A Plea for Emigration, or, Notes of Canada West

by Mary A. Shadd, Richard Almonte (Editor)

Originally published in 1852, Mary A. Shadd?s A Plea for Emigration ; or, Notes of Canada West appears here for the first time in print since the 1850s. Many emigrant guides have been accorded classic status in the realm of early Canadian literature, among them Susanna Moodie?s Roughing It in the Bush and Catherine Parr Trail?s The Canadian Settler?s Guide. Shadd?s document sheds new, intriguing light on Canadian history and African-Canadian realities in the nineteenth century.

Genres: School

144 pages, Paperback

First published September 16, 1998

Reviews

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

(read for school)

[Kev Ali Stair · Rating 1 out of 5]

This the single most boring thing you will ever read. But it is a very important treatise on why African Americans in the 1850s should flee to Canada and what Canada is like. In the wake of The Fugitive Slave Act, it was necessary for Africans to seek sanctuary elsewhere.

The book talks about Canada's political system, the soil, the education, etc. It is just a long pamphlet that offers a glimpse into African sentiments towards Canada.

It's interesting for academic purposes. But it is not a book for a leisurely afternoon of reading.