"Meet Elder James Forten" Performance

James Forten was born free in Philadelphia and heard the words of the Declaration of Independence as a child. But it is now 1838, Forten is 72, and he has just witnessed the burning of Pennsylvania Hall, a center of the abolition movement. As a successful businessman and the head of a multigenerational family of social activists, Forten now confronts a country struggling to live up to his Revolutionary ideals.

Watch the Performance

This 20-minute performance of Meet Elder James Forten stars Steve Crum and was written by playwright Marissa Kennedy for the Museum of the American Revolution as part of the African American Interpretive Program sponsored by Comcast NBCUniversal.

Meet Elder James Forten accompanied the Museum's 2023 special exhibition, Black Founders: The Forten Family of Philadelphia. Throughout the exhibition’s run, live on-site and virtual performances engaged Museum guests and school groups in classrooms across the country. 

The Meet Elder James Forten companion performance, Meet Young James Forten, is also available to watch online. Starring Nathan Alford-Tate, the 20-minute performance introduces viewers to Forten as a teenager as he learns the sailmaking trade after serving as a privateer in the Revolutionary War.