e of resort for colored people on
the American continent, and that colored people in the United States
should emigrate to Canada rather than to the West Indies or Africa,
since in Canada they would be better able to assist their brethren
flying from slavery. With regard to the American Colonization Society
the finding of the Canadian Anti-Slavery Society was that its
professions of promoting the abolition of slavery were "altogether
delusive." It had originated with slaveholders and was protected by
them to rid the country of free Negroes. "A colonization and a bitter,
pro-slavery man are almost convertible terms," it was stated.[6]

The attitude taken by the church bodies in Canada towards this new
movement is of interest. In general there was not much active support.
George Brown brought forward a resolution at the 1852 meeting,
deploring the indifference of some church bodies. Dr. Willis had been
instrumental in getting the Presbyterians in line, a strong stand
having been taken by the synod which declared by resolution that
slavery was "inhuman, unjust and dishonoring to the common creator as
it is replete with wrong to the subjects of such oppression." A second
resolution called upon churches everywhere to testify against
legislation which violated the commands of God and declared that the
synod must condemn any alliance between religion and oppression, no
matter how the latter might be bolstered up by the use of Scripture.

At the 1857 meeting the attitude of the churches was again to the
front. Dr. Willis thought it was time that every church synod and
conference in Canada should give up one day of its sessions to prayer
and humiliation over the presence of human slavery so nearby. It was
the duty of all the churches to remonstrate on this question. Rev. Dr.
Dick, who followed, declared that the church was "the bulwark of the
system." There were churches in Canada which fraternized with those in
the United States that patronized slavery. He was equally outspoken on
the attitude of the Sons of Temperance in deciding, against his
protest, to shut out Negroes from its membership. There were several
protests at this 1857 meeting against some slight evidences of race
prejudice. Rev. Mr. Barrass said that, as the Negroes in Toronto set
an example to the whites in morality, there was the less reason for
any prejudice. Thomas Henning, the secretary of the society, probably
put the matter right when he pointed out that t