Shipping Commissioners Act of 1872
Encyclopedia
The Shipping Commissioners Act of 1872 was a United States
law dealing with American mariners serving in the United States Merchant Marine
.
Among other things, the act:
The presence of a shipping commissioner was intended to ensure the sailor wasn't "forcibly or unknowingly signed on by a crimp."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
law dealing with American mariners serving in the United States Merchant Marine
United States Merchant Marine
The United States Merchant Marine refers to the fleet of U.S. civilian-owned merchant vessels, operated by either the government or the private sector, that engage in commerce or transportation of goods and services in and out of the navigable waters of the United States. The Merchant Marine is...
.
Among other things, the act:
- was passed to combat crimps.
- required that a sailor had to sign on to a ship in the presence of a federal shipping commissioner.
- required that a seaman be paid off in person.
The presence of a shipping commissioner was intended to ensure the sailor wasn't "forcibly or unknowingly signed on by a crimp."
See also
- ShanghaiingShanghaiingShanghaiing refers to the practice of conscripting men as sailors by coercive techniques such as trickery, intimidation, or violence. Those engaged in this form of kidnapping were known as crimps. Until 1915, unfree labor was widely used aboard American merchant ships...
- Maritime history of the United States