Unit: The Underground Railroad Movement:
Case Study: Maritime Influences of New Bedford, Massachusetts
By: Susan Miller
Overview:
Students will examine the Underground Railroad movement and the influences of the whaling industry to the fugitive slave traffic in coastal New England. The students will use New Bedford, Massachusetts as an example for the case study.
Materials:
Students will utilize the primary source documents, research information and data from the quest to answer the questions.
Aim/Essential Question
What is the connection between the maritime world of New Bedford and the Underground Railroad?
Background Information:
There are accounts of fugitive slaves arriving at the wharves of New Bedford, Massachusetts and working on the waterfront openly run by ship owners who were abolitionists. Many found places on whaling crews. According to Kathleen Grover in her research paper, Fugitive Slave Traffic and the Maritime World of New Bedford, estimates of the number of fugitives in New Bedford vary widely. According to Grover, a 1845 letter from Caroline Weston, stated that “there are now living here more than four hundred” fugitives; and in a letter published in the Boston Chronotype in November 1850, “we have about 700 fugitives here in the city” stated one New Bedford Quaker.
Procedure:
You will examine the following documents that relate to New Bedford, Massachusetts. You will answer the questions that follow each document in order to complete the final summary essay.
Document A:
The port city of New Bedford is located in Southeastern, Massachusetts. According to the National Park Service, by the end of 1853, the population of New Bedford was comprised of a higher percentage of African Americans than any other city in the Northeast, and almost 30% of those residents claimed they were born in the South.
Map: Where is New Bedford, Massachusetts?
Directions:
1. Circle New Bedford, Massachusetts.
Document B: Census Records
In New Bedford, Massachusetts, the census records that go back to 1800 are found at the City Hall. Information on the census count is also available at the
New Bedford Whaling Museum. Census records look similar to the records that are listed below.
1850 Census Index
Bristol County
Massachusetts
New Bedford
ABERDEEN OLIVER* # 382 NEW BEDFORD A163
ADAMS ALBERT # 228 NEW BEDFORD A352
ADAMS ALEXANDER # 273 NEW BEDFORD A352
ADAMS BENJAMIN F. # 340 NEW BEDFORD A352
ADAMS HANNAH # 231 NEW BEDFORD
According to the National Parks Service, at the end of 1853, the population of New Bedford was comprised of a higher percentage of African Americans than any other city in the Northeast. Almost 30% of those residents claimed they were born in the South. New Bedford was attractive to fugitive slaves and free blacks in part because of the whaling industry and the maritime trades. The city was appealing to fugitive slaves, and their population in New Bedford ranged at any time from 300 to 700.
Can you determine from the census if a person was a fugitive or had lived in New Bedford all their life?
Why do you think the census records did not indicate where individuals were born?
Do you think the census index of Bristol County was helpful for a fugitive slave in 1850?
Document C: The Charles W. Morgan
The whaling ship was owned by Charles W. Morgan. Charles W. Morgan was a Quaker. Charles W. Morgan had a business partner, Samuel Rodman. It was said that where the men could be found on “Abolitionist Row”.
Question:
According to the personal diary of Samuel Rodman, can you determine from the passage if Rodman was interested in the anti-slavery movement? How can you determine this from the passage?
August 9th, 1841:
“After a hasty supper, went to the evening session of the Bristol County anti-slavery society this was well-attended and there were a number of speakers, including W.L. Garrison”.
Document D: Drawings from the crew of the Bark, Orray Taft (Bark).
Orray
Taft (Bark). New Bedford, Massachusetts
Date: circa 1864
Master: George Joseph Parker
Keeper: Anonymous
Ground: Hudson Bay
KWM Logbook # 276A, p. 11
Document D:
Sailors often would draw pictures to reflect their experiences on the whaling ship. In 1864, the artist displayed life on the Bark,
Orray Taft, a ship located in New Bedford.
Question:
From the artist version above, does this support the belief that blacks were crew members on whaling ships?
From the artist version, what do you believe is occurring in the drawing?
Document E:
A Chronology History of New Bedford:
A Chronological History of New Bedford
(Note: This section is in the early stages of development. Please send contributions, suggestions, and corrections to rleary@newbedford.com.)
pre-European:
1602 - First visit by a European to Cape Cod and Southeastern New England. Adventurer and explorer Bartholemew Gosnold makes landings on Cape Cod, the Elizabeth Islands, and the coast of Buzzard's Bay.
1652 - Thirty-six settlers join together and purchase a parcel of land - encompassing what is now New Bedford, Acushnet, Fairhaven, Dartmouth and Westport - from Massasoit, Grand Sachem of the Wampanoag, and his son Wamsutta. The entire area is named Dartmouth and incorporated in 1654.
