The Hanging Of Angélique And The Uncovering Of Canada's History Of Enslavement

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Unbeknownst to many Canadians we had slavery here too. While we were the last stop on the Underground Railroad, from the end of the 17th Century to 1833 the enslavement of Africans was perfectly legal in Canada. Even our first prime minister Sir John A. MacDonald had ties to enslavement (thanks to his wife’s father who owned about 100 enslaved Africans) and the Father of Confederation was a vocal supporter of the pro-slavery South during the U.S. Civil War.

Unlike the U.S., however, enslavement didn’t reach epic proportions in Canada though not for lack of trying. Colonial officials regularly requested the importation of enslaved Africans. Those requests, however, were often denied. Also, because Canada at that time wasn’t an agriculture society like the southern U.S. there wasn’t a need for vast numbers of slaves labourers.

While there is so much about slavery in Canada that we don’t know, what we do know we owe to a very determined Black woman named Marie-Joseph Angélique. Not familiar with her? That’s not surprising.

Angélique was an enslaved African in Montreal. She was born in 1705 in Portugal and was later transported to Montreal where she raised hell, quite literally. In 1734, in an escape attempt Angélique set fire to her mistress Thérèse de Couagne de Francheville’ home. The fire quickly spread and 45 homes and a hospital were burned down.

While Angélique’s torching of Montreal was an epic act of resistance it is the court case that followed, which ended in the torture and execution of Angélique, that is most notable. It is through the detailed documentation that we gain insight into the practice of enslavement in Canada.

In 1733, Angélique asked de Francheville for her freedom and was denied. Angélique began rebelling and, according to court documents, threatened to burn her mistress’ home down with the woman inside.

De Francheville decided to sell the rebellious slave and when Angélique found out she decided to emancipate herself. She hatched a plan with her lover, an indentured white laboure named Claude Thibault. The two set fire to Angélique’s bed and set off in the direction of New England, however, the couple were tracked down, caught and charged.

After a six-week trial Marie-Joseph Angélique was found guilty. Her punishment? Her hands would be cut off and she would be burned alive. Upon appeal, her punishment was lessened. Instead, she would be tortured, hanged and then her body would be burned.

So raise a torch, er, glass this Black History Month to Marie-Joseph Angélique. While her attempted escape was not successful Canadians today know a little bit more about our sordid past thanks to her resistance.