who tried to create job opportunities and equal treatment for african americans james forten

Full Answer

What did James Forten do to help the abolitionists?

1766-1842 James Forten used his success as a sailmaker in Philadelphia to advance the abolitionist cause. He founded numerous organizations to aid recently freed or escaped slaves, and donated a large part of his personal fortune to this purpose. Forten was born on September 2, 1766, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

What did John Forten do for Bethel AME?

Upon the death of his employer, Forten bought the company and as an inventor-entrepreneur of a sail-handling device, he built a highly successful business. He was among those in the city of Brotherly Love who formed the independent Bethel AME Church. Forten was an influential figure in the fight against slavery.

What did John Forten do with his money?

Forten spent some months on a British prison ship along the way and was nearly sold into slavery, but he came back strong to acquire a vast fortune, becoming one of the wealthiest Philadelphians of his day, black or white, and using his money to buy slaves’ freedom.

Who was James Forten?

*James Forten’s birth is marked on this date in 1766. He was a Black businessman and abolitionist. From Philadelphia of free Black parents, Forten served in the Continental Army as a powder boy at the age of fifteen.

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How did James Forten help Africans?

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 1800, he was the leader in organizing a petition that called for Congress to emancipate all slaves.

What did James Forten fight for?

James Forten was a powerful African American businessman and activist who used his influence to fight slavery in pre-civil war Philadelphia. Born free, Forten joined the Continental Army when he was fourteen and served on a ship named the Royal Lewis.

What did James Forten do to end slavery?

He persuaded William Lloyd Garrison to adopt an anti-colonization position and helped fund his newspaper The Liberator (1831–65), frequently publishing letters on public issues. He became vice-president of the biracial American Anti-Slavery Society, founded in 1833, and worked for national abolition of slavery.

What did James Forten refuse to do?

James Forten was an American and a patriot. He refused the captain's offer, feeling that to accept it would be a betrayal of his country. He then spent seven months on the British prison ship Jersey, infamous for brutal conditions and daily deaths from hunger and disease.

What did James Forten invent?

Twelve years later, Bridges retired and sold the business to James Forten. Sometime after 1800, Forten invented a sail that served to better guide ships in the wind. With the development of this new sail Forten prospered and began to give generously to the poor and to abolitionist movements.

How did James Forten become successful?

Forten's skill and aptitude guaranteed his success in the industry, and by the age of twenty he was the foreman of Bridges's shop. Upon Bridges's retirement in 1798, Forten became the undisputed master of the shop and developed a reputation for excellent service and innovative sail handling techniques.

Why did James Forten join the American Revolution?

When he was a boy, he served on several privateer ships during the Revolutionary War. Forten sought public recognition of his political rights as a citizen and hoped military service would help gain him that recognition.

Why is James Forten considered a hero?

James Forten first black man to be honored as hero of the American Revolution. PHILADELPHIA James Forten's life was one of the most remarkable in Philadelphia history. On Sunday, 248 years after his birth, he became the city's first black man to be identified and honored for his service in the Revolutionary War.

What did James Forten do?

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 1800, he was the leader in organizing a petition that called for Congress to emancipate all slaves.

What was James Forten's job during the Revolutionary War?

During his early teens, he worked as a powder boy during the Revolutionary War on the Royal Lewis sailing ship. After being captured by the British army, he was released and returned home to resume his previous job. Pleased with his work and dedication, he was appointed to the foreman’s position in the loft. By 1798, Bridges decided to retire and wanted Forten to remain in charge of the loft. Eventually James Forten owned the business and employed almost forty workers.

Where was James Forten born?

James Forten was born free on September 2, 1766 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 is 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.

Who was the founder of the Convention of Color?

In 1817, Forten joined with Richard Allen, the founder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, to form the Convention of Color. Interestingly, the organization argued for the migration of free black slaves to Canada, but vehemently resisted any movement for a return to the African continent.

James Forten

1766-1842 James Forten used his success as a sailmaker in Philadelphia to advance the abolitionist cause. He founded numerous organizations to aid recently freed or escaped slaves, and donated a large part of his personal fortune to this purpose.

Sailor, Sailmaker

Forten was born on September 2, 1766, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His parents, Thomas and Margaret Forten who were both the children of slaves, afforded their son every opportunity that was available to them. The young couple enrolled Forten at a Quaker school for black children called the Friend’s African School, run by Anthony Benezet.

Political Action and Abolition

During this period, Forten married Charlotte Vandine. As their family grew to include eight children, he also began to play an active role in local politics within the Philadelphia community. From the moment Forten took over Bridge’s sail loft, he had implemented a practice of equal rights for Blacks and Whites.

Political and social activism

Although never elected to political office, and effectively disenfranchised, James Forten was a shrewd political operator. Year by year he grew in stature as a public figure. By the 1830s, his was one of the most powerful black voices, not just for men and women of color in his native city, but for many thousands more throughout the North.

Biography

James Forten was born free in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, one of two children of Thomas and Margaret Forten (or Fortune). Thomas Forten was the grandson of a slave who had "freed himself." After his father died, James Forten started working at age seven to help out his mother and sister, first as a chimney sweep and then as a grocery-store clerk.

Marriage and family

James Forten married twice: his first wife, Martha "Patty" Beatty died after only a few months of marriage, and in 1806, he married Charlotte Vandine (1786–1886).

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What did the captain ask Forten to do?

The two boys became friends, and after some weeks, the captain asked Forten if he would like to go back to England where he would take care of him and ensure that he was well-educated. Forten, with this arrangement, would need to change sides but he refused despite the goodies on offer.

When did James Forten read the Declaration of Independence?

James Forten was in his teens when he joined others at Independence Square in July 1776 for the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence. To a young Forten, the declaration document applied to all Americans, not only whites and so when the Revolutionary War began, a 14-year-old Forten volunteered on privateering ships which attacked British merchant vessels, said biographer Julie Winch.

What was the purpose of the letter by a man of color?

Forten also published a pamphlet titled A Series of Letters by a Man of Colour to oppose a Pennsylvania Senate Bill that would restrict African-American emigration. A generous Forten also funded The Liberator owned by fellow abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison — a newspaper which spoke against brutal injustices and inhumanity of slavery.

Political and Social Activism

• Although never elected to political office, and effectively disenfranchised, James Forten was a shrewd political operator. Year by year he grew in stature as a public figure. By the 1830s, his was one of the most powerful black voices, not just for men and women of color in his native city, but for many thousands more throughout the North. He knew ...

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Biography

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