Dates: September 28, 1785 - June 18, 1830
Occupation: abolitionist
In 1829, David Walker issued this revolutionary warning to whites: ". . . some of you, (whites) on the continent of America, will yet curse the day that you ever were born. You want slaves, and want us for your slaves!!! My colour will yet, root some of you out of the very face of the earth!!!!!!" This statement was published in the Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World, which was considered the most radical anti-slavery document of its time. It aroused fear in Southern slave owners and caused a stir among slaves.
David Walker’s Early Life
David Walker was born in Wilmington, North Carolina on September 28, 1785. His father was a slave and his mother was free. According to North Carolina law, children born to free mothers were also free. Although Walker was not a slave, he was familiar with the cruelty of slavery. He had traveled throughout the South where he witnessed many inhumane accounts, including one where a son was forced to whip his mother to death. It was experiences like this, which most likely influenced his passion for the abolition of slavery.
Walker moved to Boston in 1826. Like other blacks, he faced discrimination, but was able to open a used clothing store along the waterfront in 1827. While in Boston, he met prominent black activists and became involved in the anti-slavery movement. He was active in the Underground Railroad, helped fugitive slaves with clothing, and wrote numerous articles for the New York City based African American newspaper, the Freedom's Journal.
Publication of David Walker’s Appeal
Walker’s most notable contribution to abolitionism was his publication of the Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World on September 28, 1829. The publication was a result of years of research of such topics as history, sociology, philosophy, and theology. Its message was directed to slaves and to all Africans throughout the world who were in bondage.
In the Appeal, Walker called for the immediate abolition of slavery, which at the time was an unusual argument. Instead, those against slavery usually called for the gradual abolition of slavery or colonization. Neither option was acceptable to him. According to Walker, as long as slavery existed, even free blacks were not free since their freedom was minimal.
Walker also attacked Thomas Jefferson's argument that blacks were inferior to whites. In response to Jefferson, Walker wrote:
Has Mr. Jefferson declared to the world, that we are inferior to the whites, both in the endowments of our bodies and our minds? It is indeed surprising, that a man of such great learning, combined with such excellent natural parts, should speak so of a set of men in chains. I do not know what to compare it to, unless, like putting one wild deer in an iron cage, where it will be secured, and hold another by the side of the same, then let it go, and expect the one in the cage to run as fast as the one at liberty. So far, my brethren, were the Egyptians from heaping these insults upon their slaves, that Pharaoh's daughter took Moses, a son of Israel for her own, as will appear by the following.Walker also used Christian language to assert that slavery was a sin. He concluded that because of this sin, God would punish the nation. Furthermore, he used the Declaration of Independence to provide support for the right of a revolution and natural rights. He argued:
See your Declaration Americans!!! Do you understand your own language? Hear your languages, proclaimed to the world, July 4th, 1776 -- "We hold these truths to be self evident -- that ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL!! that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness! !" Compare your own language above, extracted from your Declaration of Independence, with your cruelties and murders inflicted by your cruel and unmerciful fathers and yourselves on our fathers and on us -- men who have never given your fathers or you the least provocation!!!!!!
Response to Walker’s Appeal
The Appeal caused a stir among slaveholders and slaves. In it, Walker argued that armed resistance was justified and should be used if necessary. As could be expected, slaveholders feared that it would cause slave uprisings. Slaves on the other hand, were encouraged by its message. It was common for groups of slaves to gather and listen to the reading of the text. Depending upon whether one was a slave or a slaveholder, the Appeal had become both dangerous and inspiring.
Southern states were quick to respond to the Appeal’s publication. Georgia and Louisiana passed legislation that made distribution of it illegal. North Carolina passed a law prohibiting slaves from being taught to read. In addition to the enactment of laws, a $10,000 reward was offered for Walker, either dead or alive.
On June 18, 1830, Walker died just months after completing the third edition of the Appeal. Walker’s sudden and mysterious death caused speculation that he was poisoned. However, proof of this has never been forthcoming.
Recommended reading: David Walker’s Appeal
