A Gentleman of Color: The Life of James Forten

by Julie Winch

Winch has written the first full-length biography of James Forten, a hero of African American history and one of the most remarkable men in 19th-century America.

Born into a free black family in 1766, Forten served in the Revolutionary War as a teenager. By 1810 he had earned the distinction of being the leading sailmaker in Philadelphia. Soon after Forten emerged as a leader in Philadelphia's black community and was active in a wide range of reform activities. Especially prominent in national and international antislavery movements, he served as vice-president of the American Anti-Slavery Society and became close friends with William Lloyd Garrison to whom he lent money to start up the Liberator. His family were all active abolitionists and a granddaughter, Charlotte Forten, published a famous diary of her experiences teaching ex-slaves in South Carolina's Sea Islands during the Civil War.

This is the first serious biography of Forten, who stands beside Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington, and Martin Luther King, Jr., in the pantheon of African Americans who fundamentally shaped American history.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography

528 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely enlightening and fascinating book. James Forten is a new historical hero of mine. Anyone interested in American history should read this book!

[Ellen Church · Rating 5 out of 5]

If ever a Philadelphian deserved a statue in the city next to William Penn, it should be James Forten. Revolutionary War veteran, POW, businessman, parent, church goer, and abolitionist, this book delves into every aspect of his life. Julie Winch has researched and written an excellent, readable and gripping biography of this great American. I learned so much about the city, its maritime heritage, the War, the founding of the countries of Liberia and Haiti, and abolition movement. However, the author has brought this man to life, I laughed out loud in the description of how he missed a meeting of an organization, so in his absence he was voted as the Treasurer-apparently a risk no matter what century you live in. My only quibble is early on, Julie Winch describes the craft of sailmaking, in excellent detail, but entirely in the past tense, as if an entire fleet of Tall Ships, which still sail the seas no longer exist. In fact, a short distance from James Forten's sail loft, Philadelphia's own Tall Ship makes her home at Penn's Landing.
I recommend this book to anyone interested in Philadelphia history, nautical history, American life in the early years of the country, Black history, or the vicissitudes of business. It's sure to interest you.

[Roger A Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why isn't James Forten mentioned in every American History textbook in every high school in the country? He was one of the richest men in Philadelphia in the 1830's, a man of letters, an entrepreneur, inventor, campaigner for racial equity, prisoner of war, patriot, social reformer, ally of Lucretia Mott, father-in-law to Robert Purvis, financial supporter of William Lloyd Garrison, contributor to Garrison's The Liberator. The man was an American hero, and Julie Winch describes why in this amazing book. I am very impressed by her scholarship and attention to detail.

I bought the book to conduct research on my series of historical novels: Rian Krieger's Journey, expecting to mine it for a few good factoids, and ended reading it cover to cover. Highly recommended.

[Rahobeth Benson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly remarkable individual was James Forten. Living during an age when slavery was common practice, he fought for his nation that considered people of his complexion as lesser beings than European whites, endured a British prison ship, secured an apprenticeship as a sail maker that eventually blossomed into his ownership of the business. It would be wrong to label Mr. Forten as a very successful black person. He was a very successful PERSON. he cared deeply for his nation, his family, and those in need of assistance. He was shrewd and intelligent. This book dives deep into his life. The ups and downs and ebb and flow as he adapted to changes in community, politics, econcomics and family. A great read.

[Victor Porras · Rating 5 out of 5]

A painstakingly researched portrait of a fascinating American hero.

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

James Forten deserves a place in the history books as a prominent businessman and abolitionist. However, this book does not do him the justice his story deserves. This rating was given solely for my fascination with Forten’s life and the accompanying exhibition which sparked my interest. There is still much about Forten’s life that needs to be researched. The book is filled with fascinating state and national history about Philadelphia’s racial history followed by a statement that sources cannot support whether Forten actually attended the events or participated in the movements. For a book about Forten, I felt that there was more which was unknown than known. Regardless, this is a great first step to understanding Forten’s life, accomplishments, and contributions.

[Cassandra]

Didn’t finish so didn’t give a rating. James Forten is a fascinating person with a history worth learning and reading about. Sad to have missed the exhibit on his life at The Museum of the American Revolution. This book is too long and there’s other books for me to read. Glad I was able to catch the documentary on his life that led me to this book.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since I am not an avid history buff, this book was not the most interesting. I definitely would not have wanted to pick this book up on my own, but since it was required summer reading, I had to sledge through it.

Though I had to read it for school, I must say it was a much better history book than some of the others I have read in the past. Yes, it was about one specific person. Forten's life was not as interesting as the book advertised, but I suppose if you were intensely obsessed with his work or maybe the history of Philadelphia, or interested in Julie Winch's work, you may have enjoyed this book.

I did not like the set up of the book, which, in my opinion, would have been something easily fixed. It was set up by chapter, and within those chapters there were specific events the chapter was centered around. Those events were often out of chronological order, so it was quite confusing at times for me. The book should have been more in chronological order, and then by events, so as to avoid confusion. I thought we were being taken through Forten's life, as opposed to jumping around to the events that made this man so-called "memorable."

To me, it would have been more interesting to learn what Forten did day-to-day as opposed to just the big events. Yes, he seemed like he would have fit right in with our school's philosophy, but he still could have been a toolbag in the sense that he treated waitstaff like crap. Those are the things, to me, what makes a man, or woman, or child, a good person. Not just the big events they participated in.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an absolute must-read. The life of James Forten was filled with hard work, generosity, and prejudice. Not only does this book do an excellent job of sharing Forten's life, but it also shows how his actions affected and shaped those around him. While some chapters were extremely monotonous in the telling of sail-making (Seriously, so much talk about sails. I bet I could make my own after reading this.), the book had an easy pace that made it simple to take in a lot of information without getting overwhelmed. I especially enjoyed reading this due to the fact that I had never heard of Forten before. He was a new voice to me, one that I wanted to keep listening to all day.

On another note, I'm really surprised by how the author was able to accumulate so much information about Forten and his family! I'm shocked that info from the 1800s was still available.

[Tiffany Morales · Rating 5 out of 5]

It looks ok