Programs Blog

July 27, 2025

Today we spent the day exploring Falmouth, which was a non-academic activity but allowed us to learn more about the history of the Cape. However, due to our lecture on Cape Cod’s history, this trip into town made me think more about its history even if we were just walking around. After hearing about the history of slavery in Cape Cod my mind was blown. Before this class I had only learned about slavery in the South and was oblivious to what took place here on the East Coast. I learned a lot about stereotypes when it comes to slavery. I learned that slaves were forced to do jobs like sailing, tailoring, working with a printing press, being blacksmiths, and much more. Many people viewed them as stupid and weak but really they were smart, strong, and most of all hardworking individuals giving their all to people who viewed them as objects. They were brought mostly from Brazil in large vessels. Not only were they treated poorly by those who “owned them“ but were starved and beaten on their way over to the U.S. They were constantly threatened with violence and food on these vessels.

After collaborating more with my peers about this topic, it showed me different options and questions I never thought to ask. This allowed us to go more in depth about the topic. This helped me understand more about how important history is to a town if we want to learn more about our marine life. This program has helped me want to explore more about ways we as humans can help fix the mess we began. Even just by slightly changing our daily habits we can help save marine life drastically. It also opened up my understanding on looking at different perspectives because there are always pros and cons of both sides. For example, when Kayla was speaking on the topic of deep ocean mining. After walking around town I learned how many local shops rely on the ocean to keep their businesses running. 

Cynthia Li