Editing New Bedford, Massachusetts (section)

==History==
{{see also|Timeline of New Bedford, Massachusetts}}
[[File:Gosnold at the Smoking Rocks, 1842.jpg|thumb|William Allen Wall's 1842 depiction of [[Wampanoag]] people meeting [[Bartholomew Gosnold]] and his crew upon their arrival in New Bedford in 1602<ref>{{Cite book|author=Ricketson, Daniel|url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/1263627689|title=The history of New Bedford, Bristol County, Massachusetts including a history of the old township of Dartmouth and the present townships of Westport, Dartmouth, and Fairhaven, from their settlement to the present time|date=1858|publisher=D. Ricketson|pages=17|oclc=1263627689|access-date=August 21, 2021|archive-date=February 15, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230215201353/https://worldcat.org/title/1263627689|url-status=live}}</ref>]]
Before the 17th century, the lands along the [[Acushnet River]] were inhabited by the [[Wampanoag people|Wampanoag]] Native Americans, who had settlements throughout southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island, including [[Martha's Vineyard]] and [[Nantucket, Massachusetts|Nantucket]]. Their population is believed to have been about 12,000.
[[File:Wôpanâak Nation c 1620-01.svg|thumb|Territories of the [[Wampanoag]] people around 1620, between first European explorations of the Acushnet River in 1602 and the establishment of Old Dartmouth in 1652.]]
On May 15, 1602, English explorer [[Bartholomew Gosnold]] in the ship ''Concord''<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|title=Evolution of Old Dartmouth - New Bedford Whaling Museum|url=https://www.whalingmuseum.org/learn/research-topics/regional-history/evolution-of-old-dartmouth/|access-date=August 21, 2021|website=www.whalingmuseum.org|date=March 12, 2021|language=en-US|archive-date=August 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210821032344/https://www.whalingmuseum.org/learn/research-topics/regional-history/evolution-of-old-dartmouth/|url-status=live}}</ref> landed on [[Cuttyhunk Island]] while exploring [[New England]]. From there, he explored [[Cape Cod]] and the neighboring areas, including the site of present-day New Bedford. Gosnold left and settled in the [[Jamestown, Virginia|Jamestown Colony]] of [[Colony of Virginia|Virginia]].<ref name=":4" />

=== Old Dartmouth ===
[[File:A Deed Appointed to be Recorded (Dartmouth Purchase) 1652.pdf|thumb|Purchase deed from November 29, 1652, for Old Dartmouth.<ref name="gilderlehrman.org">{{Cite web|title=A Deed Appointed to be Recorded. {{!}} Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History|url=https://www.gilderlehrman.org/collection/glc02924002|access-date=August 22, 2021|website=www.gilderlehrman.org|archive-date=August 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210822052019/https://www.gilderlehrman.org/collection/glc02924002|url-status=live}}</ref>]]
In 1652, English colonists purchased [[Old Dartmouth]]—a region of {{convert|115,000|acres|km2}} that is now [[Dartmouth, Massachusetts|Dartmouth]], [[Acushnet, Massachusetts|Acushnet]], New Bedford, [[Fairhaven, Massachusetts|Fairhaven]], and [[Westport, Massachusetts|Westport]]—in a treaty between the Wampanoag, represented by Chief Ousamequin '''('''[[Massasoit]]) and his son [[Wamsutta]], and [[John Winslow (1597–1674)|John Winslow]], [[William Bradford (governor)|William Bradford]], [[Myles Standish]], Thomas Southworth, and John Cooke.<ref name="gilderlehrman.org"/><ref name=":4" /> While the Europeans considered themselves full owners of the land through the transaction, the Wampanoag have disputed this claim because the concept of [[land ownership]]—in contrast with hunting, fishing, and farming rights—was a foreign concept to them.<ref name=":4" />

