would look after each other and build up schools, churches, and other resources to support one another. Chatham had become the center for black activism in Canada, partly due to '' The Provincial Freeman'' newspaper. The group was founded following the passage of the

Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 The Fugitive Slave Act or Fugitive Slave Law was passed by the United States Congress on September 18, 1850, as part of the Compromise of 1850 between Southern interests in slavery and Northern Free-Soilers. The Act was one of the most co ...

, which made it easier for former slaves living in Free states to be returned to slavery. As a result, as many as 20,000 blacks moved to Canada between 1850 and 1860, making a total of 60,000 black citizens in the country. Between 1850 and 1865, there were 25,000 black residents in Chatham, Ontario. American slave-hunters came into Canada to find fugitive enslaved people. At times, they took blacks to sell into slavery, such as if they could not find the person that they were looking for. Vigilance committees were organized by black men and women in southwestern Ontario to counter American slave catchers.

Members

Members of the organization included Lucy Stanton Day, James Henry Harris, G. W. Brodie, Ann Shadd Cary, Thomas Cary, Isaac Shadd,

William Howard Day William Howard Day (October 16, 1825December 3, 1900) was a Black people, black Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist, editor, educator and minister. After his father died when he was four, Day went to live with J. P. Williston and his w ...

Martin Delany Martin Robison Delany (May 6, 1812January 24, 1885) was an abolitionist, journalist, physician, soldier, and writer, and arguably the first proponent of black nationalism. Delany is credited with the Pan-African slogan of "Africa for Africans." ...

Osborne Perry Anderson Osborne Perry Anderson (July 27, 1830 – December 11, 1872) was an African-American Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist and the only surviving African-American member of John Brown (abolitionist), John Brown's John Brown's Raid on Har ...

, John James Pleasant, and

Mary Ellen Pleasant Mary Ellen Pleasant (August 19, 1815 – January 11, 1904) was a 19th-century entrepreneur, financier, real estate magnate and abolitionist. She was arguably the first self-made millionaire of African-American heritage, preceding Madam C. J. Wal ...

Sylvanus Demarest

Members of the Chatham community were notified in September 1858 that a white man was traveling with a black boy through Canada and to

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

, Michigan. W. R. Merwin transported a 10-year-old boy or teen Sylvanus Demarest on a train from

London, Ontario London (pronounced ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River, approximate ...

, to Detroit, Michigan, in the United States. He was also known as Venus. The fear was that Demarest was being kidnapped from Canada and into slavery in the United States. When they initially boarded the train, Merwin stated that Demarest was his slave.

Elijah Leonard Elijah Leonard (September 10, 1814 – May 14, 1891) was an Ontario businessman and political figure. He was a Liberal member of the Senate of Canada from 1867 to 1891. He was born on a farm near Syracuse, New York in 1814, the son of E ...

, who had been the mayor of London, Ontario, spotted the two travelers and had a telegraph sent ahead to Chatham. The train, making its scheduled stop for water in Chatham, was met by 100 people who entered the train and removed Demarest. Some of the people were armed. Isaac Shadd, publisher of ''The Provincial Freeman'' and leader of the Chatham Vigilance Committee, led the rescue and was arrested in 1858 for his role. Another four blacks and two whites, who were also members of the committee, were arrested as well. They were charged by railroad officials for having caused a riot and "(indirectly) abduction". They were found guilty of rioting. Some of the people were able to pay assigned fines, and others were unable to do so and remained in jail for some time. It is also said that the case was dismissed when it was learned that Demarest was not a fugitive slave. The ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'' reported that Merwin was his slaveholder from St. Louis, but it was found that Merwin had intended on selling Demarest, and he had never owned him. Demarest was found to have been born free. Even so, there were some white Canadians that were outraged about how the train was stormed to find Demarest. After the event, he met up with his mother in Chatham and lived with the Isaac and Amelia Shadd before moving to Windsor.

John Price

At about the same time, slave catchers had taken John Price, a former slave and resident of

Oberlin, Ohio Oberlin is a city in Lorain County, Ohio, United States, 31 miles southwest of Cleveland. Oberlin is the home of Oberlin College, a liberal arts college and music conservatory with approximately 3,000 students. The town is the birthplace of the ...

. Residents of his community, including Oberlin College faculty and students, liberated him in what was called the

Oberlin–Wellington Rescue The Oberlin–Wellington Rescue of 1858 in was a key event in the history of abolitionism in the United States. A '' cause celèbre'' and widely publicized, thanks in part to the new telegraph, it is one of the series of events leading up to Civi ...

Popular culture

* ''The Journey of Little Charlie'' (2018), from the Buxton Chronicles series, volume 3 by

Christopher Paul Curtis Christopher Paul Curtis (born May 10, 1953)Judy Levin, Allison Stark Draper, ''Christopher Paul Curtis'' (The Rosen Publishing Group, 2005), , p. 84. Excerptsat Google Books. Retrieved 2015-07-25. is an American children's book author. His f ...

is a historical fiction set in 1858 with Sylvanus Demarest as one of the characters.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chatham Vigilance Committee Canadian abolitionists Abolitionist organizations Organizations that combat human trafficking 19th century in Canada History of Ontario Black Canadian culture in Ontario Black Canadian organizations