A difference of perspective, the black minority, white majority, and life in Ontario, 1870-1919

Abstract

This thesis examines the relationship between the black minority and white majority in the province of Ontario from 1870 to 1919. The central argument of the dissertation is that the province's black and white populations has vastly different outlooks on most issues that pertained to their interrelationship, and it was these different outlooks that made their relationship antagonistic. The thesis examine4s instances when blacks and whites came into conflict, as well as occasions when blacks caught the attention of the public. The thesis argues that this era was one of considerable continuity, and that there was little change in the black-white relationship during these years. This is demonstrated by illustrating how the African occupational structure changed very little throughout the era, and by noting that blacks protested their exclusion from certain jobs and their denied access to certain places throughout the entire period. Blacks believed they were entitled to a full range of economic and educational opportunities, and consistently attempted to obtain these rights through a wide range of tactics. Whites, on the other hand, argued that Africans were well treated in the province, and failed to understand many of their complaints. Whites often believed separate schools were reasonable and that whites should not be forced to interact with people they chose to ignore. Whites believed, however, that blacks had a right to earn a living, and supported blacks when they felt these rights were being denied. Whereas white speakers at Emancipation Days argued that blacks had great opportunities in Canada, black speakers used the day to challenge whites to give them full equality, and to complain about the discrimination the were forced to endure. Whereas blacks protested against the colour line because they believed as citizens they should have the right to full equality, whites were uncomfortable with the colour line mainly because they believed it gave the country a negative image. Since the viewpoints between blacks and whites were so different, Africans often formed separate organizations to deal with the problems they faced, because they realized they could only gain success through their own efforts.