==== Quakers ====
{{Further|New Bedford Meeting House}}Members of the [[Quakers|Religious Society of Friends]], also known as [[Quakers]], were among the early European settlers on the [[South Coast (Massachusetts)|South Coast]].<ref name=":5">{{Cite web|last=Wittenberg|first=Ariel|title=The story of Dartmouth's first settlers: The Quakers|url=https://www.southcoasttoday.com/article/20140602/NEWS/140609959|access-date=February 3, 2020|website=southcoasttoday.com|language=en|archive-date=February 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200203160504/https://www.southcoasttoday.com/article/20140602/NEWS/140609959|url-status=live}}</ref> They had faced persecution in the [[Puritans|Puritan]] communities of [[Plymouth Colony]] and [[Massachusetts Bay Colony]]; the latter banned the Quakers in 1656–1657.<ref name=":6">{{Cite book|last=Lukesh|first=Susan Snow|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4X_bCwAAQBAJ&q=Plymouth_Colony_and_Massachusetts_Bay_quaker_dartmouth_1652&pg=PA31|title=Frozen in Time: An Early Carte de Visite Album from New Bedford, Massachusetts|date=February 15, 2016|publisher=Lulu.com|isbn=978-1-4834-3920-4|language=en|access-date=September 3, 2021|archive-date=February 15, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230215201351/https://books.google.com/books?id=4X_bCwAAQBAJ&q=Plymouth_Colony_and_Massachusetts_Bay_quaker_dartmouth_1652&pg=PA31|url-status=live}}</ref> When the Massachusetts Bay Colony annexed the Plymouth Colony in 1691, Quakers already represented a majority of the population of Old Dartmouth.<ref name=":6" /> In 1699, with the support of [[Peleg Slocum]], the Quakers built their first [[meeting house]] in Old Dartmouth, where the [[Apponegansett Meeting House]] is now located.<ref>{{Cite book|author=Ricketson, Daniel|url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/1263627689|title=The history of New Bedford, Bristol County, Massachusetts including a history of the old township of Dartmouth and the present townships of Westport, Dartmouth, and Fairhaven, from their settlement to the present time|date=1858|publisher=D. Ricketson|oclc=1263627689|access-date=August 21, 2021|archive-date=February 15, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230215201353/https://worldcat.org/title/1263627689|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":5" />

At first, the Old Dartmouth territory was devoid of major town centers, and instead had isolated farms and small, decentralized villages, such as [[Russells Mills Village Historic District|Russells' Mills]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Old Dartmouth Purchase|url=https://www.whalingmuseum.org/explore/exhibitions/harboring-hope-in-old-dartmouth/old-dartmouth-purchase|access-date=February 3, 2020|website=New Bedford Whaling Museum|language=en|archive-date=February 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200203160505/https://www.whalingmuseum.org/explore/exhibitions/harboring-hope-in-old-dartmouth/old-dartmouth-purchase|url-status=dead}}</ref> One reason for this is that the inhabitants enjoyed their independence from the Plymouth Colony and they did not want the Plymouth court to appoint them a minister.<ref name=":6" />

At this time, the economy primarily ran on agriculture and fishing. The availability of land attracted many Quakers and [[Baptists]] from [[Newport, Rhode Island|Newport]] and [[Portsmouth, Rhode Island|Portsmouth]] in [[Rhode Island]], as well as more waves of Puritan migration.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}

==== King Philip's War ====
The rising European population and increasing demand for land led the colonists' relationship with the indigenous inhabitants of New England to deteriorate. European encroachment and disregard for the terms of the Old Dartmouth Purchase led to [[King Philip's War]] in 1675.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book|last1=Arato|first1=Christine A.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sypwQ2nRv4cC&pg=PA2 |title=Safety Moored at Last: History, existing conditions, analysis, preliminary preservation issues|last2=Eleey|first2=Patrick L.|date=1998|publisher=National Park Service|isbn=978-0-912627-66-3|language=en}}</ref> In this conflict, [[Wampanoag]] tribesmen, allied with the [[Narragansett people|Narragansett]] and the [[Nipmuc]], raided Old Dartmouth and other European settlements in the area.<ref name=":3" /> Europeans in Old Dartmouth garrisoned in sturdier homes—John Russell's home at [[Russells Mills Village Historic District|Russells Mills]], John Cooke's home in [[Fairhaven, Massachusetts|Fairhaven]], and a third garrison on [[Palmer Island Light|Palmer Island]].<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.whalingmuseum.org/explore/exhibitions/harboring-hope-in-old-dartmouth/conflict|title=Conflict - Irreconcilable Differences|website=New Bedford Whaling Museum|language=en|access-date=February 3, 2020|archive-date=February 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200203160929/https://www.whalingmuseum.org/explore/exhibitions/harboring-hope-in-old-dartmouth/conflict|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== New Bedford ===
A section of Old Dartmouth near the west bank of the Acushnet River, originally called Bedford Village, was officially incorporated as the [[New England town|town]] of New Bedford on February 23, 1787, after the [[American Revolutionary War]]. The name was suggested by the Russell family, who were prominent citizens of the community. The [[Dukes of Bedford]], a leading English aristocratic house, also bore the surname Russell. ([[Bedford, Massachusetts]], had been incorporated in 1729; hence "New" Bedford.)

