Paul Cuffe
Merchant, Abolitionist
1759-1817
Paul Cuffe was born a free child in
1759, on Chuttyhunk Island, Massachusetts. His father, Kofi was a member
of the Ashanti tribe of West Africa, who was captured and brought to America
as a slave at the age of ten. A skilled carpenter, Kofi (Cuffe) earned
his freedom, and educated himself. Following his death, Paul signed up
on a whaling vessel and later cargo ships, upon which he learned navigational
skills. With the outbreak of the American Revolution, he and his brother
built a boat and began their trading business, which included running British
blockades with American supplies. This small business gradually became
a large fleet of merchant vessels, including his own shipyard, which helped
make him one of the wealthiest men in America. Although wealthy, he was
concerned about the unfair treatment of Blacks, both free and slave, and
in 1780 petitioned the council of Bristol County to end taxation |
Paul Cuffe
|
| without
representation (Blacks denied the right to vote). However, his largest
crusade took shape in the form of a "Back to Africa" campaign. On December
10, 1815, after four years of exploratory research and much of his wealth
invested, he set sail for Sierra Leone, Africa, with a group of free Blacks.
His intent was to end slavery at the West African colony by building a
free and prosperous industrialized Africa. Despite difficulties by white
merchants, the American group prospered. Returning to America, Paul Cuffe
died on this day in 1817. |