David Walker's Appeal (1829)

Mon Sep 28, 1829

Image: The photo shows the cover of David Walker's "Appeal". Text transcription: WALKER'S APPEAL IN FOUR ARTICLES; TOGETHER WITH A PREAMBLE, TO THE COLOURED CITIZENS OF THE WORLD, BUT IN PARTICULAR, AND VERY EXPRESSLY, TO THOSE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, WRITTEN IN BOSTON, STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS, SEPTEMBER 28TH, 1829.

David Walker (1796 - 1830) was an American abolitionist and author who published "An Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World" on this day in 1829. The piece was an early historical call for black unity in the fight against slavery.

The text was widely read at the time and has become regarded as one of the most important political documents of the 19th century, influencing multiple generations of black leaders that came after it, including Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. Du Bois, Martin Luther King, and Malcolm X. Not surprisingly, the text infuriated southern slaveowners; the state of Georgia offered a $10,000 bounty for Walker alive and $1,000 for him dead.

Walker died the next year, soon after publishing the third edition of his Appeal. Although foul play was suspected, historians consider it more likely he died of tuberculosis, which his daughter had passed away from a week prior. David Walker's son, Edward G. Walker, was an attorney and, in 1866, was one of the first two black men elected to the Massachusetts State Legislature.

"Now, I ask you, had you not rather be killed than to be a slave to a tyrant, who takes the life of your mother, wife, and dear little children? Look upon your mother, wife and children, and answer God Almighty; and believe this, that it is no more harm for you to kill a man who is trying to kill you, than it is for you to take a drink of water when thirsty."

- David Walker

• Date: 1829-09-28
• Learn More: www.davidwalkermemorial.org, en.wikipedia.org.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org