Countless picture books steep in pernicious myths about the American Revolution. These founding fairy tales tell kids that the “Founding Fathers” — even those who enslaved people — were virtuous men who set the United States on an ever-widening path toward equal rights for everyone. Liberty’s Forgotten Hero tells a different story. The book follows James Forten, a Black American born free in Philadelphia in 1766. As a child, Forten heard the Declaration of Independence read publicly for the first time. He took to heart its claims that “all men are created equal” and entitled to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
Kesha L. Grant describes how Forten fought for the United States in its war of independence — only to find, after victory, that Black Americans were “shut out of the promises of the new nation. . . because of racist ideologies and many white Americans’ desires to keep economic and political power to themselves.” Dejected but not defeated, Forten devoted himself to becoming a master sailmaker and a leading abolitionist. But Liberty’s Forgotten Hero makes clear that “heroes” don’t work alone.
Grant situates Forten in a multiracial network of anti-slavery activists, among waves of Black freedom seekers. She shows young people that rights and freedoms are hard-fought and won through social movements, not benevolently granted by political elites. The book brims with lovely illustrations by Anastasia Magloire Williams to bring to life — centuries later — the country’s first generation of civil rights activists. [Description from Rethinking Schools.]
ISBN: 9781643795799 | Lee & Low Books
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