Whaling in Colonial America

Contributors:

Abstract:

When the English began colonizing in the New World, the colonists had many jobs and responsibilities. Each of these jobs accomplished one necessary objective. For example, the blacksmith made many household objects using metals. But there was one job that gave many different things to the society, and that job was whaling. Colonial whaling gave food, oil, and many essential materials to the Colonists. This research paper will explore the process of whaling and the uses of whales in Colonial America.

• Male, female, and baby whales were called bulls, cows, and calfs.

• Different whales hunted were sperm, humpback, grey, right, and bowhead whales

• Sperm whales had the name Sperm because whalers thought that an organ in their heads that produced sperm

• Right whales had their name because they were the right whale to hunt

• Very slow, and not agile, had a large amount of blubber

• Blubber used for whale oil, which was used for soap, wax, lighting, and manufacture of leather and wool

• Meat was eaten and bones were used to build objects

• Baleen was type of teeth that most whales had and was sued for umbrella spokes, corsets, bustles, etc.

• Nantucket, Mass. Cape Cod, Mass. Eastern Long Island, NY were best until 1830.

• Destinations after 1830 were Provincetown, Mass. New London, Conn. San Francisco, Cal. Sag Harbor, NY. New Bedford, Mass.

• New Bedford was most important because was the setting for Herman Melvin’s Moby Dick

• 1847 whales almost extinct because of extreme over hunting to compete with kerosene, a cheap illuminating fluid

• Bowhead whales related to right whales and also very slow and not agile

• Had very large baleen

• Humpback whales not very large, but had no large amounts of baleen, bone, blubber

• Grey whales second whales to be hunted, but were actually pink

• Second whale hunted in America, and also slow

• Yankee Whalers were main American whalers, hunted for more than 250 years

• Hunted close to shore for hundred years, then moved into deeper waters

• Captain got biggest cabin, and wife got second biggest

• Captain got ½ of findings, then came unskilled crewmembers, then came cabin boys

• Used row boats, schooners, sloops, brigs, and steam-powered whaleboats to whale

• Used throwing harpoons originally, eventually used exploding harpoons

Whaling in Colonial America provided an important source of essential materials that the settlers needed to survive. Whaling supplied food, oil, and many building and clothing materials to the settlers. People were very dedicated to this trade and would go on voyages that would take three years on average. Since the early 1900’s, whaling has been illegal in America, which had drastically helped the population of whales in the world. But it has not yet been banned in Japan and other countries in Asia. How will the countries that are legally allowed to whale affect the population of whales that is still trying to rebuild after the 300 years of whaling done in America?

Interviews:

Images and Resources:

.”Brittanica.com. Harpoons.” Online. Retrieved on 26 November 2007. http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9039324/harpoon.

.”Encarta.msn.com. Whaling.” Online. Retrieved on 29 October 2007.

http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761572529/Whaling.html.

.”Enchantedlearning.com. Sperm Whale.” Online. Retrieved on 6 November 2007. www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/whales/species/Spermwhale.

.”Wikipedia.org. Bowhead Whales.” Online. Retrieved on 6 November 2007.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowhead_Whales.

.”Wikipedia.org. Humpback Whales.” Online. Retrieved on 6 November 2007.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humpback_Whales.

.”Wikipedia.org. North Atlantic Right Whales.” Online. Retrieved on 6 November 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Atlantic_Right_Whale.

.”Wikipedia.org. Sperm Whale.” Online. Retrieved on 6 November 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sperm_Whale.

.”Wikipedia.org. Harpoons.” Online. Retrieved on 26 November 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harpoons.

.”Wikipedia.org. Explosive Harpoons.” Online. Retrieved on 26 November 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harpoons#Explosive_harpoons.

.”Wikipedia.org. History of Harpoons.” Online. Retrieved on 26 November 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harpoons#Whaling.

Bibliography:

“Digging Deeper.” Cobblestone. April 1984: 44-46.

Katana, Steve. “Some Aspects About Whales.” Cobblestone. April 1984: 16-19.

Phelan, Joseph. The Whaling Hunters. New York: Time-Life Books, 1969.

Schwabel, Peg. “Women and Children Go to Sea.” Cobblestone. April 1984: 28-30.

Thorp, D. “Whaling”. Colonial America Vol. 10. Danbury, Connecticut: Brown Partworks, 1998.

Weston, Beth. “Temple’s Toggle.” Cobblestone. April 1984: 26-27.