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James Forten (September 2, 1766 – March 4, 1842) was an American abolitionist, activist and businessman in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. An early Black Patriot, and a staunch supporter of American independence, he was perhaps one of the most prominent Black leaders of the post colonial era.

Born to free parents in 1766, he became a sailmaker after serving in the American Revolutionary War. Following an apprenticeship, he became the foreman and bought the sail loft when his boss retired.

 

Based on equipment he himself had developed, he established a highly profitable business. It was located on the busy waterfront of the Delaware River, in an area now called Penn's Landing. Forten used his wealth and social standing to work for civil rights for African Americans in both the city and nationwide. During the War of 1812, he, along with other black leaders such as Richard Allen and Absalom Jones, took part in the fortification and mobilizing of black troops in Philadelphia, once again showing an act of patriotism.

 

Beginning in 1817, he opposed the colonization movements, particularly that of the American Colonization Society, affirming Black Americans' claim to a stake in the United States of America. He persuaded William Lloyd Garrison to adopt an anti-colonization position and helped fund his newspaper The Liberator (1831–1865), 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. His large family was also devoted to these causes, and two daughters married the Purvis brothers, who used their wealth as leaders for abolition. He devoted the rest of his life to mediating and supporting the abolitionist cause until his death in 1842.