David Walker Issues Stirring Appeal Against Slavery and Racism
by: Dr. Clint Wilson
David Walker, a Black Boston merchant who sold both new and used clothing, created a furor among the supporters of slavery when he issued a militant treatise known as ''Walker’s Appeal.''
Walker was an agent for the nation’s first Black newspaper, Freedom’s Journal, and was a staunch believer in the rights of Blacks to their stake in the benefits of American citizenship.
It was said that a group of Southern zealots was so intimidated by Walker’s essay that members issued a bounty on his life. Although foul play was never proven, he was found dead about a year later from an undetermined cause. The following excerpt provides a sense of Walker’s fervor.
OUR WRETCHEDNESS IN CONSEQUENCE OF SLAVERY.
My beloved brethren:-The Indians of North and of South America-the Greeks-the Irish, subjected under the king of Great Britain-the Jews, that ancient people of the Lord-the inhabitants of the islands of the sea-in fine, all the inhabitants of the earth, (except however, the sons of Africa) are called men, and of course are, and ought to be free. But we, (coloured people) and our children are brutes - and of course are, and ought to be Slaves to the American people and their ...
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