Monday, February 28, 2011

Canada

Dear Diary

I am so lucky that I escaped from USA to Canada using the Underground Railroad. Here in Canada there is so much opportunities such as-farming, nurturing, nursing etc. I had the freedom to study which I would have never been able to do in USA. I was so successful after coming to Canada that my teacher told me to apply for a job. She educated me. She advised me what to do if I got the job. With her help I became a librarian. I got a very good salary. Most of the citizens in Canada  think that we are all equal. They don't care about our complexion. Equality is something that we slaves didn't experience for a very long time. Canada gave us food and shelter, but what really gave us is respect.There is no violence, no war just peace and quiet . I can get enough sleep , but in America the only sound you would hear is gun shots and people yelling and crying.

My House
The government of Canada helped the slaves to cross the borders. Everyday hundreds of slaves will come to Canada. They will be given a starting fee of about $10 to start their living. After I finished my studies, I bought my own house near The West Coast. I built my house myself. It wasn't a really big house, but it was mine. And I was proud of it. I cam to Canada in 1856. During that time, The Grand Trunk Railroad was built which opened a road between Toronto and Montreal. A 65-men militia was defending the upper east borders of Canada during The Civil War. They were signed by Canada's future minister Mackenzie Bowell. In 1861 Joseph Howe became the Premier Nova Scotia. Later in 1867 British Colonies in North America united under the British North American Act to become the Dominion of Canada.

After settling in Canada I guided my fellow men inside the borders of Canada. After they came to Canada to have a bright future, I taught them how to read & write. They would come to my house at dawn. Then I would tell them that reading is the key to success. If you read, then you get better and educated  job. you can have your own house, farms, cattles. We made a community for the black people who come here from USA to discuss the problems they are facing, how to overcome their problems,discuus the feelings that we felt about being tortured. We counseled each other to go on the right path.


Strawberry Pastry

I started a bakery buisness, and I am making a living by that.The buiness is going real good.I remember what my mother always used to make  those strawberry pastries. Those were really good but the family didnt have enough money to afford all the ingredients for that.So I decided to use make those strawberry pastries for my buinsness and they are a real seller.

Sunday, February 27, 2011

On The Slave Ship(Diary of My Great Grandfather)

Dear Diary

I now saw myself deprived of all chance of returning to my native country or even the least glimpse of hope of gaining the shore, which I now considered as friendly and I even wished for my former slavery in preference to my present situation, which was filled with horrors of every kind.

I was  put down under the decks, and there I received the most cruel stench in my nostrils as I had never experienced in my life. I became so sick , that I was not able to eat, nor had I the least desire to taste anything. I now wished for the last friend, death, to relieve me, but soon, to my grief, two of the white men offered me ,their regurgitated food that they ate, to me, and on my refusing to eat, one of them held me fast by the hands and laid me across. I had never experienced anything of this kind before, and although, not being used to the water, I  feared that  the first time I saw it,  I would have jumped over the side, but I could not, and besides, the crew used to watch us very closely who were not chained down to the decks, I should leap into the water and I have seen some of these poor African prisoners most severely cut for attempting to do so, and hourly whipped for not eating. This indeed was often the case with myself. In a little time after, the poor chained men I found some of my own nation. I inquired of these what was to be done with us, they gave me to understand we were to be carried to these white people's country to work for them. I then was a little revived, and thought if it were no worse than working, my situation was not so desperate, but still I feared I  brutal cruelty .One white man in particular I saw, he tossed a black person overboard because he was back talking to him of why he was caught and tied up in ropes and chains. This made me fear these people more, and I expected nothing less than to be treated in the same manner.

The stench of the ship really bugged me, and I couldn't get a grasp of oxygen.I thought to myself I would rather die then doing work for these inhospitable creatures, not human beings.The closeness of the place and the heat of the climate, added to the number in the ship, which was so crowded that each had scarcely room to turn himself, almost suffocated us. This so that the air soon became unfit for  breathing  from a variety of loathsome smells, and brought on a sickness among the slaves, of which many died.I just want this to be over The next day without getting enough sleep they had taken a number of fishes, and when they had killed and satisfied themselves ,  rather than give any of them to us to eat as we expected, they tossed the remaining fish into the sea again, although we begged and prayed for some as well as we could,

 One day, when we had a smooth sea and moderate wind, two of my people who were chained together (I was near them at the time), preferring death to such a life of misery, somehow made through the netting and jumped into the sea, immediately another person also followed their example; and I believe many more would very soon have done the same if they had not been prevented by the ship's crew, who were instantly alarmed. Those of us that were the most active were in a moment put down under the deck, and there was such a noise and confusion amongst the people of the ship as I never heard before, to stop her and get the boat out to go after the slaves.

