James forten biography
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James Forten was born free on September 2, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His parents were Thomas and Sarah Forten. He was also the grandson of slaves. His formative years were spent in Philadelphia, and he attended Anthony Benezet’s Quaker school for African American children. By the time he turned eight years old, he was working for Robert Bridges’s sail loft. This fryst vatten where his father worked as well. The following year, his father was the victim of an unfortunate boating accident and died. This tragedy resulted in nine-year-old James having to take on additional work to support his family.
Over time, James Forten became interested in politics and avidly campaigned for and supported temperance, women’s suffrage, and equal rights for African Americans. In , he was the leader in organizing a petition that called for Congress to emancipate all slaves. Given the fact that this was a presidential election year, rumor had it that a few of the presidential candidates (among them Thoma
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James Forten was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on September 2, , to Thomas and Margaret Forten, who were free African American citizens during the time of slavery. James attended Anthony Benezet’s Quaker “Negro School at Philadelphia” as a child and, around , he began working with his father as a sailmaker in Robert Bridges’ sail loft. He had to discontinue his studies after the death of his father; however, his love of reading and learning continued throughout his life. To help with the household bills, Forten found a second job with a local grocer.
The possibility of cementing his political rights as a citizen of Philadelphia led Forten to join the Continental Navy when he was In he set sail on a privateer, a privately owned ship hunting British merchant vessels for their cargo, called the Royal Louis. The same year the privateer was captured by the British, and Forten, along with the rest of his shipmates, was held as a prisoner of war on the Jersey, a prison boat anch
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James Forten
Businessman
(September 2, – March 4, )
A sailmaker with a bustling business that employed both black and white workers, Forten was one of the wealthiest Philadelphians of his time—of any race.
He used his position and his fortune to fight slavery, and to demand civil rights for African Americans, successfully leading the fight against a Pennsylvania bill that would have required new black residents to register with the state.
Born free in Philadelphia, Forten was largely self-taught: He dropped out of school at age 9 to work full-time to support his mother and sister.
As a privateer on a ship that got caught by the British during the Revolutionary War, he escaped enslavement by impressing the captain, who ensured he was treated the same as white prisoners of war.
He was released seven months later and walked back from Brooklyn to Philadelphia, eventually becoming an apprentice to sail-maker Robert Bridges, who passed the business on to Forten.
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