Paul Cuffe, a Brief Biography

Please visit www.PaulCuffe.org to learn more   Paul Cuffe was born on Cuttyhunk Island, at the west end of the Elizabeth Islands chain in Massachusetts, on January 17, 1759. He was the seventh child and fourth son of Cuff Slocum, an emancipated slave from West Africa, and Ruth Moses, a Native American woman from Cape […]

Continue Reading

Captain Pardon Cook of Westport

The best-known citizen of Westport is Paul Cuffe, a master mariner with African and Indian roots who rose to prominence as a captain, ship-builder, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and advocate for civil rights and school integration. Less well known is Pardon Cook, also an accomplished master mariner from Westport, who commanded more whaling voyages than any other […]

Continue Reading

“Whoso gives the motive, makes his brother’s sin his own.”

Our collection includes a bound set of The Non-Slaveholder, a 19th century publication with a special approach to the anti-slavery movement. “Whoso gives the motive, makes his brother’s sin his own.” This caption appears under the title of “The Non-Slaveholder”, a mid-19th century publication dedicated to the anti-slavery movement.  The publication focused not only on […]

Continue Reading

African American Context

African-American residents of Westport played a vital role in the history of the town.  The keeping of slaves and indentured servants may have been practiced in the early town, though in general the Society of Friends did not support the slave trade.  The prominence of Quaker leaders in Old Dartmouth led to a 1716 debate […]

Continue Reading

Paul Cuffe Symposium Papers

Exploring Paul Cuffe: The Man and his Legacy A Public Symposium Saturday October 3, 2009 Opening keynote by Lamont Thomas Lamont Thomas is the author of “Rise to be a People: A Biography of Paul Cuffe” Local Relationships and Cuffe Paul Cuffe’s Social Networks and Entrepreneurial Success by Marion Kilson Marion Kilson, scholar, Museum of […]

Continue Reading