Canadian freedom fighters

Important Dates:

Canadian Freedom Fighters

I was never taught about it in history class growing up and it is a shame. It is a shame because these people and many like them help to shape Canada as we know it.

In honour of black history month here is a story that needs to be told and should be told each and every February. 

The year was 1837. There was a man named Solomon Moseby who was a slave in Kentucky. He escaped his bondage by taking a horse and made a very long dangerous journey north. He arrived in Niagara-on-the-lake where he was not given asylum but was arrested by Canadian authorities who had every intention of returning him to his “owner”.

You see, the Americans were tired of losing their slaves to Canada so they had to come up with different reasons for their return. In Solomon’s case he was being charged with the theft of the horse he had used to make his escape. Therefore by law he must be returned to the United States.

But something amazing happened at Niagara-on-the-lake in 1837. Word about Solomon’s arrest began to circulate. A reverend named Herbert Holmes made it his mission to free Solomon. Reverend Herbert Holmes was not a man to be taken lightly. He was a driven man and a natural born leader. He had chosen to make his life’s mission about the betterment of his community especially in support of those who had escaped the brutality of slavery. He was educated and charismatic. He was a leader who could rally the people. And so he did. 

A crowd gathered around the courthouse. Men, women and children all vowing not to allow anyone else to become human chattel. They protested and camped out for weeks. They gathered petitions. Reverend Holmes hired a lawyer. They collected enough money to pay for the missing horse. They tried every legal means available to them. 

The Kentucky slave owner would not accept the money for the horse because that was never the real concern, only the means to get Solomon, “his property” back.

Despite all this effort by the people, those in power did not find the courage or mercy necessary to make the right decision. It was decided that Solomon was to be returned to the United States.

Still not all hope was lost for Solomon. As I said earlier Rev. Herbert Holmes was not a man to be taken lightly. Neither were the protestors who stood for the freedom of people. Especially Mrs. Sally Carter who was a strong spirited women and a brilliant leader in her own right. Between the two of them they kept peoples spirits strong during the cold with prayers, song, and inspirational speeches…..and a plan.

When the day of Solomon’s extradition came, the Sheriff placed him in handcuffs and sat him down in the wagon that would transport him back to the people who enslaved him. As the jail yard gates opened for the wagon the freedom fighters were ready. Reverend Herbert Holmes and a man named Jacob Green stepped in front of the horses and grabbed hold of them to stop the wagon. Both men were unarmed. That did not stop the Sheriff from ordering his men to fire on those strong, brave, unarmed men, leaving them dead where they stood.

Losing their great leader would not deter the people who were committed to freedom, especially the women. The strong spirited Sally Carter urged the women to take charge. Like trained forces they moved in. One woman grabbed the Sheriff from behind in a bear hug and held on, another woman who was staring down the barrel of a gun quickly moved it aside and tightly pinned the man holding the weapon. The soldiers were stunned at this reaction of the women and were temporarily subdued. In that moment something truly miraculous happened. Solomon Moseby stood up in that wagon and those handcuffs that held him captive opened and fell with a clang to the wagon floor. He jumped off the wagon and ran into a field where he disappeared. 

Solomon Moseby was never recaptured. 

Unmarked graves are all that remain of Herbert Holmes and Jacob Green. And the strong, spirited Sally Carter is a name few people know. These people sacrificed everything for justice and freedom in our country and yet few have every heard of them.

You know their names now.




Susan Galvao