Forten the Sailmaker (Masterplots II: Juvenile and Young Adult Biography Series)
At a glance:
- Author: Esther M. Douty
- First Published: 1968
- Time of Work: 1774–1842
- Setting: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Liverpool, England
- Principal Characters: James Forten, Robert Purvis, Robert Bridges, Thomas Willing, Paul Cuffe, William Lloyd Garrison, Anthony Benezet
- Genres: Nonfiction, Biography
- Subjects: African Americans, Civil rights, Africa or Africans, Social reform, Colonies or colonization, Abolitionists, Nineteenth century, Slavery or slaves, American Revolution, Eighteenth century, Biography
- Locales: Philadelphia, PA, Liverpool, England
Form and Content
Esther M. Douty’s biography Forten the Sailmaker: Pioneer Champion of Negro Rights not only depicts the growth of a young “person of color” (as Forten called himself) to a respected humanitarian, writer, and activist who helped to change the antislavery movement from African colonization to abolition but also chronicles the struggles of an emerging nation. Choosing to present Forten’s life as a full biography, Douty introduces him as a young child of eight in 1774, playing marbles beside the wharves of the Delaware River in Philadelphia while his...
[The entire page is 1354 words long]
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