The late 18th century was a time of growth for the town. A small whale fishery developed, as well as modest international trade. In the 1760s, between the [[Seven Years' War]] and the [[American Revolution]], shipwrights, carpenters, mechanics, and blacksmiths, settled around New Bedford harbor, creating a skilled and comprehensive maritime community.

New Bedford's first newspaper, ''The Medley'' (also known as the ''New Bedford Marine Journal''), was founded in 1792.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83020640/|title=The Medley, or, Newbedford marine journal|via=chroniclingamerica.loc.gov|access-date=March 4, 2013|archive-date=July 13, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140713045121/http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83020640/|url-status=live}}</ref> On June 12, 1792, the town set up its first post office. William Tobey was its first postmaster. The construction of a bridge (originally a toll bridge) between New Bedford and present-day Fairhaven in 1796 also spurred growth. (Fairhaven separated from New Bedford in 1812, forming an independent town that included both present-day Fairhaven and present-day Acushnet.)

=== Whaling City ===
Nantucket had been the dominant whaling port, though the industry was controlled by a cartel of merchants in Boston, Newport, and Providence. In the 1760s, Nantucket's most prominent whaling families moved to New Bedford, refining their own oil and making their own premium candles.

The [[American Revolutionary War]] completely paralyzed the whaling industry. [[List of British units in the American Revolutionary War|British forces]] blockaded American ports and captured or destroyed American commercial ships; they even [[Grey's raid|marched down King's Street]] in New Bedford (defiantly renamed Union Street after the Revolution) and set businesses on fire.
[[File:Lowering Boats 01.jpg|thumb|''Lowering Boats'' by [[Clifford Warren Ashley]], held at the [[New Bedford Whaling Museum]].]]
[[Nantucket during the American Revolutionary War era|Nantucket]] was even more exposed, and the physical destruction, frozen economy, and import taxes imposed after the war obliterated previous fortunes. New Bedford also had a deeper harbor and was located on the mainland. As a result, New Bedford supplanted Nantucket as the nation's preeminent [[whaling]] port, and so began the Golden Age of Whaling. [[Nantucket during the American Revolutionary War era|William Rotch]] (owner of the ''Dartmouth'' of the [[Boston Tea Party]]) and Samuel Rodman were important Quaker businessmen in the whaling industry.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Crabtree|first=Sarah|title=Before the Rockefellers, there were the Rotches, Part 1 of 13|url=https://nha.org/research/nantucket-history/history-topics/before-the-rockefellers-there-were-the-rotches/|access-date=August 23, 2021|website=Nantucket Historical Association|language=en-US|archive-date=August 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210823160316/https://nha.org/research/nantucket-history/history-topics/before-the-rockefellers-there-were-the-rotches/|url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:New Bedford, Massachusetts-old harbor.jpeg|thumb|The New Bedford waterfront in 1867.]]

