Hostility

 This family bible, which is now part of the collection of the museum and historical site at Buxton, is well worth a second look.

Other artifacts in the case include a spelling book and a writing slate. 

There were issues. The new settlers found racism and discrimination in their new land regardless, and would have to push back against it.

This is a book by a white Abolitionist extolling the virtues of life in Canada for former slaves.

And here's a copy of Uncle Tom's Cabin. Despite its role in galvanizing the North and making many who had never thought of Abolition think twice, the book was also criticized as being stereotypical.

The timeline continues. In November 1860, Abraham Lincoln won the federal election as part of the new Republican party, which had been established to halt the expansion of slavery west. For Southerners, it was the last straw.

Secession was called for in southern votes over the weeks and months that followed. The Confederacy was becoming a reality. War was inevitable.

This display case features the copy press and documents linked to Mary Ann Shadd. She came north to Canada after the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act, and established a black Abolitionist newspaper. More from her tomorrow.