David Walker's Appeal

Walker begins the first article by arguing that enslaved African Americans are the only oppressed people in the history of the world who have been denied the title of “men” and considered instead to be “brutes.” Even though the United States claims to be an “enlightened and Christian” nation, it treats these enslaved people far worse than any other example of oppressed peoples throughout the “heathen” world. This reality is so clear to “unprejudiced men” that Walker claims there is no need to prove it. However, he endeavors to offer the example of the enslaved Israelites in Egypt. He tells the story of Joseph, the son of Jacob, who was granted a place of prestige ruling the Egyptians under the Pharaoh’s command despite being a child of Israel. Walker points out that, in the United States, no Black man holds even the lowest public office. He recalls how the Pharaoh gave Joseph a new name and the daughter of a priest to marry. In the United States, on the other hand, laws prevent white people and Black people from marrying. Next, the Pharaoh gave Joesph the best land in Egypt to dwell in with his family. Meanwhile, Walker recounts a story about a poor Black man in the United States who finally saved enough to buy a small piece of land but was “cheated out of his property” (22) by a white man.