Learn / People who shaped Canada

Mary Ann Shadd

Publisher and abolitionist · 1823-1893

The first Black woman in North America to publish a newspaper, and an integrationist against the grain.

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Life story

1. October 9, 1823 · Delaware
   Born free at Wilmington, Delaware
2. 1851 · Windsor, Ontario
   Moved to Canada West after the Fugitive Slave Act and opened an integrated school
3. March 24, 1853 · Chatham, Ontario
   Founded The Provincial Freeman at Chatham
4. 1858 · Chatham, Ontario
   Her Chatham circle hosted John Brown's convention before Harpers Ferry
5. 1863 · United States
   Recruited Black soldiers for the Union army
6. June 5, 1893 · Washington, D.C.
   Died in Washington after becoming one of the first Black women to earn a US law degree

In the timeline

• 1850 — The Underground Railroad

Sources

• Wikipedia article: Mary Ann Shadd
• Dictionary of Canadian Biography
• The Canadian Encyclopedia