Coffee @ The Kennedy Museum
Dr. Michael Pregot returns to the Coffee @ The Kennedy Museum to discuss his book Slavery and Abolitionism on Cape Cod – A Massachusetts Incongruity.
Dive into a captivating exploration of a lesser-known chapter in American history, where the bustling slave trade of Boston’s past meets the complex legacy of Cape Cod’s sea captains.
Dr. Pregot’s book uncovers the dramatic shift after Massachusetts abolished slavery in 1780, revealing how some sea captains defied the ban through covert operations, while others subtly fueled the slave market’s persistence.
This event is free, please RSVP below.
About The Book
From the era of the Puritans right through to the end of the Revolutionary War, Boston was a central hub for the slave trade. Slaves were brought on board ships from the African coast with regularity, often mastered by Cape Cod Sea captains. The number of slaves per
household was much smaller in the Northeast as compared to the South, yet nonetheless, a much-needed labor force was desired, reaching its zenith when our nation first officially started.
After Massachusetts legally prohibited its practice in 1780, sea captains became engaged in a variety of ways with in its continuance. There were some captains who brought them in surreptitiously, while others enhanced the slave market in other indirect ways. Polarizing lines were drawn up. The commonwealth’s maritime industry became quite divided with some fighting for the cause of abolitionism while other captains wishing only to witness a very slow demise of this profitable endeavor.
The book discusses religious views, political platforms, economic factors, and social movements that existed during the pre-Civil War period. We gain an insight into the thinking of the day. Sharing several profiles of notable Black slaves living in Massachusetts demonstrates the enormous contributions made to the overall growth of our country.
About The Author
Dr. Pregot has spent over a half of a century in the field of education. He has served as a Modern Language teacher, a high school principal, a district-wide school superintendent, a professor of education and a University Director of an Educational Leadership Department. He has published several articles and a textbook on the personal dispositions needed to be an effectives school leader. He has owned a home on the Cape for over twenty-five years. He is now an author researching various aspects of local history. The maritime history of the Cape has intrigued him for the past several years. For the past two years, he has examined the complexity of slave trading and the desire for abolitionism within the Bay State.