After waiting a long time to get to shore I was put in jail because I tried to escape.When the ship arrived to shore  I thought no one would notice and I fled the scene . Suddenly a slave owner runs towards me and grabs my arm really tightly like he is stopping my blood flow and slaps me in my face really hard .He drags me toward the other slave owner and tells him to put me in jail.After putting me in jail. I tought to myself is this it for the my people? I would rather kill myself then being a slave.There is hope too I guessed in my mind maybe just maybe. And after that I waited. 1 day, a week, a moth, a year and then several years. Nothing happened. I started to get sick. Mad of myself for trying to escape that day. But then rumors spread that North and South was in a war. But still nothing happened. Years went by. I started to die. I could feel my strength leaving me. And then one day I fainted. I couldn't see anything. Everything  was a blur. And then I felt a hand. A gentle hand pulling me up from my trance. It was a General. "Get up, My friend. The north has won the war. Slavery is abolished. You are free. Free.......Freedom......these words meant so much to me. Tears ran down my face. The General patted me on my shoulder. He took me to a healer. I started to recover. And start a normal life.

                                                                                                       Wilbur

By-Daniel Afzal and Jarraf Amin

Friday, February 25, 2011

Diary of Escaping

Dear Diary

I am one step closer to freedom. It has been a long time since I have been a slave in Mr. Arnold's house for 5 years. He is the most cruel human being in the world.I am sick and tired of him. Who would like getting beaten up every single minute for no reason at all? But you may want to know how I will be free. I realize today is TODAY!!

 I was thin, short and skinny ,you almost you can see my rib cage . And the constant torture left burns and bruises all over my skin.No food at all to eat, they only gave me their left over food that the masters ate and that still wasnt enough for me. One day, when I was working near the well. Someone carrying a rifle on his back and a baton on his waist came towards me. The way he was moving, It was obvious that he wasn't expected here. I tought to myself is it the end for me, was he hired to kill me? I tried to call him master, but he made a hand gesture to stop. He raised his hand and glared at me.Well when a big guy with a rifle on his waist and a very long stick tells you to stop, you don't have any other choices.
"Do not fear me. I come as a messenger from Ms. Tubman. You seem to be under torture from your master. We will help you escape to Canada. We will give you a new life. You will live happily. Nothing will disturb you. You will have your own land. You will be free."
"But who are you? Why are you here? Why are you telling me all this? A thousand questions swarmed in my head. Freedom? I haven't heard that word for an awful long time. How can this bloke give me freedom? Who's Ms. Tubman?
"I know how you feel. I am Jack. I was also a slave when I was 15. But Ms. Tubman saved me. But I didn't flee from USA. It was my birthplace after all. So, I tended to work with her. I was the first member of The Underground Railroad project after Ms. Tubman. Now, almost a hundred people work with us. For your knowledge, The Underground Railroad is a secret path for the slaves to flee from their masters to a different country."
"OK.........................That's.........Dangerous!"
"Yes, but you must take the risk if you tend to be free, I know this was instantly for you but you have to trust me on this"
I thought for a while.
. He was right. Why should I stay with Arnold. He never gave me anything. He will always beat me.The only thing he gave me was pain and suffering. Nor will he care if I'm dead. I made my decision instantly. Without hesitation I decided to go.I gave Jack a nodd.

So today's the day fixed for my escape. Jack will come to fetch me at midnight. I packed up all my stuff, which wasn't a lot of things and took a little glance at the quilt(secret codes to get out of there) just to make sure If Im not doing anything wrong, like taking a different passage.. I wore my brown coat and torn pants and went out. But I definitely wasn't lucky that day. As I was walking away from the jail, my luck changed from bad to worse, because my master's grey hound decided to go for a walk and saw me. I thought to myself, why today,why cant it be another day. It barked so loud that I winced. Alarms blared throughout the house. I knew I was caught. Suddenly, A very strong hand gripped me by the collar and pulled me up on what looked like a rusty bike. I knew it was Jack. He was wearing a grey hoodie and a cloak. He had his rifle on his waist as usual with the stick. After we seemed to go a long way, Jack tied up my eyes with a black band kind of like a blindfold, because he didn't want anyone to know the secret passages of The Underground Railroad. After a very long ride, we stopped near a house. Jack opened the band from my eyes. Jack knocked at the door 5 times which seemed to be some sort of sign. A young lady opened the door. She let me stay there for 2 days. Then I was put in a carriage and sent to another house. I thanked Jack and especially Ms.Tubman in my heart.

