Logout
The Odyssey of John Anderson
1989 
Patrick Brode, Legal Counsel, City of Windsor. Published with the University of Toronto Press, 1989.
Just before the outbreak of the American Civil War, a sensational case was heard in Toronto which captured headlines throughout North America and Europe. John Anderson, a fugitive slave who had been living quietly near Brantford, Ontario, was accused of having killed a white man in Missouri in 1853. The American government demanded that Anderson be extradited, and the ensuring legal proceedings created a storm of controversy in Canada. The Odyssey of John Anderson is a compelling reconstruction of one of the most remarkable legal encounters in pre-Confederation Canada. Patrick Brode’s account captures the drama of this exciting case and considers as well its larger political and legal implications. This book is an important contribution to the historical study of law and politics in Canada, and will be read with enjoyment and fascination by all.
Related Topics
Contents
Contents
FOREWORD ix
PREFACE xi
1 In Little Dixie 3
2 A Sudden Impulse 8
3 Magistrate Mathews’s Prisoner 15
4 A Cause Célèbre 27
5 Argument and Pleading 40
6 ‘The Wrangling Courts and Stubborn Law’ 54
7 England Intervenes 67
8 A Case of Quibbles 83
9 ‘To Make a Demigod of Him’ 101
10 Back to Africa 119
NOTES 125
INDEX 145
Reviews
A compelling reconstruction of one of the most remarkable legal encounters in pre-Confederation Canada..... A study that places the Anderson case in its proper place in Canadian history. Robert C. Reinders, Journal of American History, vol 79, 1992, p. 665.
H.S. Ferns, English Historical Review, Vol 108, 1993, p. 1054.
Sue Schenk, Canadian Literature, Vol 135, 1992, p. 142.
George Shepperson, British Journal of Canadian Studies, Vol 7, 1992, p. 180.
Curtis Cole, Journal of Southern History, Vol 57, 1991, p. 521.
Charles Jones, Missouri Historical Review, Vol 86, 1991, p. 102.
Yves Nadeau, Revue d’histoire de l’Amerique française, Vol 44, 1991, p. 589.
Larry Gara, Canadian Historical Review, Vol 71, 1990, p. 573.
Graham Parker, Ontario History, Vol 82, 1990, p. 261.
Peter Woolstencroft, Perspectives on Political Science, Vol 19, 1990, p. 165.
Robin Breon, The Globe and Mail, 19 May 1990, p. C19.
Allan Brown, The Whig-Standard (Kingston), 20 October 1990, p. 1.
Gary Clarkson, The Windsor Star, 24 March 1990, p. E4.
Frank Jones, The Toronto Star, 5 February 1990, p. B1.
Allan E. Levine, The Ottawa Citizen, 3 March 1990, p. J11.
J.J. Talman, Choice, Vol 27, 1990, p. 1737.
Beverley Slopen, The Toronto Star, 26 November 1989, p. F8.
Olivia Ward, The Toronto Star, 3 December 1989, p. D5.
