Sir Allan Napier MacNab
Sir Allan Napier MacNab took the “Address of the Colored People of Hamilton” on a trip to London and used it to lobby the government on their behalf. He presented it to Queen Victoria and Price Albert, who “were pleased to receive your address most graciously.” MacNab also brought up the Hackett case with ministers and members of Parliament, who assured him that it would “receive all the attention its great importance demands.” For MacNab, it was vital that the British Empire uphold its Constitution in a way that “actually strikes the chain and the fetter from the limbs of the slave.”
Image: Courtesy Toronto Public Library.
The Players
Nelson Hackett
An escaped slave who fled to Canada only to be captured and brought back to Arkansas.
Alfred Wallace
The man who claimed to own Nelson Hackett and accused him of stealing a race horse, saddle, coat, 100 £ ($500) in silver and gold coin, and a watch.
Sir Charles Bagot
Soon after assuming office, Governor General Sir Charles Bagot made the decision to send Nelson Hackett back to Arkansas on charges of theft.
Charles Stewart
Abolitionist and attorney who had been one of the founding officers of the Detroit Anti-Slavery Society and who interviewed Nelson Hackett when he was held in Detroit.
Henry Bibb
Henry Bibb, one of the leaders of Detroit’s Colored Vigilant Committee, helped mobilize support for Nelson Hackett.
Hiram Wilson
Hiram Wilson an abolitionist and an American Reverend ministering to Toronto’s fugitive population who visited Hackett at Sandwich.
Daniel Webster
As United States secretary of state, Daniel Webster negotiated the Webster-Ashburton Treaty in 1842.
Lewis Tappan
Lewis Tappan led the American abolitionist effort to amend the Webster-Ashburton Treaty.
Thomas Clarkson
Thomas Clarkson fought to abolish slavery in the British Empire and the international slave trade before turning his attention to Nelson Hackett and the Webster-Ashburton Treaty.
Viscount Palmerston
Viscount Palmerston led the effort in the House of Commons to amend the Webster-Ashburton Treaty to protect fugitives from slavery from extradition.