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The
Portuguese Connection
Today, more than 55% of the population of New Bedford
claims Portuguese forebears. The story of how this community developed
is another aspect of whaling's legacy.
Portait
of Joseph Vera c.1850, oil on canvas;
36 x 25 in. Gift of Joseph S. Vera
1989.48.1 From the collection of the New Bedford Whaling
Museum.
© New Bedford Whaling Museum. All rights reserved.
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Portuguese
immigrants came to New Bedford primarily from four locations:
* The Azores, nine islands in the Atlantic, settled by mainland
Portugal, which lies 840 miles to the east; * Madeira, five islands
500 miles southeast of the Azores, off the northwest coast of
Africa, also colonized by Portugal; * Cape Verde Islands, off
the coast of Senegal in Africa, formerly a territory of Portugal;
and * Portugal, the European nation located west of Spain and
north of Morocco. Although residents of all four areas share a
common Portuguese heritage, each one has distinctive customs and
traditions.
The Portuguese connection with New Bedford developed from eighteenth-century
whaling. Prevailing winds made the Azores first port-of-call.
As ships took on supplies and crew in the Western Islands, as
they were traditionally known, the stage was set for Portuguese
immigration to New Bedford.
After whaling in the Azores, it was customary to hunt whales around
the Cape Verdes and along the coast of Africa before cruising
southwest to the Brazil Banks off the east coast of South America,
and then home to New England. After 1800, New England whalers
ventured into the Pacific and Indian oceans on longer and longer
voyages.
There were three waves of Portuguese
immigration to the city
1800-1870: The first to arrive in significant numbers after 1800,
were the Azoreans. Eager to find economic opportunities or to
escape conscription into the Portuguese army, they left their
islands as crewmen on Yankee whalers and settled in New Bedford.
Cape Verdeans began arriving after the 1850s. A significant part
of the population was descended from white Portuguese colonists
and black African slaves and spoke a dialect of Portuguese known
as "crioulo" or "caboverdeano;" * 1870-1924: Residents of Madeira
and mainland Portugal joined Azoreans in looking for opportunities
in emerging industries, particularly the textile mills, of New
Bedford; * 1958-present: Portuguese immigration, which had slowed
to a trickle from 1917 to 1924, resumed when restrictive immigration
laws were eased because of devastation caused by a volcanic eruption.
Today, recently enacted restrictions have reduced Portuguese immigration
significantly.
Portuguese influence in the American whale-fishery Azoreans and
Cape Verdeans, who were used to hard work, made desirable crew
members for whaleships. Many Portuguese seamen from New England
and the islands served on American whaleships during the nineteenth
century:
* In the 1860s, they comprised up to 60% of whaling crews; * They
were often willing to accept the lowest shares of the profits
of a whaling voyage, in their eagerness to leave the islands and
make new homes in America; * Like African-American seamen, they
might earn the position of captain or mate but the biases of Yankee
shipowners were against them. Nevertheless, a significant number
of Portuguese immigrants became mates or masters of whaleships;
* From the turn of the century until American whaling ended in
the 1920s, Portuguese captains and crews were the dominant force
in the industry.
Settling in
As Portuguese immigrants settled into their new city, they: *
Built their own distinctive communities; * Created social and
fraternal groups, schools, newspapers, and businesses; * Contributed
to the entire New Bedford community through public service and
cultural activities.
New Bedford enjoys a sister city relationship with the city of
Horta, Fayal, in the Azores, while Dartmouth is linked with the
Azorean town of Povoacao, Saint Michael.
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