America's Debt to Paul Cuffee
Ode to an African-American Patriot, Abolitionist and Businessman
Jul 29, 2009
To live an extraordinary life is something to strive for. And when that life is an African-American one, lived well, filled with good deeds, integrity, compassion, and caring for others. Quite frankly, that should be with honored. These are the tenants that were essential parts of the unique American life lived by a slave-era African-American man by the name of Paul Cuffee. And this article represents an attempt to honor him and his legacy.
Cuffee was by all accounts not supposed to be able to accomplish what he eventually was able to accomplish. Not supposed to be able to achieve what he was in fact able to achieve. And given all the bias, prejudice and out and out racism staked up against him, the odds of his success were most definitely not in his favor.
Early Family Life
Cuffee was born a free man to a father who was captured and sold as a slave and brought to the British colony of Massachusetts, and to a mother of Native American ancestry. His father (Kofi "Cuffee" Slocum), a slave of Ashanti origin from Ghana in Africa, became a skilled carpenter and his mother (Ruth Moses) a member of the Wampanoag Nation.
In mastering the carpentry trade, Kofi Slocum worked extremely long hours on many difficult jobs in order to eventually buy his own freedom, buy a farm, and provide for his wife and 11 children. These by themselves are monumental tasks for any man to accomplish.
But now add the social, political and cultural difficulties of the time for African-Americans and Native Americas alike and the enormity of success Cuffee's parents were able to have in colonial America is noteworthy.
A Strong Religious Foundation Paramount
In assessing the sum of parts of Paul Cuffee's life, in addition to having the advantage of being born free and coming from a family of means, Cuffee also enjoyed a rigorous and full religious experience growing up which continued for him as an adult. Until his untimely death Kofi Slocum would have Quaker religious meetings in his home with Mr. Slocum presiding over the service and preaching as well.
However at age 13, Cuffee found the foundational member of his family gone, as his father was dead and he and his older brothers now had to take over the family farm and provide for themselves, other siblings and their mother as well.
An interest in Shipping
In addition to work on the family farm Cuffee found he was intrigued by sailing and the travel that would be associated with that profession. So at the age of 16, signed onto a whaling ship and later cargo ships where he was able to learn navigation. After the American Revolutionary War Cuffee and his brother built a boat by hand to deliver produce her had from farming. When that boat was lost due in rough seas, Cuffee built another that was captured by pirates. He and his brother built a third boat and after one unsuccessful trip finally were successful in reaching Nantucket and turning a profit.
Shortly after this, Cuffee owned a fleet of ships as well as a 116 acres-farm in Westport, Mass. At the age of 21 Cuffee decided that he did not want to pay his taxes because he did not have the right to vote. Cuffee decided much like America's Founding Fathers that taxation without representation was a violation of his rights. So Cuffe asked the council of Bristol Bay County, Massachusetts to end this practice, his request was denied, but it helped to influence the legislature to eventually make all males free citizens in the state in 1783.
For additional information please see Suite 101 article: America's Debt to Quock Walker and Paul Cuffee
Sources:
Gross, David We Won't Pay! A Tax Resistance Reader ISBN 1434898253 pp.115-117.
Harris, Sheldon H. Paul Cuffee: Black America and the African Return. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1972.
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