Herstory

Mary Ann Shadd Cary was the first black woman in North America, and first woman in Canada, to found, edit, and publish a newspaper.

 

Cary was born free within the slave state of Delaware on October 9, 1823. She was the firstborn of 14 children. Her parents, Abraham and Harriet Parnell Shadd, were black activists. Their family home was a station on the Underground Railroad—a network abolitionist contacts and safe houses that assisted fugitive slaves to find freedom in northern United States and Canada.

 

At that time it was illegal to educate black children in Delaware, so Cary’s family moved to Westchester, Pennsylvania in 1839 so the children could attend attend a Quaker boarding school. The Quaker values of equality, stewardship, community, self-reliance, temperance would later be seen in Cary’s work. After completing her education, Cary became a teacher, establishing a school in Delaware and teaching in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

 

In 1850, the Fugitive Slave Act was passed by the United States Congress. This law granted any white person the right to arrest and detain any black person they suspected was a runaway slave. Library & Archives Canada recounts, “Unless the so-called slave possessed irrefutable proof of freedom, there was little recourse in the courts. This odious legislation affected not only the recently escaped slaves, but also those who had escaped long ago and those who had been living in freedom for years. Even those born free were at risk of being captured and dragged into bondage. As a result, thousands of Blacks living in freedom in northern states picked up their lives and fled to Canada.” Slavery had been outlawed in British North America (as Canada was then known) in 1833.

 

On September 10, 1851, Cary attended the North American Convention of Coloured Freemen in Toronto. This was the first time the convention had been held outside of the United States, and hundreds attendees came from Canada, England, and the northern United States. In his book Negroes in Toronto, 1793-1865, Samuel G. Hill notes that during the convention, Cary met Henry and Mary Bibb, a black activist couple from Canada who published the newspaper Voice of the Fugitive. They influenced her to take a teaching position in Windsor and she settled there that same year. Cary later established a fully integrated school that welcomed all students who could afford to attend.

 

In 1852, Cary wrote a tract entitled A plea for emigration, or, Notes of Canada West: in its moral, social, and political aspect; with suggestions respecting Mexico, West Indies, and Vancouver's Island, for the information of colored emigrants. This widely circulated pamphlet encouraged blacks to move out of the Unites States and into Canada or other countries to avoid becoming victims of the Fugitive Slave Act.

 

Cary established the Provincial Freeman in 1853. A weekly newspaper devoted to “Anti-slavery, Temperance, and General Literature” it was published from March 24, 1853 to September 10, 1857. According to the Encyclopedia of African American History, Samuel Ward and Rev. Alex McArthur were listed as co-editors in name only because at that time newspaper publishing was viewed as a man’s job. However, Cary worked behind the scenes as business manager and editor. She also travelled and spoke publicly to raise funds for the paper.

Cary also encouraged other black women to follow in her footsteps as a newspaperwoman:

 

“To colored Women we have a word — we have broken the ‘Editorial Ice’ whether willingly or not for your class in America, so go to editing as many of you are willing and able and as soon as you may, if you think you are ready.”

 

Over a short period of time, the Provincial Freeman became very popular in Canada and the United States. Several months after the newspaper began circulation, Cary revealed her role as editor. Recognizing the importance of support for the black Canadian press, Cary and others formed the Provincial Union on August 9, 1854 “To promote harmony -- not based on complexional differences -- among Her Majesty's subjects. To encourage and support a press -- The Provincial Freeman particularly.”

 

In 1856, Shadd married Thomas Cary of Toronto and they had children. However, Cary’s family life did not slow her activism.

 

The true value of the Provincial Freeman was described by Hill as follows, “From all accounts, The Provincial Freeman, with its militant editorial policy and vivid descriptions of church activities, abolitionist groups and the small business class, recording a history that would otherwise have been unavailable, was undoubtedly the community's most outstanding achievement. Although plagued by subscription and management problems, frequently voiced by its editors, it nevertheless reflected the problems, aspirations and gratitude of a new people in a strange but friendly land.”

 

As the editor of the Provincial Freeman, Cary had a unique opportunity to share her political, societal, and religious views with blacks across Canada and the United States. Not only did she promote emigration to Canada, she was very vocal in her support of equality and integration. Her strong views against segregation received great opposition from other black leaders in her community; however, in keeping with her nickname, “The Rebel”, Cary continued to advocate for equality between races and genders.

 

 

References

 

A plea for emigration, or, Notes of Canada West... - unnumbered - Early Canadiana Online. (n.d.). Retrieved July 31, 2015, from http://eco.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.47542/4?r=0&s=1

 

Alexander, L., & Rucker, W. (2010). Encyclopedia of african american history. (pp. 335-336). US: Greenwood Publishing Group.

Blue, R., & Prettyman, Q. (2002). Cary, Mary Ann Shadd 1823–1893. Retrieved August 1, 2015, from http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Mary_Ann_Shadd_Cary.aspx

 

Forster, M. (2004) 100 Canadian heroines: famous and forgotten faces. (pp. 231-232). Toronto, ON: Dundurn Group.

 

Mary Ann Shadd. (n.d.). Retrieved July 31, 2015, from http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/mary-ann-shadd/

 

Mary Ann Shadd Cary and The Provincial Freeman. (n.d.). Retrieved August 1, 2015, from http://www.math.buffalo.edu/~sww/0history/ProvincialFreeman.html

 

Provincial Freeman. (2015). Retrieved August 6, 2015, from http://www.accessible-archives.com/collections/african-american-newspapers/provincial-freeman/

 

Quaker Values. (2015). Retrieved August 1, 2015, from http://www.sffriendsschool.org/about-us/quaker-values

 

Shadd, A. (2008, January 2). Mary Ann Shadd Cary: Abolitionist. Retrieved August 6, 2015, from http://www.wohttps://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/northern-star/033005-2201-e.html

 

The Provincial Freeman. (2009, March 1). Retrieved August 6, 2015, from http://www.heritagetrust.on.ca/CMSImages/7d/7d037f74-88e1-4e07-97ad-3377bfa1f8ba.pdf

Unit 4: Black Immigration to Canada and Black Contributions to the Building of the Canadian Nation. (n.d.). Retrieved August 1, 2015, from http://www.learnquebec.ca/en/content/curriculum/social_sciences/features/missingpages/unit4/u4p74.htm