Abolitionist meeting
Detroit Leaders and Abolition:
In 1850, Detroit was a relative hotbed of the Abolition Movement. Slavery, even in the early days had been rare. The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 made Michigan a slave-free territory, and it was admitted to the Union as a slave-free state in 1837. Of course as with everything, the populace was not in unanimous agreement. However, the leaders of Detroit were historically vehement abolitionists, especially the women. Interestingly, its French-Canadian citizens were frequently in agreement, they had rarely owned slaves in the past and tended to obstruct anything that was or had been popular with the English-Americans. As a result the movers and shakers of early Detroit and its poorer French-Canadian farmer citizens became strange bedfellows.
In 1850, Detroit was a relative hotbed of the Abolition Movement. Slavery, even in the early days had been rare. The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 made Michigan a slave-free territory, and it was admitted to the Union as a slave-free state in 1837. Of course as with everything, the populace was not in unanimous agreement. However, the leaders of Detroit were historically vehement abolitionists, especially the women. Interestingly, its French-Canadian citizens were frequently in agreement, they had rarely owned slaves in the past and tended to obstruct anything that was or had been popular with the English-Americans. As a result the movers and shakers of early Detroit and its poorer French-Canadian farmer citizens became strange bedfellows.