Читать книгу Benjamin Drew. The Refugee. Narratives of Fugitive Slaves in Canada онлайн

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These temperance movements strove for the universalist ambitions of individual sovereignty, restraint, and enlightened freedom, which were the hallmarks of civil society and public space, promoted in pursuit of an equal and virtuous society. The new freed Black people faced considerable problems such as poverty as well as a potential alcohol abuse that in the short run hindered the possibility of fostering social transnational connections. The Black temperance movement also took shape in Canada, especially after the fugitive slaves fled to the north still holding a highly vulnerable position. Lorene Bridgen explains in her pioneer article on Black Canadian temperance movement titled “On Their Own Terms: Temperance in Southern Ontario’s Black Community (1830-1860)”, that “the temperance movement […] played a major role in the African Canadian community’s struggle for equality and respect,” because “Black temperance advocates sought to improve the lives and reputations of their fellow community members” (64). For Bridgen, “temperance was a critical issue to African Canadians as well, mainly because temperance offered them a way to take control of their lives in a country without slavery. This is a key point that scholars have ignored” (64).