▁was ▁not ▁produced ▁through ▁the ▁use ▁of ▁ens la ved ▁people . ▁ ▁African - Amer icans ▁who ▁fled ▁their ▁master s ▁were ▁purs ued ▁with ▁the ▁goal ▁of ▁returning ▁them ▁to ▁sla very . ▁New ▁Bed ford ▁business ▁people ▁would ▁not ▁let ▁that ▁happen , ▁partly ▁because ▁it ▁would ▁have ▁affected ▁their ▁labor ▁pool . ▁Some ▁wealth y ▁employ ers ▁helped ▁their ▁black ▁employees ▁purchase ▁homes ▁by ▁loan ing ▁them ▁money . ▁ ▁African - American ▁community ▁ ▁New ▁Bed ford ▁became ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁optimal ▁environments ▁for ▁fug itive ▁slaves ▁between ▁ 1 7 9 0 ▁and ▁the ▁American ▁Civil ▁War . ▁Henry ▁Box ▁Brown ▁and ▁Frederick ▁Doug lass ▁were ▁among ▁about ▁ 7 0 0 ▁former ▁slaves ▁who ▁found ▁san ctu ary ▁in ▁New ▁Bed ford . ▁Account s ▁of ▁their ▁experiences , ▁slave ▁narr atives , ▁were ▁published ▁and ▁circul ated ▁by ▁abol ition ists . ▁ ▁New ▁Bed ford ▁was ▁a ▁small ▁town ▁of ▁ 3 , 0 0 0 ▁until ▁the ▁growth ▁of ▁the ▁wh aling ▁industry ▁there , ▁and ▁became ▁known ▁as ▁the ▁wh aling ▁capital ▁of ▁the ▁world . ▁Between ▁ 1 8 3 0 ▁and ▁ 1 8 4 0 , ▁the ▁town ▁grew ▁ 6 0 % ▁to ▁about ▁ 1 2 , 0 0 0 ▁people ▁in ▁ 1 8 4 0 . ▁The ▁population ▁of ▁black ▁people ▁was ▁ 7 6 7 , ▁a ▁higher ▁percentage ▁of ▁the ▁population ▁than ▁any ▁other ▁community ▁in ▁Massachusetts . ▁▁ ▁Working ▁on ▁ships ,