Black Sailors: Afro-American Merchant Seamen and Whalemen Prior to the Civil War (Contributions in Afro-American and African Studies: Contemporary Black Poets)

This is the first book to document thoroughly the lifestyle and collective experience of the many thousands of black sailors during this time period. Numerous illustrations in the form of original charts, tables, crew lists, and customs records support the text. In a penetrating study, the author unveils the enormous contribution made prior to the Civil War to the nation's economy, prestige, and power by black Americans.