Merchant Seamen, Sailortowns, and the Philanthropic Encounter in New York, 1843–1945

Abstract

From 1843 to the current day, the Seamen’s Church Institute has sustained a philanthropic project in the Port of New York with merchant seamen as its target. This chapter attempts to situate the case study of this philanthropic project within the methodology of coastal history, as introduced by Isaac Land, and articulated by the contributors to this volume. Additionally, it argues that sailortowns can function as historical microcosms, in that the study of social, cultural, and economic contestations that originated within sailortowns provides larger insights into macro-level studies of US history. Finally, the chapter argues for the study of maritime ministry as an essential source for identifying and resurfacing contestations within sailortowns.

The author would like to thank Dr. Kathleen D. McCarthy for her guidance on this topic.