Chloe Cooley and the 1793 Act to Limit Slavery in Upper Canada Historical Plaque

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Chloe Cooley and the 1793 Act to Limit Slavery in Upper Canada

Photo by contributor Colin Semple - November, 2007

Plaque Location

The Region of Niagara
The Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake
On the east side of Niagara Parkway
3 km north of York Road (Road 81) in Queenston

Coordinates: N 43 11.167 W 79 03.475

Plaque Text

On March 14, 1793 Chloe Cooley, an enslaved Black woman in Queenston, was bound, thrown in a boat and sold across the river to a new owner in the United States. Her screams and violent resistance were brought to the attention of Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe by Peter Martin, a free Black and former soldier in Butler's Rangers, and William Grisley, a neighbour who witnessed the event. Simcoe immediately moved to abolish slavery in the new province. He was met with opposition in the House of Assembly, some of whose members owned slaves. A compromise was reached and on July 9, 1793 an Act was passed that prevented the further introduction of slaves into Upper Canada and allowed for the gradual abolition of slavery although no slaves already residing in the province were freed outright. It was the first piece of legislation in the British Empire to limit slavery and set the stage for the great freedom movement of enslaved African Americans known as the Underground Railway.

Related Toronto plaque page
Lieutenant-General John Graves Simcoe 1752-1806

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Here are the comments for this page.

Posted February 25, 2011
When and where was she born and when did she die???

Posted March 2, 2010
Picture Maybe? [Since you are the second person to ask this question, let me explain: Chloe Cooley lived in an era before photography was invented. Therefore there is no photo of her. Rich people before photography could hire painters to paint their portrait. Since Chloe Cooley was not a rich woman, no painting or illustration exists of her.]

Posted March 1, 2010
i want to see a picture of her.

Posted February 11, 2010
me and my friend are doing a project on this young lady because she's sooooo intresting!!

Posted February 7, 2010
thanks, this helps me so very much. i appreciate it.

Posted February 2, 2010
this is really good.Thank-you for helping me.

Posted February 11, 2009
thxs this will help me for my project a lot!!

Posted January 26, 2009
She's brave!

Posted January 20, 2009
What about her family/history background? I think you should add that.

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