| Page | Term | Description |
| 90 | King Edward Hotel | The King Edward Hotel, named after King Edward VII, is located in Downtown Toronto. It was not built until 1903, which would make this another anachronism used by Reed. An archived version of the New York Times from 1975 suggests that the phrase “A Gracious Tradition” may at some point have been a slogan of sorts.
A photo gallery of the hotel today here “The Omni King Edward Hotel.” US News and World Report, US News and World Report, travel.usnews.com/Hotels/review-Le_Meridien_King_Edward-Toronto-Canada-104824/. |
| 90 | A Plantation House | There is no record of a plantation house in an exhibit at the Toronto museum. This phrase reflects how Quicksill feels removed from slavery now that he is in Canada. Here are images of plantation house architecture. |
| 90 | The Toronto Museum | There are many museums in Toronto, the most prominent being the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) which opened in 1914
“Our History.” Royal Ontario Museum, n.d., http://www.rom.on.ca/en/about-us/rom/our-history |
| 91 | Paul Lawrence Dunbar Cuisine | Paul Laurence Dunbar was an influential African-American poet from the early 20th century. Poems include: “We Wear the Mask”, “Douglass”, and “The Cornstalk Fiddle”. He is well known for his use of dialect, though the majority of his poems are in Standard English. The implication of “Paul Lawrence Dunbar Cuisine could be a reference to his use of dialect and an implication that it is not truly Southern, but a version of it.
“Paul Laurence Dunbar.” Poetry Foundation. n.d. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/paul-laurence-dunbar |
| 91 | Coke | Coke was not invented until 1886, another use of anachronism.
“About Us.” World of Coca-Cola, n.d. https://www.worldofcoca-cola.com/about-us/coca-cola-history/ |
| 92 | New England Abolition | The Abolitionist Anti-Slavery Society of New England was the first society that was formed in 1805 to advocate emancipation on immediate terms. The American Anti-Slavery Society was not formed until in 1833, decades later.
http://ccnmtl.columbia.edu/projects/mmt/mxp/people/815.html |
| 92 | Egg pone | Pone is maize bread in cakes that came from Native American recipes. Egg pone would presumably be a variation of this recipe.
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/pone |
| 92 | Beaujolais | Beaujolais is a type of French wine named after the region it is made in: Beaujolais, France.
https://www.intowine.com/beaujolaisnouveaufacts.html |
| 92 | Plantation dressing | Perhaps a reference to the house dressing at The Plantation restaurant in Moline, Illinois. The dressing consisted of Mayonnaise, French Dressing, garlic powder, anchovy paste, and parmesan cheese.
http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/plantation-dressing-99774#activity-feed
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| 92 | Free High School | Perhaps a reference to the African Free School, the first school designed to provide education to slaves and free black people. The school was founded in 1787 by the New York Manumission Society, an abolitionist group based out of New York. It was absorbed into the New York City public school system in 1835.
A detailed history and archive of materials related to the African Free School can be found here |
| 92 | Walk-Around | A dance incorporated in Minstrel Shows. It originated from the communal dances of slaves which in turn originated from West African dances. It is a parody of the ring shout. The characters of Flight to Canada are reclaiming the tradition and taking it back to its roots.
Watch an example here Kislan, Richard. The Musical : A Look at the American Musical Theater. New York: Applause, 1995. Print. |
| 92 | Chicken Wings, Copperhead | These may or may not be actual dances (or regional names for well-known dances) but Reed is making a reference to African-American dances that had names associated with them. |
| 93 | Fort Thunderbird | There is no actual “Fort Thunderbird”, but the thunderbird was a figure in Native American mythology. It is an enormous bird whose wingbeats explain the sound of thunder. The Ford Thunderbird was also a popular luxury car that was first produced in 1955.
“Legendary Native American Figures: Thunderbird (Thunder-Birds).” Native Languages of the Americas. Accessed 13 Dec. 2017.c Flint, Jerry. “Ford’s Thunderbird Gets Axed”, Forbes, 22 April 2003. |
| 93 | Maid of the Mist | The attraction was not used at first as a recreational business. A bigger boat was bought to transport people, luggage, and cargo. A boat takes passengers to see Niagara Falls since 1848. It is called “Maid of the Mist” due to the fact that passengers feel water on their journey across the falls.
“The History of the Maid of the Mist.” Niagra Falls Info. Accessed 13 Dec. 2017. |
| 94 | Crevoceur | The Ussher Fort was built as Fort Crevoceur in 1649 by the Dutch in Accra, Ghana. It was part of the Dutch Gold Coast. It was transferred to the British in 1868 as part of the Anglo-Dutch Gold Coast Treaty. However, there is also a fort called Fort Crevoceur founded in 1680 on the Eastern bank of the Illinois River. This fort was involved in the Beaver Wars, involving Native Americans. The fort was pillaged by men who then fled to Canada. Reed is possibly referencing both forts.
