NEWBURYPORT’S HISTORY WITH SLAVERY
- Newburyport was a bustling seaport of merchants and ship building yards during the 1700 and 1800’s. Many merchant ships were contacted, designed and built in Newburyport’s shipyards for the purpose of supporting the local commerce through a merchant fleet. Some ships built in Newburyport were later sold by their original merchant owner and later converted to be used in the slave trade. No ship has been known to have been converted for the purpose of the slave trade in any Newburyport Shipyards.
- Newburyport has a long history with the abolitionists and the Underground Railroad. Both John Greenleaf Whittier and William Lloyd Garrison were leading abolitionists in the greater Newburyport area. They participated in the Underground Railroad, helping enslaved people to get to Canada for freedom. Both Whittier and Garrison faced imprisonment and physical harm in their endeavors to help the slaves. Newburyport also, like most cities and towns in the Colonial period and later the States, had both chattel slavery and indentured servitude. Most of the hard labor force was made up of Blacks, while a variation of races made up the domestic work force on the continent. Merchants in the area were dependent upon supplies of molasses to make rum and cotton for their mills, all of which were depended upon chattel slave labor in the south and Caribbean Islands. Therefore, most merchants in the area were not supportive of abolitionists. Some ship captains using Newburyport’s docks were smuggling slaves into the area, against the US banned on doing so. Garrison accused a captain of such acts and was jailed for slander from lack of evidence. Later the accusations were found to be true. Other active abolitionist in the greater Newburyport area were Captain Alexander Graves, William Jackman, Richard Plumer and his son Wendell Plumer.
FAMOUS MASSACHUSETTS AFRICAN-AMERICANS
Crispus Attucks – Killed in Boston Massacre 1770, Prince Hall –Abolitionist & Freemason 1700’s, Phillis Wheatly- first person of African descent to publish poetry 1780’s, Frederick Douglass– Abolitionist & Orator 1800’s, William Edward Burghardt (W.E.B) DuBois– Writer, Teacher & Activist 1960’s, Melnea Cass– Black Women Vote Registering Activist 1920’s, Elma Lewis– Activist for the Arts 1950’s, Bill Russell– NBA Superstar 1950’s through the 1960’s, Meshach Taylor– Actor, Michael Bivins– Singer, Chirlane McCray– Writer & Social Activist, Mary Eliza Mahoney– Nurse, Chosen Jacobs– Actor, Aaliyah Jay– Beauty Vlogger, Donna Summer– Singer & Songwriter, Alex Newell– Actor, Shar Jackson– Actress, Uzo Aduba– Actress, Dio Maddin– Professional Wrestler, Nerlens Noel– NBA Player, Ralph Tresvant– Singer, Pooch Hall– Actor, Melvin Gordon– NFL Player, Traci Bingham– Actress, Prince Amukamara– NFL Player, Paul Williams– Boxer, Lois Mailou Jones– Painter & Educator, James Van Der Zee– Photographer 1880’s, Sandy Saddler– Boxer, Dorothy West– Novelist, Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin– Publisher 1800’s, Harry Carney– Saxophonist, James Ihedigbo– NFL Player, Shey Peddy– Women Basketball Player, Ricky Bell– Singer
8 BLACK INVENTORS THAT MADE DAILY LIFE EASIER
Sarah Boone, 1892, Improved the ironing board
Mary Van Brittan Brown, 1966, Co-Inventor of Home Security System
Garrett Morgan, 1923, Invented the Three-Light Traffic Signal
Frederick McKinley, 1940, Invented the Refrigerated Truck
Alexander Miles, 1887, Invented the Automatic Elevator Doors
James E. West, 1964, Co-Inventor of the Electret Microphone
Lewis Latimer, 1881, Invented the Carbon Light Bulb Filament
Mark Dean, 1980’s & 1990’s, Co-Inventor of the Color IBM PC Monitor and Gigahertz Chip