After the [[War of 1812]]'s embargo was lifted, New Bedford started amassing a number of colossal, sturdy, square-rigged whaling ships, many of them built at the shipyard of [[Mattapoisett, Massachusetts|Mattapoisett]]. The invention of on-board [[trywork]]s, a system of massive iron pots over a brick furnace, allowed the whalers to render high quality oil from the blubber.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/nebe/learn/historyculture/whalehunt.htm|title=Whale Hunt - New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service)|last1=Bedford|first1=Mailing Address: 33 William Street New|last2=Us|first2=MA 02740 Phone: 508-996-4095 Contact|website=www.nps.gov|language=en|access-date=February 3, 2020|archive-date=February 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200203165258/https://www.nps.gov/nebe/learn/historyculture/whalehunt.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> This allowed the whaling ships to go out to sea for as long as four years, processing their catch while at sea.<ref name=":0" /> Ships from New Bedford came back to port with [[Whale oil|barrels of oil]], [[spermaceti]], and occasionally [[ambergris]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/nebe/learn/historyculture/whaleproducts.htm|title=Whale Products {{!}} Whaling - New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service)|last1=Bedford|first1=Mailing Address: 33 William Street New|last2=Us|first2=MA 02740 Phone: 508-996-4095 Contact|website=www.nps.gov|language=en|access-date=February 3, 2020|archive-date=February 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200203165259/https://www.nps.gov/nebe/learn/historyculture/whaleproducts.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:New_Bedford_station_postcard_(2).jpg|thumb|[[New Bedford station|Old Colony Railroad Station]] in New Bedford, as it looked {{circa|1907}}–1915. As early as [[New Bedford and Taunton Railroad|1840]], New Bedford was integrated into the northeastern economy by rail.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://oldrailhistory.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=238&Itemid=273|title=oldrailhistory.com|website=oldrailhistory.com|access-date=February 17, 2020|archive-date=May 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200529143608/http://oldrailhistory.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=238&Itemid=273|url-status=live}}</ref>]]
Whaling dominated New Bedford's economy for much of the century, and many families of the city were involved with it as crew and officers of ships. The Quakers remained prominent and influential in New Bedford throughout the whaling era. They brought religious values into their business models, promoting stability as well as prosperity, investing in infrastructure projects such as rail, and employing [[Equal opportunity|without discrimination]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.whalingmuseum.org/learn/research-topics/cultural-communities|title=Cultural Communities and Identities|website=New Bedford Whaling Museum|language=en|access-date=February 3, 2020|archive-date=February 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200203163809/https://www.whalingmuseum.org/learn/research-topics/cultural-communities|url-status=dead}}</ref> They established solid social and economic relationships with [[Boston]], [[New York City|New York]], and [[Philadelphia]], integrating New Bedford into the [[Northeast megalopolis|urban northeastern economy]].

Ten thousand men worked in the whaling industry. During this period, New Bedford's population increased from approximately 4,000 in 1820 to about 24,000 in 1860.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=DeWitt|first=John|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3-Ml4U5EkxsC&pg=PA66|title=Early Globalization and the Economic Development of the United States and Brazil|date=2002|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-275-97199-1|language=en|access-date=June 26, 2020|archive-date=February 15, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230215201352/https://books.google.com/books?id=3-Ml4U5EkxsC&pg=PA66|url-status=live}}</ref> At the height of the whaling industry in 1857, the harbor hosted 329 vessels worth over $12&nbsp;million, and New Bedford became the [[Per capita income|richest city per capita]] in North America.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20180719-the-city-that-lit-the-world|title=The city that lit the world|last=MacEacheran|first=Mike|website=www.bbc.com|date=July 20, 2018 |language=en|access-date=February 3, 2020|archive-date=February 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200221013926/http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20180719-the-city-that-lit-the-world|url-status=live}}</ref>

On March 18, 1847, the town of New Bedford officially became a city; Abraham Hathaway Howland was elected its first mayor.

=== Land of Opportunity ===
{{main|Abolitionism in New Bedford, Massachusetts}}
[[File:Friends Meeting House, Spring Street, New Bedford, MA, 1933, Library of Congress.png|thumb|The [[New Bedford Meeting House]], built in 1822, replaced an earlier [[Quakers|Quaker]] [[Friends meeting house|meeting house]] on Spring Street.]]
The [[Quakers]] of New Bedford applied their principles of [[egalitarianism]] and [[Community building|community-building]] in their businesses.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/nebe/learn/historyculture/quakers.htm|title=Quakers - New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service)|last1=Bedford|first1=Mailing Address: 33 William Street New|last2=Us|first2=MA 02740 Phone: 508-996-4095 Contact|website=www.nps.gov|language=en|access-date=February 14, 2020|archive-date=February 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200215011415/https://www.nps.gov/nebe/learn/historyculture/quakers.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> On the boats, at the docks, at the factories, or in the shops—British, [[Wampanoag]], [[Cape Verdeans|Cape Verdean]], [[Azores|Azorean]], [[Irish people|Irish]], and [[West Africa]]n hands found work in New Bedford.<ref name=":1" />

