A Gentleman of Color - The Life of James Forten

This biography of a black man living 1766-1842 presents readers with a challenging new portrait of pre- and post-Revolutionary race relations. Forten was born in 1766 into a free-born Black family in Philadelphia. He went to sea in 1780 as a privateer under Stephen Decatur, was captured by the British and, after a stay in London, became apprentice to a Philadelphia sail maker. In 1798, he took over the business, and, according to his obituary in 1842, he was "the leading sailmaker in the city." Forten was a leader in the Philadelphia black community and was prominent in the antislavery movement. The author does not skirt difficult issues: Forten's aunt owned slaves and may have even been involved in the slave trade. Paperback. 6" X 9 1/4". 501 pages. 2002.

A Gentleman of Color
Item #0618 - $18.95