Dantzig, A. van. Forts and Castles of Ghana / Albert Van Dantzig. Accra: Sedco Pub., 1980. Print. Hughes, Cherly. “Fort Crevecoeur – Built-in 1680.” Fort Crevoceur. 18 Jul. 2017. Hughes, Cherly. “Fort Crevecoeur’s Destruction.” Fort Crevoceur. 18 Jul. 2017. |
| 95 | Kansas-Nebraska Act | The act was passed in 1854 allowing Kansas and Nebraska to decide for themselves whether to allow slavery. This contradicted the Missouri Compromise. The passing of the Kansas-Nebraska act led to the breakup of the Democratic party and the origin of the Republican party.
History.com Staff. “Kansas-Nebraska Act.” History.com, 2009. |
| 96 | Abe the Illinois Ape | Lincoln was indeed called the Illinois Ape. He had many derogatory nicknames likening him to apes e.g. baboon, the original gorilla.
Miller, John J. “Sorry, Bam: Lincoln Had It Way Worse.” New York Post. 17 Aug. 2011. |
| 96 | Babbas and yogis | South Asian Indian saints. It is interesting that Reed references this alongside references to “American Indians”. |
| 96 | Guinevere | The wife of King Arthur. She was known in Arthurian romance as the love of Sir Lancelot, one of Arthur’s knights. According to Vita Gildae, she was abducted by the king of Aestiva Regio and rescued by King Arthur and his army. Later, in Le Chevalier de la charlette, she is rescued by Sir Lancelot from the land of Gorre where she had been taken by Maleagant, a villain in Arthurian legend. Sir Lancelot was not able to look upon the Holy Grail because his affair with Guinevere was sinful. Guinevere was abducted by Mordred, Arthur’s nephew (or in some versions, his son) which ultimately led to the death of King Arthur and the end of the Round Table.
Rudy, Lisa Jo, M.Div. “Guinevere.” Salem Press Encyclopedia, 2015 |
| 98 | (Anglican) Injuns | A slur originating in the late 17th century for Native Americans. An alteration of “Indian”. Anglican Injun is a play on American Indian in reference to Native Americans that sympathized with white colonizers like Pocahontas
“Injun, n.1.” OED Online, Oxford University Press. Web. Accessed 13 Dec. 2017. |
| 99 | The play | Lincoln was killed watching the play Our American Cousin. It is a comedy about an “uncivilized American” who claims a Brittish manor. The play pokes fun at both the upper class and the lower class. Wilkes waited until the line that got the most laughs (“you sockdologizing old man-trap!” to attack.
Bradford, Wade. “What Play Was Lincoln Watching.” Thoughtco. 25 May 2017. |
| 103 | John Wilkes Booth | The man who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln. He and his family were avid actors and actresses early on. He then became a part of the pro-slavery anti-abolitionist group.
Shuman, R. Baird. “John Wilkes Booth.” Salem Press Biographical Encyclopedia, 2014. |
| 103 | Sic Semper Tyrannis | Latin translation: “Thus always to Tyrants”. John Wilkes Boothe said this when he shot Abraham Lincoln. It has also been attributed to Brutus during the assassination of Julius Caesar, but there is no evidence of this. Boothe was in part referencing that quote. |
| 103 | The Lincoln Assassination | The newspaper from the day of the actual Lincoln assassination here |
| 104 | Half-savage country | Pound refers to America as “a half savage country”, in his 1920 poem “Hugh Selwyn Mauberly”. Ezra Pound was an American poet that immigrated to Europe in 1908 and lived mostly in London until 1920, around the time when “Hugh Selwyn Mauberly” was published. Pound was a vocal critic of America, though this was because he supported Mussolini supporter. He was charged with treason because of his Anti-American broadcasts in Italy. He was declared unfit to stand trial in 1946 and was sent to a mental hospital until the charges were dropped. Pound was also the founder of Imagism, a literary tradition akin to minimalism in literature. The poem, “Flight to Canada”, is definitely influenced by Imagist conventions.
“Ezra Pound.” Poetry Foundation. Accessed 13 Dec. 2017. |
| 104 | T.S. Eliot | T.S. Eliot was an American poet born in St. Louis in 1888. His work was pivotal in the transition from Romanticism to Modernism. He spent most of his life in Europe. There is no record of him saying anything about hating St. Louis, but perhaps Reed was inferring that from the fact that Eliot didn’t spend much time there. Eliot’s famous works include “Ash Wednesday”, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”, and “The Waste Land”.
Biography.com Editors. “T.S. Eliot Biography.com.” The Biography.com website, A&E Television Networks, 1 Sep. 2016. |
