The Journey from Tollgate to Parkway: African Canadians in Hamilton

by Adrienne Shadd

Overview

When the Lincoln Alexander Parkway was named, it was a triumph not only for this distinguished Canadian but for all African Canadians. The Journey from Tollgate to Parkway looks at the history of blacks in the Ancaster-Burlington-Hamilton area, their long struggle for justice and equality in education and opportunity, and their achievements, presented in a fascinating and meticulously researched historical narrative.

Although popular wisdom suggests that blacks first came via the Underground Railroad, the possibility that slaves owned by early settlers were part of the initial community, then known as the "Head of the Lake," is explored.

Adrienne Shadd’s original research offers new insights into urban black history, filling in gaps on the background of families and individuals who are very much part of the history of this region, while also exploding stereotypes, such as that of the uneducated, low-income early black Hamiltonian.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781459711709
Publisher:	Dundurn Press
Publication date:	12/14/2010
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	368
File size:	6 MB

About the Author

Adrienne Shadd is the co-author of We're Rooted Here and They Can't Pull Us Up: Essays in African-Canadian Women's History and The Underground Railroad: Next Stop, Toronto! She was the curator for exhibits on African-Canadian history in Toronto, Hamilton, Chatham, and Dresden, and recently worked on the travelling exhibit.

Adrienne Shadd is a consultant, curator, and author, who has been recognized with the William P. Hubbard Award for Race Relations and the J.C. Holland Award for her research and writing.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements 9

Foreword by the Hamilton Black History Committee 13

Introduction 15

Chapter 1 The Journey Begins: Slavery and Freedom at the Head of the Lake 27

Chapter 2 Routes to Freedom 57

Chapter 3 On Course: Settling in by the Bay 88

Chapter 4 Gathering Speed: Anatomy of a Community 119

Chapter 5 Eyeing the Summit, 1870-1900 163

Chapter 6 At a Crossroads: The Turn of a New Century 195

Chapter 7 Roadblocks Ahead: The Reverend Holland Years 220

Chapter 8 New Pathways, Old Destination: Contemporary Fighters for Social Justice 251

Appendix A 287

Appendix B 289

Notes 297

Bibliography 342

Index 361

About the Author 368

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"By overlooking the lives and achievements of blacks in the larger story of Canada’s development, historians have done a disservice to the thousands of Africans who came to Hamilton beginning in the 1800s, when the area was known as Head of the Lake. In what is clearly both a labour of love and an extensively researched document, Adrienne Shadd has corrected this oversight in The Journey from Tollgate to Parkway. The book…should find a welcome place in university history courses and on the shelves of high school libraries."

Editorial Reviews

By overlooking the lives and achievements of blacks in the larger story of Canadas development, historians have done a disservice to the thousands of Africans who came to Hamilton beginning in the 1800s, when the area was known as Head of the Lake. In what is clearly both a labour of love and an extensively researched document, Adrienne Shadd has corrected this oversight in The Journey from Tollgate to Parkway. The bookshould find a welcome place in university history courses and on the shelves of high school libraries.

Quill and Quire

Adrienne Shadd's The Journey from Tollgate to Parkway: African Canadians in Hamilton is a thoroughly researched and welcome contribution to both Canadian history and black history in Canada. Ambitiously examining four centuries of Canadian history, beginning with slavery in eighteenth-century Canada and ending in contemporary Canada, Shadd provides an impressively detailed history of African Canadians in Hamilton, Ontario.

The Canadian Historical Review

By overlooking the lives and achievements of blacks in the larger story of Canadas development, historians have done a disservice to the thousands of Africans who came to Hamilton beginning in the 1800s, when the area was known as Head of the Lake. In what is clearly both a labour of love and an extensively researched document, Adrienne Shadd has corrected this oversight in The Journey from Tollgate to Parkway. The bookshould find a welcome place in university history courses and on the shelves of high school libraries.

Quill & Quire

By overlooking the lives and achievements of blacks in the larger story of Canadas development, historians have done a disservice to the thousands of Africans who came to Hamilton beginning in the 1800s, when the area was known as Head of the Lake. In what is clearly both a labour of love and an extensively researched document, Adrienne Shadd has corrected this oversight in The Journey from Tollgate to Parkway. The bookshould find a welcome place in university history courses and on the shelves of high school libraries.

Adrienne Shadd's The Journey from Tollgate to Parkway: African Canadians in Hamilton is a thoroughly researched and welcome contribution to both Canadian history and black history in Canada. Ambitiously examining four centuries of Canadian history, beginning with slavery in eighteenth-century Canada and ending in contemporary Canada, Shadd provides an impressively detailed history of African Canadians in Hamilton, Ontario.

From the Publisher