A. New France and British North America, 1713–1800 · New France and British North America, 1713 to 1800Slavery in New France and the Story of Marie-Joseph Angélique
A1 A2 A3About 50 minutes
Learning goals- I can explain that slavery existed in New France and that both Indigenous and Black people were enslaved.
- I can describe the life and trial of Marie-Joseph Angélique and why historians still study it.
- I can explain how slavery continued after the British took over in 1760.
- I can analyse a primary source and identify its perspective and limits.
Words to know
slavery
A system in which people are treated as property, forced to work without pay, and denied freedom. Slavery is always wrong.
enslaved person
A person who was held in slavery. We say "enslaved person" because they were people first; slavery was done to them.
enslaver
A person who held others in slavery.
panis
A word used in New France for enslaved Indigenous people, whatever Nation they came from.
ordinance
An official order or rule made by a government official.
arson
The crime of setting a fire on purpose.
scapegoat
A person who is blamed for something, often unfairly, because they are easy to blame.
Before you start
This lesson is about slavery, a painful part of our history. It is important to learn because it happened here, because the people who were enslaved deserve to be remembered, and because their courage still matters. If you feel upset, that is a normal reaction. Talk about it with your grown-up.
Remember from Grade 3
In Grade 3 you learned that slavery existed in the colonies that became Canada, and that the Loyalists brought enslaved people to Upper Canada. This lesson goes further back, to New France.
Slavery in New France
From the 1600s, some people in New France held others in slavery. Historians have counted about 4 200 enslaved people in New France and the colony that followed it, from the 1600s to the early 1800s.
- About two-thirds were Indigenous people. They were called panis in New France. Many were captives taken in wars far to the west and traded to the French through allied Nations.
- About one-third were Black people of African descent. Some were brought from the Caribbean or from the British colonies, and some were captured in war.
In 1709, the intendant Jacques Raudot issued an ordinance that made buying and owning enslaved people legal in New France.
Most enslaved people in New France lived in towns like Montreal and Quebec, and in Louisbourg. They worked as servants in homes, and also in shops, on farms and in the fur trade. Enslavers included merchants, officials and military officers, and even some members of the clergy. Enslaved people could be sold, separated from their families, and punished. Many died young.
Marie-Joseph Angélique
Marie-Joseph Angélique was a Black woman born around 1705 in Madeira, an island belonging to Portugal. As a young woman she was sold and brought to Montreal, where from 1725 she was enslaved by the Francheville family. After François Poulin de Francheville died, his widow, Thérèse de Couagne, held her in slavery.
Angélique wanted her freedom. Records show she ran away with a man named Claude Thibault, hoping to return to Portugal, but they were caught. In early 1734 she was sold, and it was rumoured she would be sold again and sent to the West Indies.
On 10 April 1734, a fire broke out in Montreal. It destroyed at least 46 buildings, including the convent and hospital of the Hôtel-Dieu. Angélique was arrested and charged with arson. More than 24 witnesses spoke at a trial that lasted about six weeks. She was found guilty. On 21 June 1734, she was tortured until she confessed, then executed.
Did she set the fire?
Historians still disagree.
- Some say she was a scapegoat: as a Black, enslaved, poor woman from far away, she was easy to blame. Most witnesses said only that they believed she did it because she had threatened to; only one said she saw Angélique carrying hot coals before the fire.
- Others point out that she had strong reasons to want to escape and had threatened people, so it is possible she did.
What historians agree on: her story shows the cruelty of slavery, and her resistance. Because of the trial, her own words were written down, making it one of the most detailed records we have of an enslaved person's life in New France. In 2012, Montreal named a public square across from City Hall Place Marie-Josèphe-Angélique.
What happened after 1760?
When Montreal surrendered to the British in 1760 (Lesson 6), the terms of surrender included Article 47. It said that the French colonists could keep their enslaved people or sell them.
So the Conquest did not end slavery. It continued under British rule. In the 1780s, Loyalists brought even more enslaved Black people to British North America (Lesson 10). Slavery was limited in Upper Canada in 1793 (Lesson 12) and finally abolished across the British Empire on 1 August 1834.
| Year | Event |
|---|
| 1709 | Raudot's ordinance makes buying and owning enslaved people legal in New France |
| 1734 | Montreal fire (10 April); Marie-Joseph Angélique is tried and executed (21 June) |
| 1760 | Montreal surrenders; Article 47 lets colonists keep their enslaved people |
| 1793 | Upper Canada's Act to Limit Slavery |
| 1834 | Slavery abolished across the British Empire (1 August) |
| 2012 | Place Marie-Josèphe-Angélique named in Montreal |
Worked exampleLet's analyse a primary source
The trial records of Marie-Joseph Angélique are a primary source. They include what witnesses said, what Angélique said, and the judges' decisions. What can we learn from them, and what are their limits?
- Who made it? Court officials of New France, who worked for a system that allowed slavery.
- Why? To prosecute someone accused of a crime, not to tell her life story.
- What can we learn? Details of her daily life, her wish to be free, her relationships, and how people in Montreal saw her. We hear some of her own words, which is rare.
- Limits: her final confession came under torture, so it is not reliable. Witnesses may have been biased against her. Officials wrote down only what they thought mattered.
- Conclusion: the records are very valuable but must be read critically.
