Standing Firm

by

Anthony Salvalaggio

“NONE OF MY RACE HAVE, PERHAPS, seen the different phases of one man’s history as I have.”[i] Thus wrote George Copway, near the beginning of his 1847 memoir. Both the book and its author were breaking new ground in the mid-nineteenth century. Copway’s autobiography was the first book published by a Canadian First Nations.[ii] It quickly gained in popularity, “running through six editions by the end of [that] year.”[iii] He was, in his time, “Canada’s most successful author in the United States.”[iv] By 1850, Copway was a major literary celebrity and well-known lecturer – and that summer, he was in Europe to speak before an international audience.

Figure 1. Engraving of George Copway, used as frontispiece of The Life, Letters and Speeches of Kah-ge-ga-gah-bowh, or, G. Copway, Chief Ojibway Nation (1850).

Frankfurt, 1850

The third annual General Peace Congress was held at Saint Paul’s Church, in Frankfurt, Germany.[v] The meeting brought together representatives from France, Belgium, Germany, Italy, England and the United States.[vi] Though he did not appear in person, Victor Hugo sent a letter of support, which was read to the delegates on the morning of August 23rd.[vii]

But it’s not Victor Hugo that we’re interested in. The subject of this piece took the floor the following morning, on August 24th – the third and final day of the Congress. George Copway was part of the delegation from the United States, but he had been born in Upper Canada and had spent much of his early life there. He addressed the delegates on

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