In the city of Taunton, Massachusetts, Portuguese music and dance culture still thrives to this day. There are numerous restaurants and festivities that take place in the city that keep the culture alive. With the Portuguese-American population being about 35% of the people in Taunton, most of the Portuguese were either Azorean or Cape Verdean.
Why did the Portuguese come here?
The first large migration of the Portuguese to the Taunton area in the 18th Century was due to the whaling industry. There had been whaling ships with ports in New Bedford which had routes that led across the Portuguese Archipelago of the Azores. This attracted many sailors from the Azores and Cape Verde. By the 1880's, Azoreans and Cape Verdeans would start coming to the Taunton area for other reasons besides whaling such as manufacturing and farming. Eventually, this migration came to a stop due to literacy tests instituted by the U.S. government in 1917 and immigration laws in 1924. Although, later in 1958 there was a volcanic eruption on the island of Faial which caused a lot of destruction. This led to a law being passed in Congress to allow Azoreans to come here. As time went on and more liberal laws came about, many Portuguese would come to Taunton simply because they knew family there.
Why did the Portuguese come here?
The first large migration of the Portuguese to the Taunton area in the 18th Century was due to the whaling industry. There had been whaling ships with ports in New Bedford which had routes that led across the Portuguese Archipelago of the Azores. This attracted many sailors from the Azores and Cape Verde. By the 1880's, Azoreans and Cape Verdeans would start coming to the Taunton area for other reasons besides whaling such as manufacturing and farming. Eventually, this migration came to a stop due to literacy tests instituted by the U.S. government in 1917 and immigration laws in 1924. Although, later in 1958 there was a volcanic eruption on the island of Faial which caused a lot of destruction. This led to a law being passed in Congress to allow Azoreans to come here. As time went on and more liberal laws came about, many Portuguese would come to Taunton simply because they knew family there.