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David Walker's Appeal: To the Coloured Citizens of the World, but In Particular, and Very Expressly, to Those of the United States of America Paperback – April 30, 1995

by David Walker (Author), Sean Wilentz (Editor)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 158 ratings
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David Walker's Appeal is a landmark work of American history and letters, the most radical piece of writing by an African American in the nineteenth century. Startling in its intensity, unrelenting in its attacks on slavery and white racism, it alarmed Southern slaveholders, inspired Northern abolitionists, and hastened the sectional conflicts that led to the Civil War. In this new edition of the Appeal, the distinguished historian Sean Wilentz draws on a generation of innovative research to throw fresh light on Walker's life and ideas--and their enduring importance.

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Previous page
  1. Print length
    128 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Hill and Wang
  4. Publication date
    April 30, 1995
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.28 x 8.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0809015811
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0809015818
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“More than a century and a half later, David Walker's Appeal is still a startling document . . . a powerful reminder that slaves and so-called 'free persons of color' were important participants in the great struggle over slavery that led to the Civil War.” ―From the Introduction

About the Author

David Walker was born in or near Wilmington, North Carolina, the son of a slave father and a free black mother (thus, under the laws of slavery, he was born free). the year of his birth is uncertain, although the most convincing recent research contends that it was 1796 or 1797. By his own account in the Appeal, Walker left Wilmington as a young man and wandered around the United States, residing for an unspecified period in Charleston, South Carolina. In 1825, he turned up as a used-clothes dealer in Boston, where he would spend the rest of his abbreviated life. He died suddenly in 1830.

Sean Wilentz, a professor of history at Princeton University, is the author or editor of several books, including Chants Democratic and The Rise of American Democracy. He has also written for The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, The New Republic, and other publications. He lives in Princeton, New Jersey.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Hill and Wang; Revised ed. edition (April 30, 1995)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 128 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0809015811
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0809015818
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.28 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 158 ratings

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David Walker

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
158 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Big Sistah Patty
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating!
Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2008
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David Walker Appeal

"Some of my bretheren don't know who Pharoah and Egyptians were. I know it to be a fact that some of them take the Egyptians to have been a gang of devils, not knowing any better, and that they (Egyptians) having got possession of the Lord's people treated them nearly as cruel as Christian Americans do us, at the present day. For the information of such, I would only mention that the Egyptians, were Africans or coloured people, such as we are - some of them yellow and others dark - a mixture of Ethiopian and natives of Egypt - about the same as you see the coloured people of the United States at the present day."

"The English are the best friends the coloured people have upon earth though they have oppressed us a little and have colonies now in the West Indies, which oppress us sorely. Yet notwithstanding they (the English) have done one hundred more for the melioration of our condition, than all other nations of these earth put together. The Blacks cannot but respect the English as a nation, not withstanding they have treated us a little cruel."

When I read this passage, I was like "what in the hell is he talking about!" I must remind myself of the world in which he lived, and he probably had to kiss a little butt, though he did let the truth be known by saying "a little cruel." What is a little cruel?

I would encourage everyone to read, though I did not appreciate Sean Wilentz's introduction. I found his words to be annoying, laced with subtle racism. I would suggest ignoring his writing completely and go to the real text of David Walker.