New Bedford also became one of the first centers of [[Abolitionism in the United States|abolitionism in North America]], and an important stop on the [[Underground Railroad]]. Many people were attracted by New Bedford's relatively open-minded atmosphere. For example, [[Paul Cuffe]]—an [[Ashanti Empire|Ashanti]]-[[Wampanoag]] Quaker and self-made tycoon<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|last1=Appiah|first1=Anthony|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TMZMAgAAQBAJ&pg=RA1-PA283|title=Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience|last2=Gates|first2=Henry Louis|date=2005|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-517055-9|language=en|access-date=June 26, 2020|archive-date=February 15, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230215201353/https://books.google.com/books?id=TMZMAgAAQBAJ&pg=RA1-PA283|url-status=live}}</ref>—among several other remarkable achievements earned black property owners in New Bedford the right to vote decades before [[Abraham Lincoln]] even signed the [[Emancipation Proclamation]].<ref name=":2" /> [[Lewis Temple]], an African-American [[blacksmith]], invented the Temple toggle iron, which was the most successful harpoon design.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://nbhistoricalsociety.org/Important-Figures/lewis-temple/|title=Lewis Temple – New Bedford Historical Society|language=en-US|access-date=February 15, 2020|archive-date=January 31, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200131120635/http://nbhistoricalsociety.org/Important-Figures/lewis-temple/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Frederick Douglass]], the famous social reformer and orator, also found amnesty in New Bedford and worked at the wharf for three years.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.whalingmuseum.org/learn/frederick-douglass|title=Frederick Douglass (circa 1818-1895) – From Slavery to Freedom|website=New Bedford Whaling Museum|language=en|access-date=February 15, 2020|archive-date=February 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200215005918/https://www.whalingmuseum.org/learn/frederick-douglass|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Whaling decline ===
The whaling industry went into decline after the [[Pennsylvania oil rush|1859 discovery of petroleum]] in Pennsylvania. Each decade thenceforth saw a gradual decrease in whaling work, activity, and revenue. During the Civil War, the [[Confederate States of America|Confederacy]] engaged in [[commerce raiding]] with ships such as the [[CSS Alabama|''Alabama'']], the [[CSS Florida (cruiser)|''Florida'']], and the [[CSS Shenandoah|''Shenandoah'']], trying to attack the [[Whaling in the United States|Yankee whaling industry]] and sabotage the US economy.<ref name="Yankee Whaling">{{Cite web|url=https://www.whalingmuseum.org/learn/research-topics/overview-of-north-american-whaling/american-whaling|title=Yankee Whaling|website=New Bedford Whaling Museum|language=en|access-date=February 15, 2020|archive-date=February 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200215013609/https://www.whalingmuseum.org/learn/research-topics/overview-of-north-american-whaling/american-whaling|url-status=live}}</ref> Additionally, the US federal government bought several inactive [[whaler]]s, filled them with stones, sand, and dirt, and towed them to [[Charleston, South Carolina|Charleston]], South Carolina, where the [[Union Navy]] sank what became known as the [[Stone Fleet]] in an unsuccessful attempt to blockade the Confederate bay.<ref name="Yankee Whaling"/> Along with the poor business and low whale populations, this dealt a potent blow to a failing industry.

