Review of David Walker's "Appeal"
David Walker was one of the abolitionists who fought against slavery despite the historical truism in the eighteenth century that most white people now viewed slavery as a necessary evil that must prevail. In 1829 his appeal to the Colored Citizens of the world mounted a blatant attack on slavery; an attack that would then play a funda-mental role in encouraging anti-slavery sentiments for generations to come. In David Walker's Appeal summary essay this topic is considered.
Historically, the word slavery can be viewed as the act of an individual owning a person. It is also very well known that slavery is one of the most sig-nificant contributions to the history of this great country, America. Dating back to 1619, the first African Americans arrived in America from the coast of Jamestown; from henceforth, all rights given to the African American popula-tion began to decrease. Though there were various races of slaves in America, the African American population became the inferior race; thus was the most discriminated against. Nonetheless, they were the most sort after among the other slaves because of the cheap services/labor they provided. In this era of slavery, various Abolitionist viewpoints began to develop in America, accumu-lating up momentum among religious groups.
David Walker, an American writer, abolitionist, and anti-slavery activist, was born a free black in North Carolina in the late eighteenth century. He left his home in Wilmington, North Carolina, at a very young age and traveled throughout America before settling in Boston in 1825. By 1827, Walker had opened up a used clothing shop, and in the same year, he met and married his wife, Eliza Walker, with whom he shares a son. While in Boston, Walker asso-ciated with prominent black activists. He joined institutions that condemned slavery and discrimination. He became involved with Freedom's Journal in New York City, the first African American newspaper; of which he contributed frequently.
By the year 1828, Walker had become the leading spokesperson against slavery in Boston. Subsequently, in September of 1829, Walker was successful in publishing one document; his Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World. To help transfer his Appeal, Walker relied on sailors by sewing copies of the pamphlet into the linings of the sailors' clothing. His Appeal entailed the great injustices piled on the black population by their white owners. Most of these slave owners were, unfortunately, Christians who used religious principles to justify oppressing the black community.
His Appeal also criticized the free blacks like himself of their lack of support to their fellow blacks. Additionally, his Appeal also unfailingly in-cluded the punishment of God that awaited the slave owners as a result of their injustice to the slaves. The Appeal caused so much controversy to the extent that the government and lawmakers at the time labeled it rebellious. The horri-fied whites went forward to prevent the circulation of the Appeal by passing stringent laws against teaching the slaves to read and isolating the sailors who posed a threat of being the major distributors of the Appeal.
Socially or religiously, as a child; Walker was exposed to the Methodist Church, which appealed to the blacks in the nineteenth century. Through his educational and religious background of Methodism, Walker was able to con-vey his Appeal to the black people of America. Being the son of a slave father and a free black woman made Walker a free black. However, his freedom did not exempt him from witnessing the violation of slavery. He acknowledges the misery of blacks, which he believes is due to slavery and the fear of the white people to free slaves. His Appeal addresses African Americans in the world and very expressly to those in the United States, challenging them to take ac-tion. His work promoted racial solidarity and moral eminence with fervency, in the most politically and religiously way.
Walker believed that one day, the blacks would ''throw off their chains and handcuffs from their hands and feet and their devilish lashes from off their backs''. He continued to stress the wrong doings of the whites and used the declaration of independence to contradict them. Quoting that '' all men are cre-ated equal; that their creator endows them with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness''. To further convey his extremely radical message, Walker used the bible and the Methodist theolo-gy to support his position on the issue facing society.
Individuals who supported the Methodist doctrine hold that everyone is created in God's image and likeness, regardless of his or her sex, race, or color. Thus everyone is entitled to the same inherent right. His Appeal, however, was not just to abolish slavery but to allow the biblical rights due to them when they are eventually free. Just as the Egyptians in the bible had to do when the Israelis were freed from slavery under Pharaoh. His Appeal shows that his de-votion to the African Methodist faith was as a result of earlier exposure to a black-dominated church.'
His reverence of the capability of the black community is evident when Walker says, 'Surely the Americans must think that we are brutes, as some have represented us to be… But I declare this day before my Lord and Master, that I believe there are some true-hearted sons of Africa.' Walker's Appeal al-so carries an intense highlight of the bigotry of the white population, who pre-tend to be Christian but practice, support, or protest to fight slavery. He called out the white Christians for their hypocrisy in supporting slavery; for treating people of African descent as objects to be sold, bought, or disposed at free will.
