The Provincial Freeman was a Canadian weekly newspaper founded by Mary Ann Shadd that published from 1853 through 1857.

[7] Isaac Shadd, Mary Ann's brother, managed the daily business affairs of the newspaper.

Abolitionists Martin Delany, William P. Newman, Samuel Ringgold Ward and H. Ford Douglass contributed to the newspaper periodically.

[5] Mary Ann lectured throughout Canada and the United States to increase subscriptions and to raise funds to support escaped slaves.

Publishers like Shadd undertook their work because of a commitment to education and advocacy, and used their newspapers as a means to influence opinion.

She writes that whites read these newspapers to monitor the dissatisfaction level of the treatment of African Americans and to measure their tolerance for continued slavery in America.

[13][14][15][16][17] A statue of Mary Ann Shadd Cary and a historic plaque is located at BME Freedom Park in Chatham-Kent.