Statecraft & Independence
Peerless
Josiah Henson
1789 – 1883
Escaped slavery, founded the Dawn Settlement, and wrote the book Harriet Beecher Stowe drew on
Peerless is level 1 of 4 in the Canada Hall of Fame: changed the field itself. Tell the country's story without them and the story breaks. See how the levels work.
Why they are here
He walked out of slavery into Upper Canada in 1830 and built a settlement to employ and educate others who had done the same. His 1849 autobiography was among Harriet Beecher Stowe's sources for Uncle Tom's Cabin.
Josiah Henson was born enslaved in Maryland in 1789 and escaped to Upper Canada in 1830.
Near what is now Dresden, Ontario, he founded the Dawn Settlement as a place where people who had fled American slavery could find work and schooling, its centre the British-American Institute, an industrial school. His autobiography, The Life of Josiah Henson, appeared in 1849; Harriet Beecher Stowe cited it among her sources for Uncle Tom's Cabin, and he served as a model for the title character. The site is now the Josiah Henson Museum of African-Canadian History.
Near what is now Dresden, Ontario, he founded the Dawn Settlement as a place where people who had fled American slavery could find work and schooling, its centre the British-American Institute, an industrial school. His autobiography, The Life of Josiah Henson, appeared in 1849; Harriet Beecher Stowe cited it among her sources for Uncle Tom's Cabin, and he served as a model for the title character. The site is now the Josiah Henson Museum of African-Canadian History.
- The Canadian Encyclopedia — Josiah Henson
- Britannica — Josiah Henson
- Smithsonian Magazine — The story of Josiah Henson, the real inspiration for Uncle Tom's Cabin
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