In this way, after 3 long journeys we ended up inside the borders of Canada. Thus, Ms. Tubman gave me a new life. It's true that I never saw her. But she is a Woman to be respected and honored.I say to myself without her there would be no word  to exist as 'Freedom'


By- Jarraf Amin and Daniel Afzal

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Underground Railroad(Freedom Quilt)



Slaves could not read or write, it was illegal to teach a slave to do so. Codes, therefore, were part of the slaves existence and their route to freedom, which eventually became known as the Underground Railroad. Some forms of dance, spirituals, code words and phrases, and memorized symbols all allowed the slaves to communicate and their white owners could not understand. Codes were created by both whites aiding the slaves, and by blacks aiding the slaves. The blacks included other slaves, former slaves or free men and women. In slavery, secrecy was one way the blacks could protect themselves from the whites, even the youngest child was taught to effectively keep a secret from anyone outside of the family.

Most quilt patterns had their roots in the African traditions, the slaves brought with them to North America when they were captured and forced to leave their homeland.  Quilt patterns were passed down the same way. In Africa, the making of textiles was done by males.The quilt patterns, used in a certain order, had an outgoing messages to slaves preparing to escape. Each pattern represented a different meaning. Some of the most common were “Monkey Wrench”, “Star”, “Crossroads”, and “Wagon Wheel”. Quilts were slung over a fence or windowsill, it was then passed on the necessary information to knowing slaves. As quilts were hung out in the open, it was a common sight on a plantation, neither the plantation owner or the slave owners would  not notice anything suspicious. They would think It was normal .
Characteristic of African culture is the communication of secrets through the use of common, everyday objects, the objects are seen so often they are no longer noticeable for the slave owners. This applied to the quilts and their patterns, stitching and knotting. It has been suggested that the stitching and the knotting on slave quilts contained secret information, too, as map routes and the distances between safe houses. Using the quilts, spirituals and code words, the slaves could easily communicate non-verbally with each other and aid each other to escape.
]Daniel Afzal.


The Diary Of My Grandfather( John)


Dear Diary,

I have to write to in secrecy.  I'm not very educated but atleast I know how to read and write.  My people, us slaves,arent allowed to read at all. When ever I would see my fellow people read anything, those cruel people would right away kill them, so Im really cautious about reading anything .  I think that's because those white people don't want us to be as smart as them, be able to get the same jobs. I think that knowledge equals power.   Anyway, the reason I'm taking a big risk and writing in this diary is so that future slaves and black men can see how dispecable these white people are.
 Today,Abraham Lincoln was nominated as a candidate for president. I don't know much about him but I heard he hates slavery.  If he gets rid of slavery, he'll free us of this torment of endless work and beatings.  My masters and these Southerners hate him.  I really hope that he wins and becomes president.
                                                                                                                                        JOHN
Hi Diary!




Today, Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, and Alabama have all joined South Carolina by now.  They've all succeded and now all the states are called the Confederate States of America.  The odds of our freedom seem slim.  The South is growing in its power.  Wish me good luck!
             
                                                                        JOHN
 Greetings Diary!

  Today I am losing hope for the country  from the country.  I thought maybe Lincoln would help us slaves, that he would be a hero to our people and nation.  I have always believed in Licoln but I dont actually see him doing anything. Please do something Licoln!!!!                     
                                               JOHN

Dear Diary,
I found out today that the Confederate troops captured another fort.  This fort was the North's most important fort. It wasn't lost without a fight though.  The first shots of this "civil war" was fired there.  The North refused to surrender.  After 48 hours of fighting, the northerners ran out of ammunition and were forced to surrender.   I'm scared.  What does the future hold for my family, friends, and the country?  These are questions yet to be determined or answer.
                                                                     JOHN

Daniel Afzal
 THE LIFE OF A FORMER SLAVES                                                                                                       As a black kid in a white area its hard, I am 14 right now and i have not gone to a real school, sometimes my Mom or Dad try teaching me things you would learn in school, its alright but i would love to go and make friends, hange with people who do like me and go on feeledtrip and have so much fun but i cant, it sucks.When i go out and get food for my family one store will let me in, the owner is a good man but thanks to me he dose not get alot of custumers, but thats alright with him he like's me and my family.The food is good and dinners are great.                                                                                                                          I do not understand why some white people do not like us but if thats how they are, then i do not care for them, all i know is, we are who we are is that a reasion to dislike and make fun of people beacuse of who they are.I say no.        
                                                                                                          MALIK CALMA                        
                    
                                                                                      

Friday, February 18, 2011

Bibiliography (Jarraf,Daniel,Malik)

Useful Websites:
www.civilwar.com
www.timequest.org
www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com
www.religioustolerance.org
http://www3.sympatico.ca