During the 19th century, Canada found itself intellectually front and centre in the fierce battle to abolish slavery, and physically on the front line of the secret routes followed by refugees fleeing enslavement in the American South. This dramatic refugee movement, known as The Underground Railroad, was first designated of national historic significance by the Government of Canada in 1925. More recently, the Minister of Canadian Heritage has designated persons as well as sites associated with this important chapter of Canadian history, while Parks Canada has been working with the United States National Park Service to make the international connections in this story better known.

While slavery had previously existed in the Canadian colonies, it had been limited in Upper Canada since the 1793 passage of The Upper Canadian Act Against Slavery (an event designated of national historic significance)and finally abolished throughout the British Empire in 1833. By that time slavery had

long been outlawed in the northern United States, but it continued to flourish in the South. From about 1820 to 1860, well over 20,000 refugees from slavery fled to Canada. Their escape struck a blow to the continued economic viability of slavery through the financial drain brought about by the continuous loss of slaves and the cost of attempting to reclaim them.