We can learn about her life, her resistance and how slavery worked, but we must remember who made the records, why, and under what conditions (torture).
Use respectful language
Say enslaved person (not "slave") and enslaver (not "master" or "owner"). This reminds us that slavery was something done to people. You may see older words in primary sources; use them only when quoting.
Hands-on activityRemembering a life
You need: paper, pencil crayons or markers.
Many enslaved people in New France are known to us only as a first name in a parish register or a sale record. Marie-Joseph Angélique is remembered because of her trial.
- Design a plaque or a small memorial card for Place Marie-Josèphe-Angélique.
- Include: her name, when and where she lived, and two or three sentences that explain why she should be remembered.
- Choose your words carefully: show respect, show that historians are unsure about the fire, and show her resistance.
- Share it with your grown-up and explain your choices.
Look for: accurate facts (born around 1705 in Madeira; enslaved in Montreal; executed in 1734); respectful words ("enslaved"); recognition of her wish for freedom; no claim that her guilt is certain.
Your turn
1Which two groups of people were enslaved in New France?
Indigenous people (called panis) and Black people of African descent.
2About what share of enslaved people in New France were Indigenous?
3What did Raudot's ordinance of 1709 do?
It made buying and owning enslaved people legal in New France.
4What was Marie-Joseph Angélique accused of?
Arson: setting the fire that destroyed part of Montreal on 10 April 1734.
5Why do some historians think Angélique was a scapegoat?
She was Black, enslaved, poor and foreign, so she was easy to blame, and most of the testimony was what witnesses believed, not what they saw.
6Did the British Conquest end slavery? Explain.
No. Article 47 of the 1760 surrender let colonists keep their enslaved people. Slavery continued until it was abolished in 1834.
More practice: warm-up
A word used in New France for enslaved Indigenous people.
2Where was Marie-Joseph Angélique born?
In Madeira, an island belonging to Portugal.
3In what year did the Montreal fire happen?
4In what year was slavery abolished across the British Empire?
5What is the respectful term for a person held in slavery?
More practice: on your own
1Why is it important to say "enslaved person" instead of "slave"?
It shows they were people first and that slavery was done to them; it was not who they were.
2Why are Angélique's trial records important to historians?
They are a rare primary source that records some of an enslaved woman's own words and details of her life.
3Why can't historians fully trust her confession?
It was made under torture. People being tortured may say anything to make it stop.
4Why do you think most enslaved people in New France lived in towns rather than on large farms?
Most were used as servants in the homes of merchants, officials and officers in towns. New France did not have the large plantations found farther south.
5What is one way Montreal remembers Angélique today?
A public square across from City Hall was named Place Marie-Josèphe-Angélique in 2012.
Challenge
1Some people believe slavery "never happened in Canada." Use three pieces of evidence from this lesson to correct this belief.
Any three: about 4 200 enslaved people were counted in New France and the colony that followed it; Raudot's 1709 ordinance made slavery legal; Marie-Joseph Angélique was enslaved in Montreal; Article 47 (1760) let colonists keep enslaved people; slavery was not abolished until 1834.
2Explain the cause-and-consequence link between Indigenous alliances and the enslavement of panis.
Cause: Nations allied with the French sometimes gave or traded war captives from distant Nations to the French to seal alliances or for trade. Consequence: many of those captives became enslaved in French homes, which is why about two-thirds of enslaved people in New France were Indigenous.
3Write a balanced conclusion about the question: Did Marie-Joseph Angélique set the Montreal fire?
Example: We cannot know for sure. She had reasons to want to escape and had made threats, and one witness said she saw her carrying hot coals. But most testimony was belief and suspicion, she was an easy target as an enslaved Black woman, and her confession came under torture. The evidence is not strong enough to be certain. (A good answer weighs both sides and admits uncertainty.)
Quiz
1. Which statement about slavery in New France is true?
2. What did Article 47 of the 1760 surrender of Montreal allow?
3. Marie-Joseph Angélique was convicted of setting a fire in which city?
4. Why is her confession not reliable evidence?
5. When was slavery abolished across the British Empire, including the colonies that became Canada?
6. What is the most accurate conclusion about whether Angélique set the fire?
Big idea: Slavery existed in New France and continued under British rule until 1834. About 4 200 people were enslaved, roughly two-thirds Indigenous (panis) and one-third Black. Marie-Joseph Angélique's 1734 trial is a key primary source (A1, A2, A3). This content supports the 2026 curriculum's focus on Black individuals and communities and the obstacles they faced.
Talking about this with a 12-year-old: be honest and calm. Avoid graphic detail about the torture and execution; it is enough to say she was tortured and executed. Emphasize her humanity and resistance (her wish for freedom, her attempt to escape) and the debate about the evidence. Watch for strong feelings; anger and sadness are reasonable responses.
How to help at home:
- Look at photos of Place Marie-Josèphe-Angélique in Montreal online.
- Talk about why so few enslaved people's names survive, and what that means for historians.
- Mark Emancipation Day (1 August) and Black History Month (February).
Common difficulties:
- "Canada never had slavery": it did, for over 200 years.
- Forgetting Indigenous slavery: most enslaved people in New France were Indigenous.
- Treating Angélique's guilt as certain either way: model careful, evidence-based conclusions.
- Using "slave": model "enslaved person" gently.