1661 - Death of Massasoit.
1699 - First ecclesiastical body in old Dartmouth organized by the Society of Friends (the Quakers).
1765 - Ten years before the Revolutionary War, Nantucket whaling merchant Joseph Rotch purchases ten acres of land from Joseph Russell III and moves his business to New Bedford. Bringing experience, capital and technological innovativeness, Rotch and his sons revolutionize whaling and put New Bedford on track to domination of the whaling industry.
1780 - Paul Cuffe, a Black Quaker and son of a freed slave and a Wampanoag Indian wife, and six others petition the Colonial government of Massachusetts for the right of Blacks to vote as taxpayers. This right was officially recognized three years later. Organized black nationalist movements in the United States appear to have begun with Cuffe.
1787 - Bedford Village becomes the town of New Bedford.
1818 - Irish immigrants exist in sufficient numbers to warrant a Catholic Mission. St. Mary's Church erected two years later.
May 15 1818 - The Eagle makes the first steamboat crossing of Nantucket Sound, carrying 600 passengers from New Bedford to Nantucket Island..
1822 - Construction begins on the first large factory town in the United States - Lowell, Massachusetts. It was built around cotton textile production. By the start of the civil war, this industry dominates the cities and towns of New England, with 600 cotton textile mills throughout the region.
1822 - Several southern states pass the racially restrictive "Negro Seamen Acts" proscribing the entry of African Americans into the major ports of the South.
1837 - Runaway slave Frederick Douglass arrives in New Bedford. His trip from Providence is facilitated by a chance encounter with two of New Bedford's leading citizens, William C. Taber and Joseph Ricketson.
1841 - The whaler Charles W. Morgan is launched in New Bedford.
1847 - James Arnold and other men form the New Bedford Horticultural Society
1848 - Lewis Temple develops the toggle harpoon, the most important technological innovation of the nineteenth century whale fishery.
1849 - Gold discovered in California. Many whalemen desert ships to seek riches in the West.
1859 - Petroleum discovered in Pennsylvania. Petroleum would soon replace whale oil as the primary lighting fuel, setting in motion the irreversible decline of the whaling industry.
©Copyright
Richard G. Leary
rleary@newbedford.com
PO Box 5810, New Bedford, MA 02742
(508) 994-2903
Timeline chronology:
Questions:
1. What year was the Society of Friends (Quakers) established in New Bedford?
2. Who was Paul Cuffe and what did he and six others petition the colonial government of Massachusetts?
3. What ethnic groups could be found in the New Bedford timeline?
4. How is Frederick Douglas described in 1837?
5. While whaling and whale oil had been important for years, an important discovery changed the demand for oil. What was discovered that replaced the demand for whale oil?
6. Lewis Temple and Paul Cuffe were blacks and made significant contributions to both the whaling industry as well as government. Why is this significant to the acceptance of fugitive blacks in coastal New England?
7. What year was the Charles W. Morgan launched in New Bedford, Massachusetts? Use the following documents to determine if fugitive slaves participated in whaling trips on the Charles W. Morgan.
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Document F: The Voyages of the Charles W. Morgan
Background; The Charles W. Morgan was a U.S. whaling ship during the 1800s. Quaker merchant Charles W. Morgan ordered a whale ship out of New Bedford in 1840. The Morgan began her voyages on September 6, 1841. The first trip was to sail around Cape Horn and reach the Pacific Ocean. On Morgan’s three year and four month voyage, she came home with 2,400 barrels of whale oil and 10,000 lbs of whalebone, known as baleen.
In her 80 years, she made 37 voyages that ranged from nine months to five years. As you examine the crew list, please note any entries from New Bedford, Massachusetts. Further examine the background of the sailors.
Question: Is there evidence of from the crew list that a fugitive slave could have worked on the Charles W. Morgan? Identify the individual or individuals from the crew list below.
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Voyages of
the Charles W. Morgan
Crew
List for Voyage #5: 9/15/1856 - 4/16/1859
Hailing Port: New Bedford, Mass.
