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The Beginning of the Portuguese Immigration from the Azores Islands to the United States.

n the United States after the Revolutionary War, the opportunities on the expanding western frontier seemed more attractive for the young men, than the whaling industry. It soon became common practice to have the ship's officers be American and to enlist the crew from wherever they could be found. One place where men could be easily recruited was a small group of islands in the Atlantic known as the Azores or Western Islands.

The young men from the Azores Islands, signed on in increasing numbers and proved themselves so well that they were soon "sought after by the masters for their daring pursuit of the fish, hard working capacity, as well as for their quiet behavior on board."

The Azoreans quickly learned that whaling was a hard life, but so was the struggle to survive in their homeland. With any luck, though, an individual could end up in America without having spent any money for his passage, and even have enough money from his share of the voyage to enable him to get settled.

This was the beginning of the Portuguese immigration from the Azores Islands to the United States of America.