Overview

Edward Davoll was a respected New Bedford whaling captain in an industry at its peak in the 1850s. But mid-career, disillusioned with whaling, desperately lonely at sea, and experiencing financial problems, he turned to the slave trade, with disastrous results. Why would a man of good reputation, in a city known for its racial tolerance and Quaker-inspired abolitionism, risk engagement with this morally repugnant industry? In this riveting biography, Anthony J. Connors explores this question by detailing not only the troubled, adventurous life of this man but also the turbulent times in which he lived. Set in an era of social and political fragmentation and impending civil war, when changes in maritime law and the economics of whaling emboldened slaving agents to target captains and their vessels for the illicit trade, Davoll's story reveals the deadly combination of greed and racial antipathy that encouraged otherwise principled Americans to participate in the African slave trade.

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9781625344045

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Reviews

If you think you know all about whaling in America, you don't. Davoll's fascinating life exposes the disturbing and tragic truth that a small, but significant, number of American whalemen were accessories to the slave trade and, as such, were guilty of crimes against humanity. --Eric Jay Dolin, author of Black Flags, Blue Waters: The Epic History of America's Most Notorious Pirates Connors tells the story of Edward Davoll, a New Bedford-based whaling captain who veers towards the slave trade when the drudge and gruel of whaling begin to weigh and his fortune begins to fade. --Boston Globe Meticulously researched and effectively written, Went to the Devil will appeal to anyone--scholars and casual readers alike--interested in American maritime history, whaling, and slavery. --Timothy Walker, professor of history at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and program director for Sailing to Freedom: New Bedford and the Underground Railroad

""If you think you know all about whaling in America, you don't. Davoll's fascinating life exposes the disturbing and tragic truth that a small, but significant, number of American whalemen were accessories to the slave trade and, as such, were guilty of crimes against humanity.""--Eric Jay Dolin, author of Black Flags, Blue Waters: The Epic History of America's Most Notorious Pirates ""Connors tells the story of Edward Davoll, a New Bedford-based whaling captain who veers towards the slave trade when the drudge and gruel of whaling begin to weigh and his fortune begins to fade.""--Boston Globe ""Meticulously researched and effectively written, Went to the Devil will appeal to anyone--scholars and casual readers alike--interested in American maritime history, whaling, and slavery.""--Timothy Walker, professor of history at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and program director for ""Sailing to Freedom: New Bedford and the Underground Railroad""

If you think you know all about whaling in America, you don't. Davoll's fascinating life exposes the disturbing and tragic truth that a small, but significant, number of American whalemen were accessories to the slave trade and, as such, were guilty of crimes against humanity.--Eric Jay Dolin, author of Black Flags, Blue Waters: The Epic History of America's Most Notorious Pirates Meticulously researched and effectively written, Went to the Devil will appeal to anyone--scholars and casual readers alike--interested in American maritime history, whaling, and slavery.--Timothy Walker, professor of history at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and program director for Sailing to Freedom: New Bedford and the Underground Railroad Connors tells the story of Edward Davoll, a New Bedford-based whaling captain who veers towards the slave trade when the drudge and gruel of whaling begin to weigh and his fortune begins to fade.--Boston Globe

Author Information

Anthony J. Connors holds a PhD in American history from Clark University. An independent scholar, he lives in Westport, Massachusetts.

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