36 Facts About James Forten

James Forten was an American abolitionist and businessman in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

James Forten used his wealth and social standing to work for civil rights for African Americans in both the city and nationwide.

James Forten affirmed African Americans' claim to a stake in the United States of America.

James Forten persuaded William Lloyd Garrison to adopt an anti-colonization position and helped fund his newspaper The Liberator, frequently publishing letters on public issues.

James Forten became vice-president of the biracial American Anti-Slavery Society, founded in 1833, and worked for national abolition of slavery.

However, Thomas Forten died young, and his son James started to work at the age of seven to help his mother and sister.

James Forten attended the African School, run by Quaker abolitionist Anthony Benezet, who founded it to educate black children free of charge.

James Forten's mother insisted that he continue in school, but by the age of nine, Forten had left school to work full-time.

At the age of 14, during the Revolutionary War, Forten served on the privateer Royal Louis, commanded by Captain Stephen Decatur Sr.

James Forten was fortunate as he was exchanged after seven months' imprisonment.

James Forten was released on parole after giving a promise not to fight in the war.

James Forten walked from Brooklyn to Philadelphia to return to his mother and sister.

James Forten signed up on a merchant ship, which sailed to England.

James Forten lived and worked there for more than a year in a London shipyard.

When James Forten returned to Philadelphia in 1790, he became apprenticed to sail-maker Robert Bridges, his father's former employer and a family friend.

At Bridges' retirement in 1798, James Forten bought the sail loft.

James Forten created the conditions he worked for in society, employing both black and white workers.

James Forten married twice: his first wife, Martha Beatte of Darby Township, Delaware County, died after only a few months of marriage.

James Forten felt a sense of obligation to work on these issues of his community.

James Forten believed the bill was a step backward for black Pennsylvanians.

James Forten wanted the many respectable citizens of the black community to be recognized and valued.

James Forten had supported Paul Cuffee, a Boston shipbuilder, who in 1815 transported 38 free blacks to Sierra Leone, with the idea they could make a better life where not impeded by white racism.

James Forten was well aware of continuing problems due to harsh discrimination against blacks in the United States.

At the meeting, James Forten called for a vote, asking who favored colonization.

James Forten absorbed his community's arguments and noted that most American blacks had been in the United States for many generations and had claim to it as their land.

James Forten gained official recognition for the nation from France for the first time, but at the cost of a high indemnity that crippled the country financially for generations.

James Forten appealed to American free blacks to immigrate there and help its development.

James Forten firmly believed that Blacks should be allowed to play an equal role in their land of the United States.

James Forten consistently said that it was far better for them to fight for an egalitarian US society rather than to flee the country.

James Forten helped William Lloyd Garrison start up his newspaper, The Liberator, in 1831, supporting it financially.

James Forten knew how to use the press and the speaker's podium.

James Forten knew about building alliances, when to back down and when to press forwards with his agenda.

James Forten's rise to prominence, his understanding of the nature of power and authority, his determination to speak out and be heard are object lessons in the realities of community politics.

James Forten managed his sail loft and stayed active in the abolitionist movement until very late in his life, continuing to write for The Liberator.

James Forten died on March 4,1842, at the age of 75 in Philadelphia.

James Forten died on March 4,1842, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and is interred at Eden Cemetery in Collingdale, Pennsylvania.