James Forten was born free in Pennsylvania. When he was nine years old, he had been in the crowd at the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence, and he took its key principles to heart. At the age of 14, he supported the American cause by serving on a privateer called Royal Louis and was later captured by the British and imprisoned. After seven months of suffering aboard a prison ship, he was released. Forten celebrated America’s ideals, but he also called out its hypocrisy urging the nation to join in the push for liberty for all.

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