James Forten (1766-1842) on “We the People…”

Interviewer: Hello, Mr. Forten. It is an honor to have you here with us today. We greatly appreciate your contributions as a businessman, abolitionist, and advocate for the education of African Americans. We are eager to hear your story and learn more about your impact on society, particularly during the early days of America’s formation.

James Forten: It’s my pleasure to be here.  

Interviewer: Can you share some of your background with our readers?

James Forten:  Well, I was born September 2, 1766, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania…

Interviewer: 1766? That was just ten years before the Declaration of Independence was signed. Do you remember anything about the events surrounding what has become an icon in and of itself in our country? 

James Forten: It is something I will never forget. It was a very tumultuous time in Philadelphia. The talk around town had been about the British controlling so much of what was happening in the colonies. White people were unhappy about Great Britain and King George III’s control over the New World. But the discussion also led many to recognize the wrongness of prejudice and enslaving Africans. In Philadelphia, many white people even took steps to free those they had enslaved, which included seeing to their education. However, for a variety of reasons, many other white people did not want to see Africans free or given equal rights. So, in a sense, two battles were going on- one battle to free colonial America from Great Britain and another to free Africans from the American Colonies.  

Interviewer: So, the story behind the creation of the Declaration of Independence is undoubtedly complex. 

James Forten: Why, of course. A document with an impact, such as the Declaration of Independence, must have greater strength behind it than just a small group of white British colonists. “The signers of the Declaration of Independence, after all, felt very comfortable stating we the people,” as though everyone in the thirteen colonies took part in the writing, which we did in a way. Conversations on Freedom occurred in every home, business, church, and anywhere else people gathered. The Declaration of Independence came from all those conversations zinging through the air. The signers put it on paper. Freedom, though, was on all of our minds. 

Interviewer: Yes, that does make sense. The thoughts in the Declaration did not belong to just the writers and signers of the document. But please, continue with your story.

James Forten: July 8, 1776, was a Monday morning I would never forget. I was nine years old, and my 10th was only two months away. The ringing of the State House bell drew me from my activities. A large crowd had already gathered when I arrived at the State House yard. Being small like I was, I pushed through the crowd and arrived at the front, where several of my friends had already gathered. Colonel John Nixon, the sheriff at the time, stood on the steps holding up a document, his voice booming across the yard. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” The crowd had gone still; those first words seemed to speak to everyone. It is something I will never forget. From that day on, I believed in the truth of what we were all fighting for. My future as a citizen of the New World had a stake in the outcome of the war. 

Interviewer: That’s pretty powerful, Mr. Forten. How old were you when you went to war?

James Forten: Well, the War of Independence began the year before, April 1775, so I had to wait until I was almost fifteen. By then, I had become fueled by passionate patriotism for our cause and knew my skills as a sailmaker would be invaluable on a warship. It took some convincing for my mother to consent, but when it did, I wasted no time signing on as a powder boy with the Privateering ship, the Royal Louis, captained by Stephen Decatur.

Ms. Milcarzyk: So young! I can imagine it took some time for your mother to consent.

James Forten: It did, and I’m glad the Lord saw fit to bring me home to her. Of course, I was captured and imprisoned by the British for a time, and yet, even there, I was blessed with favor by the enemy ship’s captain when he made me a companion to his twelve-year-old son. It saved my life, I’m sure. 

Interviewer: What of your family? 

James Forten: I grew up in a modest house at 3rd and Walnut Streets, which is not too far from the docks along the Delaware River. My sister, Abigail, three years my senior, and I are third-generation free Africans. Our great-grandfather came to the colonies enslaved during the time of William Penn and was given his freedom upon his master’s death. My parents were hard workers; they taught me the value of faith, integrity, and education. My father used to take me to the docks with him, where he worked for the sailmaker Robert Bridges. They often gave me small jobs, and that’s how I learned the business. Eventually, Robert Bridges left his company to me, and here I am today. But I wouldn’t be the successful man I am today if I had not purposed to learn all the ins and outs of finances, managing a diverse group of employees, and doing business with our community. One’s success can only happen with perseverance, hard work, and the test of time, and most importantly, only by God’s good grace.

Interviewer: And what about now? Are you married? Do you have children? 

James Forten: I am married; well, as a younger man, I was widowed by my first wife, and we had no children. But now I am remarried, and we have eight children together- it was nine, but we lost a six-year-old daughter in 1814. Now, we have five daughters and three boys. Some are married, and we have a few grandchildren. Our family’s life work has been the abolitionist cause: seeing our brothers and sisters freed from bondage and equal rights of citizenship given to us. Some have, in the past, charged me with moving to Africa. But this is my home, the home I fought in the war for. I believe in the foundational truth: God grants all people equal citizenship. Yet, while I have given up on my dream to be a citizen alongside the white man in this world, I have hope for our future generations as they continue pursuing Freedom and equality. The war against Great Britain may be long over, but the Africans’ fight has only just begun. We must settle in with fortitude that this will be a more protracted battle than the War of Independence. 

Interviewer: May your legacy continue to live on through future generations worldwide.