James Mars Gravesite

James Mars: Abolitionist, Author, and Activist

James Mars (1790–1880) was a formerly enslaved man who became a powerful voice for abolition and African American rights in Connecticut. Born into slavery in Canaan, Connecticut, he gained his freedom in 1811 and later published his memoir, A Life of James Mars, a Slave Born and Sold in Connecticut, Written by Himself (1864). His grave is a recognized stop on the Connecticut Freedom Trail, and in 2021, May 1 was officially declared James Mars Day in Connecticut.

A Journey to Freedom

Mars was born to enslaved parents, Jupiter and Fanny Mars, who were owned by Reverend Amos Thompson. Connecticut’s gradual emancipation law of 1784 promised freedom at age 25, but to evade this, Thompson attempted to move the Mars family to Virginia, a slave state. Instead, they fled to Norfolk, Connecticut, where white abolitionists sheltered them from capture. Mars later endured years of forced labor under a new captor, eventually purchasing his own freedom in 1811.

Leadership and Activism

Mars became a key figure in the African American reform movement in New England. He helped found Hartford’s Talcott Street Church, served as a deacon, and played a vital role in the 1837 landmark case Jackson v. Bulloch, which freed a fugitive enslaved woman in Connecticut. He also raised funds to support the Amistad captives’ legal defense and served on the board of the Connecticut Anti-Slavery Society.

Later Life and Legacy

Mars married in the early 1830s and raised eight children, three of whom fought for the Union in the Civil War. He lived in Massachusetts for 20 years before returning to Connecticut, where he published his memoir to educate the public about the history of slavery in the state. In 1879, he was granted a pension by the state, and he passed away the following year.

Today, Mars is remembered as a pioneering activist whose life story sheds light on Connecticut’s complex history with slavery and freedom.

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