What have learned?
I focused my research on the history of slavery in pre-Confederation Canada, throughout my research I learned of the struggles that black Canadians faced and their actions of resistance. I analysed both primary and secondary documents on the subject to further my understanding of slavery; the reasons for it and overall slave life.
The primary source I chose to analyze was the letter Henry Lewis sent to hsi former master, William Jarvis, whom he had ran away from:
Slaves and their owners had an unusual bond, much like shepherds and sheep. Henry Lewis, a former slave of William Jarvis, shows how there existed some type of respect for masters amongst slaves. He ran away from his enslavers in 1793 in a protest against slavery and to alude the torments of Jarvis’s wife. Even more amazing than the fact Lewis was successful in his escape attempt was the fact they a year after fleeing his owner he wrote a letter to Jarvis from New York. In the letter he expressed his protests of slavery and his reasons for leaving. This is understandable to put in a letter but what roves the amount of honour Lewis had was the fact he pledged to pay Jarvis back for himself. This instance, well not unprecedented, is still extraordinary. It proves that slaves obviously had resentment for their enslavement, their willingness to defy with the ultimate act of resentment the abandonment of their position in society, and more shocking their respect towards their masters and their understanding of the system. Slaves, although the most oppressed people in pre-Confederation society in the transition from the eighteenth to nineteenth centuries were very noble despite their unfortunate circumstance.
https://www.google.ca/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjkiNjVtd7QAhVRVWMKHS8RCzYQjRwIBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.archives.gov.on.ca%2Fen%2Fexplore%2Fonline%2Fslavery%2Fhenry_lewis.aspx&bvm=bv.140496471,bs.2,d.cGc&psig=AFQjCNE6xjnGAl2aJYdwI1vZfg4EYOb-dw&ust=1481074245633808 Henry Lewis proves he is against slavery in his letter to William Jarvis. His message however is clear, he wanted to live in a society where he could enjoy the same freedoms and rights as a white man under the protection of the law. The dream Lewis had was the dream of virtually all slaves in North America at that time. To be protected under law the same as a white man however would take a long time in both countries. Lewis also states his resentment of the treatment he received from Jarvis’s wife, however does not put into exact words as to what the torments entailed. “The reason why I left your house is this your [Jarvis’ wife Hannah] vexed me
to so high a degree that it was far beyond the power of man to support it is true and I will say in all company that I always lived as well in your house as I should wish.” The way in which he describes Hannah Jarvis brings up questions of what she actually did to him. The fact he refused to name her ‘vexes’ implies a sinister nature and crimes against humanity. This provides an example of how slaves feared their masters and a real life example of the actions slaves were subject to. It also allows people of modern times a chance to relate to their plight, how the problems of today’s generations, and ethnic groups in Canada is uncomparable.
More so than anything the letter proves the willingness to defy their entrapment as is a primary part of slave society. Lewis’s successful escape from the Jarvis family provides an example of slaves willingness to commit the ultimate act of resistance. Lewis says, “My desired to support myself as free man and enjoy all the benefits which may result from my being free in a country where a Black Man is defended by the laws as much as a white man.” The ruggedness of his grammar in this excerpt shows how he was deprived of equal education during his enslavement. His willingness to seek out and take his freedom into his own hands is constantly shown amongst slaves. His successful escape however is impressive, but his reasoning for going to the United States is troubling. It is however an example of how the promise of the ‘American Dream’ sounded appealing even to black men and women in a time of slavery.
The gratitude Lewis expresses to Jarvis in the letter is clear. “I will say in all company that I always lived as well in your house as I should wish.” He expresses how even though his wife tormented him he thought the treatment he received from Jarvis himself was kind and above his expectations. Lewis further declares that he is willing to pay Jarvis back for the money he owed yearly through a mutual friend, Josef Yates. “A white man has induce me to make you an offer of purchasing myself.” This describes how Josef Yates implored him to purchase his freedom from Jarvis in order to be considered a free slave in the United States thus be protected from further enslavement by law. In the concluding section of the letter Lewis also wishes his hopes for William to lead a long life with good health. The letter proves Lewis’s respect for William Jarvis despite the fact that he was considered his property.
Henry Lewis, a former slave of William Jarvis, shows how there existed some type of respect for masters amongst slaves. In his 1794 letter to his previous master Lewis informs Jarvis of his reasons for leaving, how Hannah Jarvis treated him terribly, how he wished to live in a society where all people black and white were treated equally and had the same rights and freedoms protected under the law. He also pledges in his letter to pay Jarvis back for the money he cost him when he escaped. This letter is an important document in Canadian history as it both acknowledges the existence of slavery and the opinions of those enslaved. Canadians can only learn from this letter. Learn from the mistakes that were made, learn how it was to be a slave in Upper Canada, and learn how slaves understood their situation and respected the law enough to try and earn their freedom legally through self purchase. It amazes me how a man such as Henry Lewis respected the law so much and was willing to go the legal route in procuring his freedom despite how the law saw him as being less of a person and more of an object.