Author Skip Finley discusses his book, “Whaling Captains of Color” and tells the story of Paul Cuffe, born in 1759 on Cuttyhunk Island, Massachusetts, was the son of a Wampanoag Indian mother and a former slave father. Before his death in 1817 he became a sea captain, shipowner, landowner, and respected community leader. Watch the full video, https://www.mysticseaport.org/black-history-month/ | Mystic Seaport Museum

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Paul Cuffe, one of the first Black millionaires in the United States. Born free in 1759 to a West African father and Native American mother, he taught himself to sail, build, and lead. By his 20s, he owned his own ships and ran a thriving shipping business, trading across the Atlantic, Caribbean, and US coast. He was not just rich, but also righteous, petitioning for voting rights for Black taxpayers and funding schools for Black and Native kids. Decades before Marcus Garvey, he led a voyage to

Born in Massachusetts in 1759, Paul Cuffe grew up during a time when the echoes of freedom from British rule were mingled with the harsh realities of slavery in America. As the son of a freed African and a Native American woman, Cuffe's unique heritage laid the groundwork for his lifelong commitment to social justice. His devout Quaker beliefs only strengthened his resolve for equality. By the early 19th century, Cuffe had become a successful shipowner and merchant, which was unusual at a time w

In the 1700s, while Black people were being enslaved, Paul Cuffe was sailing ships, building wealth, and making history.Born free in 1759 to an Ashanti father and Wampanoag mother, Paul Cuffe should’ve been a statistic.Instead, he became one of the richest Black men in early America—owning ships, funding schools, and fighting for Black freedom on both sides of the Atlantic.He and his brother-in-law built one of the largest merchant vessels of their time.He sailed to Sierra Leone with free Black