| Between 1870 and 1900 New Bedford, Massachusetts experienced the decline of the whaling industry and the rapid growth of the textile industry. It was also during these years that the Portuguese settled in this New England port, arriving predominantly from the Azores, Madeira and the Cape Verde Islands. This study investigates Portuguese occupational and property mobility patterns; the impact of migrational, individual, and structural factors on their achievement in a new world is also examined.;The evidence presented indicates that the Portuguese were mainly located in unskilled occupational positions. As a group they experienced some degree of upward mobility, usually into semiskilled occupations and at best into skilled ones; any shifting to the nonmanual classifications was negligible. With regard to intragenerational mobility the majority of males did not move up no matter at what level their careers began. The rate of intergenerational mobility was modest. In contrast to the pattern of occupational immobility, the Portuguese made significant advances in the acquisition of homes, an achievement frequently made possible through the forfeiture of education.;This dissertation supports a multi-factor approach for explaining ethnic achievement. The fishing background of the Portuguese as well as their geographical location in the Atlantic made them desirable targets for recruitment as seamen, an occupation which paid them little and offered no opportunities for advancement. They initially became trapped at the bottom of the whaling industry and with its decline they found themselves again meeting the demand for large numbers of unskilled workers within textile manufacturing. Limited access to high status occupational gatekeepers, low literacy rates and a long-standing tradition of property ownership made upward occupational mobility impossible for most.;Using the Population Schedules of the 1870, 1880 and 1900 United States Censuses as the primary source data, the occupational status of all Portuguese males residing in the city was determined. The number of cases found was 293 in 1870, 389 in 1880 and 1997 in 1900. Information on property mobility was gathered from the 1900 Census Schedules which contained an item on home ownership. Histories, personal diaries, newspapers and ships' logs helped to portray nineteenth century daily life. |