In the Methodist theology co-founded by John Wesley, one of the fun-damental precepts is to shun evil and avoid partaking in wicked deeds at all costs. Another doctrine by Methodist theology is to abide by the decrees of God. Walker asks in his Appeal, 'Is not God a God of justice to all his crea-tures,' which was the major premise of his argument. Urging his readers, most specifically, the white slave owners to give blacks the same privileges as all men. Including the right not to be kept in constant vulgarity and misery through slavery. This argument contained in the Appeal coincides with the Methodist doctrine, which revolves around the recognition of slaves as hu-mans.
There have been very few critics of Walker's work. One of these critics dates back to 1979. The author of the textual criticism argued that ''the ''Ap-peal'' was not directed at reason but rather in the name of God''... He held that this was evident in the unconventionally, and madly way, he spoke about the Methodist doctrine. In his piece, he stated that the ''eloquent phrasing, discern-ible knowledge of history and the use of an ''appeal'' made him wonder for whom his work was written''. He held a firm belief that Walker's work was di-rected at developing abolitionists in the north rather than the uneducated slaves. He argued that ''the language and style of the Appeal is not meant to be read by semi-literates.'' Thus, his premise that the Appeal was mainly written to the white abolitionists. He further explained that even the title of his work is deceiving because of the word ''citizens.'' He stated that Walker knew fully well that the slaves were not citizens and may have included this in for that reason''.
A community review from good reads noted that David Walker's Appeal was repetitive and tedious. The critic stated that the ''preamble and the first two articles were the best part of his Appeal''. With the only elucidate part of the fourth article being ''his exposition on the colonization trick and the right which the blacks had to the American soil''. He noted that otherwise, it was a ''ninety-page sermon on the evils of slavery''.
Another critic noted that in terms of organization and argument, Walk-er's Appeal was scattered, frequently repeating itself and often straying from the point. Nonetheless, he reinforced that ''the oddities of the Appeal are what made his work original''. The writer praised Walker's work for ''its willingness to vent unapologetically the brutal hardship and hypocrisies facing the African American population at the time''. He noted that the anger portrayed in his work is ''entirely, and even physically palpable to the readers''.
Personally, reading the Appeal made me reflect on how black slaves came from various regions and ethnic groups throughout Africa. Being a first-generation American, who is Nigerian by birth, the eighteenth-century slave trade holds a very historical memory in my country. The eighteenth century was the period when people from the ''Coastline of Biafra in Nigeria were also highly represented among those Africans enslaved in America''. Though the majority of them might have come to America empty-handed, they carried with them the memories of their community and loved ones. Their moral values, in-tellectual insight, artistic talents, cultural practices, and religious beliefs, con-tinue to resonate in American culture today.
Unfortunately, the story of the slave trade and the African American is not just an archetypical American story, but it’s the story that continue to shape us today. The Appeal by David Walker has made me raise questions such as, can a country like America ever recover from centuries of racism and slavery? Would America age out of racism? Sadly, some white Americans con-tinue to carry the same set of white supremacist beliefs that governed their thoughts and actions during slavery. Though slavery might have ended in technicality, there is still a lot of social injustices among the black community. Although it’s been four hundred centuries since slave trade took place; I still wonder if those historic inequalities at that time, contribute to the current fac-tions between white and black Americans when it comes to incarceration rates, income, housing, and healthcare. Subliminal prejudice in police forces, and prevailing bias against black Americans in the courts are also examples of such subtle inequalities we still see today in America.
Arguably, slavery did end in America, but its influence on American rac-ism and its continued impression on African Americans is still present today. Nonetheless, what is most depressing is that despite the activists and abolition-ists in the past, there is not much of a difference from their time. Today we still see the white policymakers debating on fixing black people instead of trying to break the discriminatory systems that have resulted in such inequalities.
Conclusively, after reading the Appeal, it is safe to say that the nine-teenth century was a very historical and spiritually trying period for African Americans. Although the travail may not be different, religion still serves as a source of comfort to the African Americans even to this day as the slave trade left a legacy of violence in America. Surprisingly, the level of power accumu-lated in the hands of the American slave owners at the time, have marked in several forms the development of the African-American community. Most of what we see today are as a result of the legacies slave trade left in America. For instance, evading and resisting violence were the defining characteristics of the responses of the Africans to their enforced migration experience. Individuals at the time attempted to escape physical abuse through violent rebellion. But thanks to activists such as David Walker, whose enthusiasm serves as motiva-tion for other black members of the society to take a stand for what they be-lieve in, and what they know is right. Like Walker believed, God has the final say to all injustices that might have taken place or might continue to take place. Nonetheless, it is the duty and responsibility of the black community, most specifically in America, to continue to take action against the degradation and cruelty occurring in society. It is about time to stand up and fight against such wrong-doings, which are still evident in the community today.
