19세기 미국의 포경업, 태평양, 그리고 아시아

The 19th Century American Whaling Business, the Pacific, and Asia

In the 19th century, before steamboats had replaced sailboats, crossing the wide Pacific Ocean was an extremely risky ordeal. However, since the beginning of American history, American whalers braved the wide Pacific in search of whales, which were valued for their blubber. Whale oil obtained from blubber had multiple uses but was primarily used as the main ingredient for making quality candles, various types of soap and, most importantly, lubricant for machinery before petroleum was first discovered in Pennsylvania in 1859. The period from the 1820s to the 1850s was the peak of the American whaling business. During this time, American whalers discovered new whaling grounds in the East Sea, which is located between the Japanese islands and the Korean peninsula. Because of frequent accidents that led to the sinking of a number of these vessels, the United States government required the aid of the Japanese to rescue its stranded whalers which laid the background for the signing of the Kanagawa Treaty between the United States and Japan in 1854. American whalers also found their way to Korea. In 1855, a year after the signing of the Kanagawa Treaty, four American whalers including, Thomas McGuire, were rescued by Koreans in Gangwon province. They had deserter the whaling ship, Two Brothers, which had left New Bedford, Massachusetts in 1854 and traveled to the East Sea. These four were eventually sent back to the United States via China after staying for approximately one month in Korea. In the meantime, they traveled through the northern part of the Korean peninsula, becoming the first Americans to experience Korean culture (Thomas McGuire and his friends were likely the first Americans to sample Kimchi). In sum, the search for whale guided American whalers to the East, where they would meet the Asian people.