David Walker's Appeal

First published in 1829, Walker’s Appeal, in Four Articles, Together with a Preamble, to the Colored Citizens of the World, but in Particular, and Very Expressly, to Those of the United States of America, is one of the United States’s first examples of abolitionist literature. The text’s author, the free Black abolitionist David Walker, condemned American slavery as the cruelest and most inhumane practice in the history of humanity, made all the worse by the United States’s claim to be a Christian nation. He calls on his African American brethren to fight against the oppression they experience and calls on white Americans to see the immorality of slavery and repent. Walker explores these contradictions between slavery and Christian democratic ideals as well as the role of education and religion in uplifting oppressed populations. At the time of publication, there was no national emancipation movement, and Walker’s Appeal was considered quite radical. However, it soon became a key text in abolitionist literature and inspired generations of abolitionists and civil rights activists.

This guide uses the 2012 Public Domain Kindle edition titled Walker's Appeal, with a Brief Sketch of His Life And Also Garnet's Address to the Slaves of the United States of America.

Content Warning: This text and guide discuss enslavement and racism.

Summary

Walker begins his Appeal with a Preamble addressing his African American “brethren.” He argues that enslaved Black people in the American South are the “most degraded, wretched, and abject set of beings” in human history (11), claiming that slavery has never been as cruel as the version that exists in the United States. He hopes African Americans will hear his appeal and fight against their oppression. Although their situation is difficult, Walker argues that God is just and will punish white American “tyrants” just as nations of antiquity have met their demise. He calls on white Americans to repent and reject the cruel institution of slavery before it is too late.

The first article focuses on how African Americans are uniquely degraded and oppressed by slavery. He compares slavery in America to other nations throughout history, arguing that certain dignities that have been stripped away from African Americans were afforded to other oppressed and enslaved peoples. Most importantly, no other oppressed group has had their humanity taken from them as completely and systematically as African Americans. Walker condemns “Christian Americans” for their hypocrisy and admonishes his brethren for being “so submissive” to the “white tyrants.”

In Article 2, Walker turns his attention to education, arguing that the condition of servitude is largely due to ignorance. He argues that ignorance is not a natural condition for African Americans but rather a tool deliberately used by white oppressors to maintain their power and control. Deprived of knowledge and education, some African Americans have become convinced of their own inferiority and remain “abjectly employed by their oppressors” (45). This passivity then affirms racist beliefs that African Americans are destined to be enslaved. Walker calls on educated Black men to enlighten others, claiming that education is essential to breaking the conception of African Americans as “brutes.”

Article 3 focuses on how “pretend preachers” distort Christianity to justify the enslavement of African Americans. Walker points out the many contradictions of religion in the United States, such as how preachers skew teachings to call for obedience from enslaved people and the hypocrisy of Christian mission trips while African Americans at home are forbidden from worshiping. He claims that Americans make a “mockery of religion” and calls on them to repent. If they fail to atone for their sins, Walker insists that “the final ruin of this happy republic, or land of liberty” is at hand (69).

In the final article, Walker attacks the American Colonization Society’s “colonizing plan,” which involved creating a new colony for free African Americans in Liberia. Proponents of the plan argued that African Americans would bring culture and civilization to the content and be able to live without the racism and prejudice they faced in the United States. However, Walker argues that the colonizing plan is really a way to maintain the institution of slavery by removing the danger that free Black people pose. He insists that the United States in the rightful home of African Americans, who have spent centuries enriching the country with their blood and tears, and urges his brethren to stand their ground and resist the colonizing project.

In conclusion, Walker quotes the Declaration of Independence, reminding the reader 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” (106). He calls on white Americans to read their declaration and compare it to their actions. He argues that God is watching and wrongdoing cannot stay hidden.