Nantucket -- While this seems to be a rather small boat in which to make your living, the vessels and tools of the whaling trade were state-of-the-art. As whales were hunted to near-extinction, the technology of sailing and slaying evolved to harvest them more efficiently from the corners of the earth.By 1745, Nantucket was the center of its own world. It's ships delivered oil directly to England and brought back goods without stopping by Boston or other North American ports. England gave the island favorable trading status while clamping down on commerce elsewhere in New England, activities that contributed to the Tea Party and eventually the American Revolution. In fact, the tea dumped into Boston Harbor was seized from Nantucket ships.Nantucket tried to stay neutral during the American Revolution so as to kill neither neighbor nor customer. The British and American navies did not return the compliment and seized their ships. The island could no longer support itself; nearly every tree became firewood.
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