Chloe Cooley facts for kids

Chloe Cooley was a young Black woman who was enslaved in a part of Canada called Upper Canada in the late 1700s. This area is now known as Fort Erie and Queenston, Ontario. At that time, many people who supported the British during the American Revolution (called Loyalists) were moving there from the United States.

In 1793, Chloe Cooley's owner forced her onto a boat to sell her across the Niagara River in the United States. Several people saw this happen and were upset. They reported it to the government of Upper Canada. Even though her owner wasn't punished, this event is believed to have led to a very important law called the Act Against Slavery in 1793. This law made it illegal to bring new enslaved people into Upper Canada and slowly ended slavery for those already there over time.

Chloe Cooley's Story

In 1793, Chloe Cooley was enslaved by a farmer named Adam Vrooman. He was a Loyalist who had moved to Canada after the American Revolution. Vrooman had bought Chloe Cooley from another Loyalist, Benjamin Hardison, who lived nearby.

After the American Revolution, the British government allowed Loyalists to bring their enslaved people with them to Canada. About 2,000 enslaved people were brought to Canada, with 500 to 700 coming to Upper Canada. The government wanted to develop these new areas.

There were rumors that the government might soon free enslaved people. Because of this, some slave owners, like Adam Vrooman, started to sell their enslaved people. They were afraid they would lose their "property."

On March 14, 1793, Vrooman decided to sell Chloe Cooley against her will to someone in the United States. To do this, he beat her, tied her up, and forced her into a small boat. Two other men helped him. Chloe Cooley screamed as Vrooman rowed her across the river.

Peter Martin, a Black Loyalist who had fought with Butler's Rangers, saw what happened. He and another witness, William Grisely, reported the incident to the government of Upper Canada. We don't know what happened to Chloe Cooley after she was taken across the river.

The government brought charges against Adam Vrooman for disturbing the peace. However, the charges were eventually dropped because Chloe Cooley was considered Vrooman's property.

But the Lieutenant-Governor, John Graves Simcoe, was very angry about the incident. He decided that something had to be done to stop slavery. Even though many government members owned enslaved people, they didn't strongly oppose a new law. The Chloe Cooley incident is seen as the main reason Canada's first anti-slavery law was passed. This law was called the Act Against Slavery. It became law on July 9, 1793.

What the Act Did

The Act Against Slavery had several important rules:

• It stopped anyone from bringing new enslaved people into Upper Canada.
• It allowed enslaved people to be sold within the province, but this practice slowly ended. The last known sale happened in 1824.
• People who were enslaved when the law was passed would remain enslaved for their lives, unless their owners freed them.
• Children born to enslaved mothers would become free when they turned 25 years old. This was because at 25, they were thought to be old enough to take care of themselves.
• Children born to free Black people would be free from birth.

This law was a big step towards ending slavery in Upper Canada. Other places, like New York State, passed similar laws later to gradually end slavery.

Chloe Cooley's Legacy

Chloe Cooley's story is an important part of Canadian history.

• The Ontario Heritage Trust placed a special historical marker near Niagara-on-the-Lake to remember her.
• Her story was told in a short film called The Echoes of Chloe Cooley in 2016.
• In 2022, her story was featured in a Heritage Minute, which are short films about important Canadian historical events.
• On April 27, 2022, Chloe Cooley was named a National Historic Person. This means her story is recognized as very important to Canada's history.