[2] In the 1820s, Canada saw a trickle of fugitive African American slaves from the United States.

Eventually, these black fugitives from American slavery crossed into British North America in large numbers, using the secret routes of the Underground Railroad.

In the late 1850s, around 800 free Black Americans were invited to migrate from California to Vancouver Island to assist British authorities.

[3] The Underground Railroad was a secret network that helped African Americans escape from slavery in the South to free states in the north and to Canada.

[6] The Niagara River was a destination for formerly enslaved African Americans escaping slavery in the South.