=== Textile industry ===
[[File:View of the city of New Bedford, Mass., 1876 LOC 2005628469.tif|thumb|New Bedford in 1876]]
[[File:Massachusetts - New Bedford - NARA - 23941315 (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|New Bedford Cotton Mill in 1923]]
In the midst of this decline, greater New Bedford's economy became more dependent on the [[textile industry]], which began to eclipse the whaling industry in the late 19th century. The mills grew and expanded constantly, eventually comprising multiple sites along the [[Acushnet River]]. In 1875 alone, the [[Wamsutta Mills]] processed 19,000 bales of cotton into 20&nbsp;million yards of cloth, which had a wholesale value comparable to that of the entire whaling catch, and continued to produce over 20&nbsp;million yards of cloth yearly after 1883.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Hough|first=Henry Beetle|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BzcEAAAAMAAJ&q=19,000+wamsutta+mills|title=Wamsutta of New Bedford, 1846-1946: A Story of New England Enterprise|date=1946|publisher=Wamsutta Mills|language=en|access-date=June 26, 2020|archive-date=February 15, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230215201421/https://books.google.com/books?id=BzcEAAAAMAAJ&q=19,000+wamsutta+mills|url-status=live}}</ref> The Wamsutta Mills remained the world's largest weaving plant until 1892.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.historic-structures.com/ma/new_bedford/wamsutta_mill.php|title=Wamsutta Mill, New Bedford Massachusetts|work=Historic Structures|access-date=February 15, 2020|archive-date=January 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200110050538/http://www.historic-structures.com/ma/new_bedford/wamsutta_mill.php|url-status=live}}</ref>

The textile mills redefined wealth in New Bedford, and gave birth to a prosperity greater than that of the whaling industry.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.whalingmuseum.org/programs/migration-and-mill-work-2017/|title=Migration and Mill Work|website=New Bedford Whaling Museum|language=en|access-date=February 15, 2020|archive-date=February 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200215014748/https://www.whalingmuseum.org/programs/migration-and-mill-work-2017/|url-status=dead}}</ref> New Bedford, funded by industrial fortunes, developed a thriving art scene. The [[Pairpoint Glass|Mount Washington Glass Company]] (which later became [[Pairpoint Glass|Pairpoint]]) crafted works of glass and silver for the newly affluent class, and examples of these works can be seen today on the second floor of the [[New Bedford Whaling Museum]].{{citation needed|date=March 2020}}

In the 1920s, local employers came under competitive pressure from new textile factories in the low-wage South.<ref name="Foner10-165">Foner, Philip S. (1994) ''History of the Labor Movement in the United States: Volume 10,'' New York, International Publishers pp. 164-165.</ref> In April 1928 their demand for a 10 percent across the board [[1928 New Bedford textile strike|cut in wages was met with strike action]]. After considerable controversy control of the large-scale work stoppage passed from the [[Communist Party USA|Communist-led]] Textile Mill Committee (TMC) to sundry [[craft union]]s affiliated with the [[American Federation of Labor]] who, agreeing to a five percent wage cut, ended the strike in October.<ref name="Foner10-165" /> Wage reductions were not enough to arrest the long-term competitive decline of the local textile industry.

<gallery mode="packed" caption="Photographs taken by [[Lewis Hine]] for the [[National Child Labor Committee|NCLC]].">
File:Wamsutta-Mill-1912-Hines.jpg
File:Manuel Sousa and family, 306-2(nd) St., On right end is brother-in-law; next (to) him is father who works on the river; next is Manuel (appears to be 12 years old) wearing sweater and has LOC cph.3b12096.jpg
File:Young messenger in New Bedford. LOC nclc.03743.jpg
File:All work in the Butler Mills. LOC nclc.02251.jpg
</gallery>

===Immigration===
Until 1800, New Bedford and its surrounding communities were, by and large, populated by Protestants of English, Scottish, Welsh, and Dutch origin. During the first half of the 19th century many Irish people came to Massachusetts. In 1818, Irish immigrants established the Catholic mission that built St. Mary's Church. Later in that century, immigrants from [[Kingdom of Portugal|Portugal]] and its colonial possessions in the Atlantic—[[Cape Verde]], the [[Azores]], and [[Madeira]]—began arriving in New Bedford and the surrounding area, attracted by jobs in the whaling industry; many had family members who had worked on whaling ships. As the [[Luso-American|Portuguese community]] began to increase in population, it established the first Portuguese parish in the city, [[St. John the Baptist Church (New Bedford, Massachusetts)|St. John the Baptist]] (1871). French Canadians also secured a foothold in New Bedford at about the same time, and they built the Church of the Sacred Heart in 1877.

