Edward M. Kennedy: “Today Senator Kerry and I are introducing a bill to establish a Whaling National Historical Park in New Bedford, MA.…”

“Today Senator Kerry and I are introducing a bill to establish a Whaling National Historical Park in New Bedford, MA. Congressman Barney Frank is introducing an identical bill in the House. The legislation follows the recommendations of a National Park Service special resource study begun in 1990, which evaluated the historic resources of New Bedford for possible inclusion in the National Park System. That study, completed in November 1993, noted the important role of whaling in 19th century American history. It found that this theme is not currently presented in the National Park System, and that New Bedford would be the ideal site for a park commemorating that history. As the former whaling capital of the world, New Bedford provided the oil that fueled the Nation's lamps and kept the wheels of the Industrial Revolution turning. So prosperous was the whaling industry that, by mid-19th century, it had made New Bedford the wealthiest city, per capita, in the world. New Bedford's whaling history raises many social and economic themes that are essential to a full understanding of our American heritage.”