Call for Papers
Exploring Paul Cuffe: The Man and His Legacy
In anticipation of a conference dedicated to the life and works of Paul Cuffe(e) (1759 – 1817) and to commemorate the 250th anniversary of his birth, a call for lecture proposals is being circulated. The theme of the conference, Exploring Paul Cuffe: The Man and
His Legacy, will examine Paul Cuffe, African American/ Native American, abolitionist, and Westport, MA entrepreneur. The conference will be held in New Bedford, MA in October 2009.
The hosts for this conference are the New Bedford Historical Society, the New Bedford Whaling National Park, the Old Dartmouth Historical Society, the Rotch-Jones- Duff Museum, and theWestport Historical Society.
Cuffe, a nationalist and successful merchant in the whaling trade, whose strident demands for voting rights led to MA black citizens gaining the rights to the ballot in 1783, was led by his Quaker faith to devote much of his time and money to societal issues of the time including the anti-slavery movement, equal opportunities for blacks, as well as aiding the residents of Sierra Leone, Africa.
Proposals for individual and or panel presentations, including title, outline, presenter(s) biography and resource bibliography, will be accepted from February 2009 – June 2009. Submissions must follow the style outlined in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (2001, 5th edition). All proposals should be e-mailed to Nbhistory@verizon.net with Paul Cuffe in the subject area. We are looking for presenters that have solidly researched their topic area, are able to inform a diverse audience and deliver insightful and enjoyable presentations. Individuals can also volunteer to be commentators on panel discussions that will review conference areas.
Advanced research topics are especially welcome.
Focus areas for presentations include but are not limited to the following:
• Cuffe and early Pan-Africanism
• Paul Cuffe and James Forten
• Cuffe and his relationship to the Quakers
• Antislavery views of Cuffe
• Cuffe’s business and philanthropic ventures
• Colonization and Sierra Leone
• Early Nineteenth century African American and Native American Identity
• Nineteenth century Blacks in the maritime trades
• Cuffe’s influence in town of Westport, MA and Commonwealth of MA
There is no limit to the number of proposals that each speaker can submit and Program Co-chairs may select more than one proposal per speaker. All speakers will receive complimentary conference registration for their presentation. All presenters agree to participate at their own expense.
Each one-page proposal must include the following information:
• Title of lecture
• Brief but comprehensive lecture outline or abstract demonstrating the conference theme
• Short lecture summary (50 words or less) for the Conference brochure
• Speaker’s full name, address, email, telephone, and fax
• Brief speaker biography
• Resume of previous lecture experience
• Audio/visual requirements
Either mail or email proposals, postmarked any time before June 30, 2009.
Mail to:
Exploring Paul Cuffe
New Bedford Historical Society
21 Seventh Street
New Bedford, MA 02740
Or e-mail to Nbhistory@verizon.net with Paul Cuffe in the subject line. Proposal should be sent as an email text or as an attached document in Microsoft