[[File:PurchaseStreetNewBedfordMA.jpg|thumb|North Congregational Church, Purchase Street, 1906]]Similarly, [[Polish Americans|Polish immigrants]] began arriving in the late 19th century and established the parish of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in 1903. A number of [[History of the Jews in the United States|Jewish]] families, arriving in the late 19th century, were active in the whaling industry, selling provisions and outfitting ships. During the years leading up to the [[World War I|First World War]], a sizable eastern-European Jewish community joined them in New Bedford. Some became prominent merchants and businessmen, mainly in textiles and manufacturing.

===Modern history===

[[File:Portuguese-American Veterans Monument New Bedford w Flags.jpg|thumb|Monument to [[Portuguese-American]] Veterans]]
[[File:New Bedford, Massachusetts-view of harbor.jpeg|thumb|View of boats docked at New Bedford]]
Fishing and manufacturing continue to be two of the largest businesses in the area, and healthcare has become a major employer. The three largest single employers based in New Bedford are [[Southcoast Hospitals Group]], one of the top ten employers in Massachusetts (healthcare), [[Titleist]] (golf clubs, balls, apparel, manufacturing), and Riverside Manufacturing (apparel manufacturing).

According to a 2001 study by the [[University of Massachusetts Dartmouth]] Center for Policy Analysis, the three largest employment sectors in the Greater New Bedford area (the area includes New Bedford and Acushnet, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Freetown, Lakeville, Marion, Mattapoisett, Rochester, and Wareham) were as follows: services (26% of total employment); wholesale trade (22%); manufacturing (19%). The largest industries by employment in the area were as follows: health services, eating and drinking places, wholesale trade, food stores, and social services.

In 2002, the city received $61,194,358 in taxation revenue, $44,536,201 in local receipts, and $12,044,152 classified as ''other available''.

In 2005 the unemployment rate was 7.3%, having dropped throughout the 1990s from 12.5% to 5.3% in 2000, and then having risen to 10.4% in 2003. By 2009, in the midst of the economic crisis of the era, the unemployment rate got as high as 12.4%.

In 2005, the city received $104,925,772 for education, and $22,755,439 for general government from the [[Massachusetts|State of Massachusetts]].

In 2016, the city hopes its proximity to Massachusetts' southern coastline will allow it to become a center for the growing [[Wind power|wind energy]] market. Three companies, OffshoreMW, [[Deepwater Wind]], and [[DONG Energy]], have leased portions of New Bedford's Marine Commerce Terminal for the staging of turbines and platforms.<ref>{{cite news|last=Associated|first=Press|url=http://www.bostonherald.com/business/business_markets/2016/09/offshore_wind_firms_agree_to_use_new_bedford_terminal|title=Offshore wind firms agree to use New Bedford terminal|date=September 6, 2016|work=[[Boston Herald]]|access-date=September 7, 2016|archive-date=September 7, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160907141805/http://www.bostonherald.com/business/business_markets/2016/09/offshore_wind_firms_agree_to_use_new_bedford_terminal|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Establishments===
In 1847, the New Bedford Horticultural Society was begun by James Arnold.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newbedford.com/chrono.html|title=History of New Bedford|website=www.newbedford.com|access-date=March 1, 2013|archive-date=March 13, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130313074705/http://www.newbedford.com/chrono.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The [[Ash Street Jail]], which houses inmates from Bristol County, is located in New Bedford. It opened in 1829 and is the oldest continuously operating jail in the United States.<ref>[http://blogs.southcoasttoday.com/new-bedford-crime/2011/10/05/new-bedfords-ash-street-jail/ "New Bedford's Ash Street Jail"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131015125528/http://blogs.southcoasttoday.com/new-bedford-crime/2011/10/05/new-bedfords-ash-street-jail/ |date=October 15, 2013 }}, ''South Coast Today'' blog, October 5, 2011</ref>

[[Fort Taber]] and Fort Rodman (also called the "Fort at Clark's Point") were built during the American Civil War and are now in Fort Taber Park. Both forts are often called Fort Taber, including in some references.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Weaver II |first1=John R. |title=A Legacy in Brick and Stone: American Coastal Defense Forts of the Third System, 1816-1867 |pages=92–94, 103 |publisher=Redoubt Press |location=McLean, VA |year=2001 |isbn=1-57510-069-X}}</ref>