|
Name |
Position |
Birthplace |
Residence |
Description |
Notes |
|
Fisher, Thomas N. |
Master |
|
|
|
|
|
Johnson, Thomas W. |
1st Mate |
|
|
|
|
|
Davis, Samuel T. (F.) |
2nd Mate |
Falmouth |
Falmouth |
Age
- 23 |
|
|
Carrington, David |
3rd Mate |
Newburgh, NY |
New Bedford |
Age
- 34 |
|
|
Pease, Michael |
|
|
New Bedford |
|
|
|
LeBaron, Edward |
|
|
Mattapoisett |
|
Deserted Lahaina 3/1857 |
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Marshant (Marchant), William B. |
|
Edgartown |
Edgartown |
Age
- 24 |
|
|
Daggett, Charles D. |
|
|
? |
Age
- 18 |
Deserted in Honolulu 11/1857. "Boatsteerer but could not do duty wand was ?" |
|
Reyot, Alexander |
|
New York, NY |
Northhampton |
Age
- 39 |
|
|
Francis, Henry |
|
Fishkill, NY |
Northhampton |
Age
- 38 |
Promoted to Boatsteerer 11/13/1858 |
|
Rowland, Smith |
|
Lyme, CT |
|
Age
- 28 |
Discharged Lahaina (sick) 3/1857 |
|
Height, Edwin |
|
Hyde Park, NY |
|
Age
- 21 |
|
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Cuff, John R. |
|
|
New Bedford |
|
|
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Hamlin, James |
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Norfork, VA |
New Bedford |
Age
- 28 |
|
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Sylvia, Antone |
|
|
|
|
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Addams, Charles W. |
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Galena, Peter |
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Pangburn, Edward L. |
|
Courtlandville, NY |
|
Age
- 22 |
|
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Hobbs, Edward |
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Parsonsfield, MA |
|
Age
- 21 |
|
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Brooks, Franco |
|
Lenox, NY |
|
Age
- 21 |
Discharged Honolu 11/1/1858; in hospital |
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Drew, William H. |
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Baltimore |
|
Age
- 21 |
Discharged Honolu 11/1/1858; in hospital |
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Palmer, Albert |
|
Baltimore |
|
Age
- 21 |
|
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Young, William |
|
Fulton, PA |
|
Age
- 25 |
|
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Cabit, John |
|
Boston |
|
Age
- 22 |
|
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Read, Dickenson |
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New York, NY |
|
Age
- 23 |
|
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Reed, John |
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|
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|
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Kline, Charles G. |
|
Clinton, NY |
|
Age
- 34 |
Discharged Lahaina (sick) 3/1857 |
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Mill, Joseph N. |
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Pitts, Charles |
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|
|
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Deserted Honolulu 11/1857 |
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Robinson, William |
|
|
|
Age
- 28 |
Engaged Lahaina, 3/1857, Discharge Honolulu 11/1857 |
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Deos, Manuel |
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Portugal |
|
Age
- 31 |
Engaged Lahaina, 3/1857; Discharged Honolul 11/1/1858 |
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Brian, James O. |
|
|
|
Age
- 26 |
Engaged Honolulu 11/27/1857; Discharged Honolu 11/1/1858 |
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Ascension, Tom |
Seaman |
|
|
Age
- 24 |
Cruise and home; Discharged Honolul 11/1/1858 |
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Ascension, Friday |
Seaman |
|
|
Age
- 23 |
Cruise and home; Discharged Honolu 11/1/1858 |
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Ascension, Joe |
Seaman |
|
|
Age
- 22 |
Cruise and home; Discharged Honolu 11/1/1858 |
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Crowell, Wm G |
Boatsteerer |
|
|
Age
- 23 |
He also agrees that is he cannot do duty on a/c of a strain that he in not to receive full lay |
|
Raphael, John |
Steward |
|
|
|
lay from Nov 1854 |
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Harrison, James |
Cook |
|
|
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lay for 1/2 the voyage |
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Anderson, Eugene H. |
Boatsteerer |
|
|
Age
- 23 |
Wages for 4 May |
|
Vemer, Lewis |
Seaman |
|
|
Age
- 23 |
Wages for 4 May |
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Roderiguez, Joseph |
Seaman |
|
|
Age
- 30 |
Wages for 4 May |
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Ross, George |
Seaman |
|
|
Age
- 22 |
Wages for 4 May |
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Sabina, Antonio |
Cabin Boy |
|
|
|
|
|
Evans, James H |
|
Portland, MA |
New Bedford |
Age
- 21 |
Deserted 10/1856, Honolulu* |
|
De Medeiros, Antonia |
|
|
|
Age
- 19 |
Shipped at Fayal* |
|
Miguel, Jose |
|
|
|
Age
- 25 |
Shipped at Fayal* |
|
McLean, George |
|
|
|
Age
- 30 |
Engaged in Honolulu 11/1857; Discharged 11/5/1858, Honolulu; in hospital |
Document F:
Background information: According to historican David Cecelski, “Documentary sources unveil several dozen accounts of specific runaway slaves who reached ships sailing out of North Carolina ports between 1800 and 1861…one my safely conclude that they represent only the tip of an iceberg. The presence of an escape route along the East Coast was indeed widely known both locally and among northern abolitionists, who, thought it operated independently of them, frequently assisted fugitive slaves after their voyages from the South”. (Grover, 1998. Fugitive Slave Traffic and the Maritime World of New Bedford. p. 4.
