Learn a little of Toronto's history as told through its plaques.
George Brown
Photos by Alan L Brown - September 2006
Did you know that the Globe & Mail newspaper was founded by the gentleman who lived in this house on the north-west corner of Beverley and Baldwin Streets? The paper at that time was called The Globe. It later merged with The Mail and Empire. Here's a Parks Canada plaque that says:
George Brown was a political activist who fought to ensure that slavery was abolished in North America. During the 1840's and 1850s, Brown used his newspaper The Globe (which became the Globe & Mail) to publish articles and editorials attacking the institution of slavery in the southern United States. As a result of the United States government passing the Fugitive Slave Law in 1850, thousands of African Americans fled to Canada. This law allowed slave owners to arrest both runaway Blacks and even free African Americans anywhere in the country with little legal recourse for the accused. In response, Brown became a major force in founding the Anti-Slavery Society of Canada. The Society fought to end slavery in North America while individual members helped freedom-seekers reach Canada via the Underground Railway. As a consequence, the African Canadian community enthusiastically supported his electoral ambitions. Brown was encouraged in his abolitionist politics by his father, Peter Brown. His sister, Isabella Henning was a founder of the Ladies Society to Aid Fugitive Slaves and her husband, Thomas Henning, was Secretary of the Anti-Slavery Society of Canada.
Plaque Location Co-ordinates: 43.655740 -79.394980
Related Toronto plaque page
George Brown 1819-1880
Related Ontario plaque page
Honourable George Brown 1818-1880
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