Captain Paul Cuffe

Captain Paul Cuffe (HM1GVF)

Location: New Bedford, MA 02740 Bristol County
Buy Massachusetts State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 41° 38.078', W 70° 55.397'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 550 views
Inscription

Captain Paul Cuffe



Paul Cuffe (1759-1817) was a sea captain, merchant, philanthropist, community leader, civil rights advocate and abolitionist.



Here are some significant details about his life.




Westport, MA: site of the Cuffe home and farms, where in 1800 Captain Cuffe established "Cuff School", one of the first integrated schools in America, welcoming children of all colors.



Boston, MA: February 12, 1780, as a land owner and tax payer, Paul Cuffe petitioned the Massachusetts General Court for the right to vote. No action was taken. On April 24, 1781, Cuffe as a Native American man petitioned the town of Dartmouth. Although the petition failed, the campaign for voting rights helped pave the way for creation of the new Constitution in 1783 which granted equality to all Massachusetts citizens.



Sierra Leone, West Africa: December 2, 1815, Cuffe departed Westport on the brig Traveler and sailed to see Sierra Leone on the West Coast of Africa, to establish a new home for former African Americans.



Washington, DC: May 2, 1812, Paul Cuffe met with President James Madison, to discuss the return of property seized in the war of 1812, thereby becoming the first African-American guest of a sitting American president.



Philadelphia, PA: throughout the late 1700s, one of Paul Cuffe closest friends and business associates was sail-maker and businessman James Forten of Philadelphia, one of the wealthiest black men in early America.



The West Indies: Captain Cuffe traded for goods to stock his store "Cuffe & Howards", (est. 1808) with sugar, coffee, chocolate, raisins, cloves, nutmeg, cotton, candles, soap, leaf tobacco, crockery, earthenware Moroccan shoes, ladies mock turtle hair combs and other sundries.


New Bedford Whaling Museum — Dedicated - 9/24/2011
Details
HM NumberHM1GVF
Tags
Year Placed2011
Placed ByNew Bedford Whaling Museum
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Tuesday, September 9th, 2014 at 7:30pm PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)19T E 339806 N 4610997
Decimal Degrees41.63463333, -70.92328333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 41° 38.078', W 70° 55.397'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds41° 38' 4.68" N, 70° 55' 23.82" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)508, 774
Which side of the road?Marker is on the right when traveling West
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 18 Johnny Cake Hill, New Bedford MA 02740, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. Is this marker part of a series?
  2. What historical period does the marker represent?
  3. What historical place does the marker represent?
  4. What type of marker is it?
  5. What class is the marker?
  6. What style is the marker?
  7. Does the marker have a number?
  8. This marker needs at least one picture.
  9. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  10. Is the marker in the median?