Document F: Henry “Box” Brown was a major figure in the antislavery lecture circuit. Henry Brown was in New Bedford, Massachusetts and attended a party in his honor at the home of William J. Rotch. A merchant from the Charles W. Morgan recounted in his diary the following passage:
“Sarah and I went to William J. Rotchs to tea but came home early---I there heard a singular account of escape of a slave who has just arrived here which I must record---He had himself packed up in a box about 3 ft. 2 in. long-2 ft.6 inches wide and 1 ft. 11 in deep and sent on by express himself from Richmond to Philadelphia---marked this side up---He is about 5 ft 6 in high and weighs 200 lbs---In this way he came in by cards and steam boat to Philada near 25 hours in the box which was quite close & tight with him and kept himself alive by bathing his face and fanning himself with his hat”.
What does it say about a city, when a fugitive slave can be presented for tea by a leading New Bedford Quaker and whaling ship owner as the guest of honor?
Describe the sketch of Henry “Box” Brown.
Does the sketch of the Henry “Box” Brown appear to match the description of the diary entry from the merchant from the Charles W. Morgan?
What is different with the two sketches of Henry Brown?
Document G:
The Quakers first arrived in America in 1656. The Quakers followed good business practices and in the New Bedford, Massachusetts area, many whaling ships were owned and operated by Quaker merchants. There are several principles of Quakerism:
- The Quakers were against war and even refused to pay taxes if it supported war.
- The Quakers were pacifists and refused to fight.
- The Quakers supported equality and allowed women to speak in their Meetings and have equal rights with men.
- The Quakers were opposed to slavery and worked toward its abolitionism.
- Quakers believed all men were created equal.
Photograph of Quaker and Merchant, William J. Rotch.
Document G: Frederick Douglass and New Bedford, Massachusetts
Background: Nathan and Polly Johnson married in New Bedford in 1819 and by the 1840s had well established economic means. They owned several businesses and read often about the political and social conditions of the nation. Nathan and Polly Johnson were free backs living in New Bedford who owned a block of properties. Nathan was an active abolitionist who assisted numerous fugitive slaves to include Frederick Douglass. In addition to the business properties they owned, Nathan and Polly Johnson had owned the Friends meetinghouse. Nathan Johnson was a delegate to the annual convention of free people of color from 1832 to 1835 and was elected president in 1847. He and his wife supported the movement by housing fugitive slaves in their home.
William C. Taber and Joseph Ricketson, were two New Bedford Quakers, who brought Frederick Douglass and his family to the Johnson house in 1853. They resided there until 1839. Documents from journals further suggest that the Friends meeting house was used as a safe house for runaway slaves.
According to journal entries, Frederick Douglass was living in the home of Nathan and Polly Johnson for six years. In addition to Douglass, other runaways were living safely in New Bedford. What role did the Quaker religion have in the protection of runaways and what evidence from the two previous paragraphs, suggests that one religion stood out for the protection of the runaways?
Summary: Underground Railroad and the Maritime Influence of New Bedford, Massachusetts.
“The “Underground Railroad” was a metaphor invented by abolitionists newspapers and used in a sectional propaganda war with pro-slavery Southerners” (Pinsker, 2006). To be successful, fugitive slaves running from the South had to follow major waterways and roads. The runaway slaves needed the support of neighborhoods, individuals and often religious groups provided support as well as opportunities for jobs and money.
Massachusetts had placed a personal liberty law in place in 1843 to protect persons accused of fleeing slavery. The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 changed brought further national attention to the fleeing slave. The maritime world of New Bedford had a profound influence on the Underground Railroad. It provided runaways with the opportunity to follow a major waterway as well as access to neighborhoods and individuals who were in support of the runaway movement. Sea captains, many of whom were Quakers and abolitionists, welcomed fugitives as members of the crew. Jobs along the waterfront provided income and opportunities. According to researcher Kathy Grover, “a significant number of Southern people of color who were fugitives or who had maritime experience made New Bedford their home for a number of years or the rest of their lives, and their presence helped set a persistent tenor for the town in the antebellum years”. (Grover, 1998, pg. 5).
Essay: In a well developed essay, explain why the maritime life of New Bedford, Massachusetts helped to provide a secure shelter for the fugitive slave traffic.
Be sure you include in your essay:
- The influence of the Quakers.
- The influence of a community of sea captains who were Abolitionists.
- The influence of the whaling industry.
Your essay should have specific examples from the previous documents. You may use outside documents to support your essay.