By Sabrina Fay
New Bedford is a city entangled in history just as strongly as it is entangled in the throes of unpredictable New England weather. From its official founding in 1847, to its worldwide reach through the whaling trade and textiles, to its current focus on arts and community, New Bedford has never been a city of little consequence. When it comes to civil rights in particular, there's a lot to be said for the progressive role New Bedford and its citizens have played. Let's take a brief look at some of New Bedford's most notable contributions to and involvement with social justice.
1. A Place for Pacifists
Portrait of William Rotch, Jr. by Rembrandt Peale
William Rotch is one of New Bedford's most prominent figures. He moved to the formerly known Bedford Village around 1780 and owned the very first whaling ship to be launched from its port. Thus, as one can imagine, he was an incredibly influential person for the fledgling city. Perhaps his greatest legacy and lasting impression on the humble town he moved to was his faith. As a Quaker, Rotch believed in honesty, humility, compassion, and tolerance. Members of such a denomination are known as Quakers for their reverent fear of God (believing one should "quake" before the Almighty), but also have a strong reputation for championing humanist causes throughout America's growth.
A sketch of a Quaker preacher in a tavern
More specifically, Quakers were heavily involved in the abolitionist movement during the Civil War and 19th century. Citing that people cannot own others because we are all equal in the eyes of God, Quakers were some of the first whites to denounce slavery and set abolitionist movements in motion not only in America but Great Britain as well. The great number of Quakers in New Bedford helped cultivate a stronger atmosphere of tolerance and welcoming than was present in most other areas of even the Union at the time, and helped set the stage for the cultural melting pot the city is today.
2. A Port in the Storm
Another contribution from the Quakers was a connection to the Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad was of course neither underground nor a railroad, but a network of interconnected stops and kind people dedicated to helping slaves escape from the South to the free North. Though 18th and 19th century communication was lacking, members of the Underground Railroad used codes and letters to let the intrepid escapees know where they could find succor and begin life anew. The escaped slaves could also sign on to one of New Bedford's hundred of whaling vessels at the port, taking off for years-long voyages providing wages, lodging and food. Over just two decades during the mid to late 1800's, it's estimated that New Bedford provided safe harbor for up to 700 escaped slaves, with yet more passing through in unknown numbers.
3. A Home for Heroes
New Bedford was not just an abode for quakers, and not just a stop on the way to better things. For a great many influential and revolutionary figures of civil rights and African American excellence, it was home. Frederick Douglass, for example, famed activist and former slave, lived in New Bedford for a time as a ship caulker and continued to develop his world-changing ideas about human rights. New Bedford was the icon's first home in Massachusetts, and was where he actively became an abolitionist.
Frederick Douglass as a young man
Lewis Temple, as well, came from slavery to leave a mark on New Bedford and the world. A true Renaissance man, Temple was not only a blacksmith but an outspoken abolitionist and a genius inventor. He revolutionized the whaling industry with his invention of a new harpoon known as the "Temple's Toggle." Temple and Douglass are only two of some amazing, historically impactful names to be tied to New Bedford, though there are countless more former slaves who remade themselves in the Whaling City whose names are lost to the annals of time.
Portrait of Lewis Temple
4. A Mast for Memorium
What use is history if it is not remembered? Very little; thankfully, that is something that New Bedford and its citizens understand well. It is revealed through the historical plaques on many of the houses previously used to harbor escapees as part of the Underground Railroad, through the reverent words beneath the statue of Lewis Temple outside the New Bedford Public Library and underneath the bust of Frederick Douglass on the lawn at City Hall, through the abolitionist-themed tours put on by the Historical Society and the exhibits in the Whaling Museum, but most of all through each person who takes a little bit of that history with them, wherever they may go.
Statue of Lewis Temple in New Bedford