In
the late 19th and early 20th century, with the fishery
in decline and only a few whaleships still in service,
whalemen of color encountered unprecedented opportunities
to realize a long-overdue destiny to fill prestigious
berths as captains and shipowners.
Black
and Creole mariners became a majority in many ship’s
crews and emerged as a force genuinely to contend with,
on shipboard, in the union halls, and, as ship-agents
and shareholders. It was a swan-song in the twilight years
of a doomed industry. But, with its noble heritage of
meritocracy, emanating from the likes of Paul Cuffe and
Prince Boston, the color line was
finally broken.
More
than any other industry at sea or ashore, whaling offered
Black men opportunities not only for employment, but for
advancement and investment as well. For some African-American
mariners, like Peter Green, the rise was sudden and unexpected.
Signing as second mate aboard the whaleship John Adams
of Nantucket in 1821, Green inherited command after the
captain and first mate died in separate incidents.
Paul Cuffe (1759-1817), of Westport, Massachusetts, rose
to prominence as America’s first whaling master and
shipowner of African ancestry, and founded the first dynasty
of merchant-entrepreneur seafarers. In 1837, Cuffe’s
son William commanded an all-Black whaling crew on the
Rising States, a brig owned entirely by African American
shareholders. Two of Cuffe’s sons-in-law, Pardon
Cook and Alvan Phelps, each commanded three whaling voyages;
and Cuffe’s nephews were also sea captains.
In 1822 Absalom F. Boston of Nantucket, who was married
to Cuffe’s granddaughter, was captain of the Nantucket
whaleship Industry. A half century earlier, Captain Boston’s
uncle, Prince Boston, had served as a slave on the whaler
Friendship of Nantucket.
Prince
Boston
Black
American mariner (b. Nantucket, 1750 - d.?)
Prince, son of Boston and Maria Boston was born a slave
on the island of Nantucket. His role in maritime history
is significant because he was the first black Nantucket
whaleman to receive wages as a result of litigation. The
case involved Elisha Folger the captain of the Nantucket
sloop Friendship and John Swain, the son of William Swain
who was Prince Boston’s original owner. Upon the
vessel’s return from a six-month voyage in 1769,
Folger paid Boston his wages. Swain sued the captain for
the money claiming that Boston was his slave and that
any pay Boston received rightfully belonged to John Swain.
In 1770 the court decided in favor of Captain Folger and
Prince Boston was allowed to keep his pay. A further result
of the decision was that the institution of slavery was
badly degraded on Nantucket, some ten years before it
was abolished in the rest of Massachusetts.
