In 1843 Massachusetts passed General laws: Part 1:Title XV: Section 102. Which states “(a) All persons within the commonwealth, regardless of sex, race, color, creed or national origin, shall have, except as is otherwise provided or permitted by law, the same rights enjoyed by white male citizens,and to the full and equal benefit of all laws and proceedings for the security of persons and property.
Before this law, which is still the books, self-emancipated former slaves often would arrive in New Bedford, sign on to a whaling ship, and either spend time at sea until they considered it safe to stay on land, or jumped ship somewhere along in the voyage and live freely elsewhere.
With passage of this state law, staying on land became safer, and the number of Black men on whaling ships declined while their participation in land employment increased.
However, with the Congress enacting the Fugitive Slave Laws in 1850, Black men returned to the sea in large numbers.