I give Mr. Walkers Appeal 5 star. It took incredible courage as a black man in 1829 to write these words, though he died suddenly and mysteriously. I am sure he was poisoned.
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Bobby R. Hill
5.0 out of 5 stars David Walker's Appeal
Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2011
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Given the historical timeframe surrounding these writing - the founding of the nation and the expansion of slavery in the country, David Walker's Appeal reflects the mind of a man, who was highly educated in the classics and in the Christian faith. His passion for the liberation of slaves is evident, and his prophecy of imminent judgment for their enslavement is clear. I believe that the thoughts contained in these writings have profoundly influenced protest among African Americans since that time. I find that David Walker's Appeal is both historic in its message of freedom for the slaves, and prophetic in the coming judgment of the nation as a result of the enslavement of his fellow African Americans. I believe that these writings are critical to a proper understanding of American history.
3 people found this helpful
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David H. Eisenberg
5.0 out of 5 stars Everyone should read this historic book no matter how you feel about modern civil rights movements.
Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2015
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This is a long and very powerful essay that hits with blow after blow. It is a classic in the field of human, civil rights and freedom. You may not agree with everything he wrote. After all, he was a man of his time too, just like the oppressors society seems very willing to excuse for that reason. But, this is a clarion call with no censor, no hesitation, no sparing of any group - especially including his own. Though it could have used some editing and there are parts you may find tedious as a modern reader, it is one of the best books I've read in its genre. I wish it were better known.
8 people found this helpful
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Michael J. Strode
4.0 out of 5 stars An Ideological Basis of the Roots of Black Liberation Theology and Nationalist Discourse
Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2012
David Walker's Appeal opens with an impassioned examination of the Black condition in America driving slow and painstakingly towards a radical crescendo at the close of the fourth article. Upon first glance, the Appeal seems to exhibit one the earliest written examples of the classical Negro sermon invoking the tools of emotional petition, scriptural analogy and historical scrutiny in outlining the core narrative. Through further revisions to the text, Walker was able to expand upon the original thesis to form the ideological framework of Black liberation theology, social theory and nationalist discourse with consideration towards both freedmen and enslaved Blacks.

The Preamble of Walker's Appeal provides an intriguing context for the rise and influence of Black liberation theology where the theological construct exists as the last bastion of "free" intellectual inquiry available to those held in slavery. Walker mines the potentiality of biblical scripture in order to establish his case for the abolition of slavery through moral suasion, Pan-African struggle and armed resistance when necessary. For sewing these seeds of discord, Walker would find himself revered amongst enslaved Blacks and radical abolitionists, reviled amongst whites and slaveowners, held afar by moderate whites and Blacks alike who considered his approach too extreme and later murdered near his shop only a year from the publication of the manuscript.

Walker divided his appeal into four distinct areas of discourse following the Preamble which considered the effects of Slavery, Ignorance, Religion and Colonization upon the minds of Black people. He used each of these areas to display how the historical treatment of Blacks in America was mired in moral, social and political hypocrisy which should prevent us from thinking naively that we could hope for a fairer treatment in the future than we had been afforded in the past. While he fiercely refuted the efforts to colonize members of the free Black community in the African nation of Liberia, he displayed a particularly warm kinship for the recently liberated island nation of Haiti whose inspiration he drew upon in outlining his impression of what steps could be taken in America to secure freedom for all Black people.

While some concepts in the Appeal leave themselves open to misinterpretation in a modern context such as Walker's own fondness for the English whom he considered friends of the Negro, there are areas here which remain ripe for exploration in understanding the course of events which culminated in ending slavery. The Appeal was quite masterful at fomenting radical discourse when it was published in 1829 and taken together with the rebellion of Nat Turner in 1831 most certainly struck an alarming chord in states which had continued the practice of slavery. The Appeal was outlawed and at least one legislature, Georgia, placed a bounty upon Walker's head. It still managed to circulate widely through underground networks of abolitionists, freedmen societies, churches and maroon communities.

As we stand in the aftermath of cases in Arizona, Texas and Tennessee on the cusp of seeing the necessity for the return of outlaw education, let us take a lesson from David Walker in thinking dangerously and writing fearlessly about the oppressive systems which continue to impact our quality of life in this day and the overlapping alliances we must forge in order to break them apart permanently.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Spell out facts about being free and enslaved at the same time.
Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2018
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A book that every African American should have as a part of their home library. It depicts the struggles and strengths of a free and educated black during the 1700's.
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K.Petillo
5.0 out of 5 stars Everyone should read this historic book!
Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2017
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Sit read, study, share. Wake up my brothers and sisters! This purchase was worth every dime, enlightenment is priceless!
One person found this helpful
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Trevon Wrider
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2018
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A required read and one of the best books ever written
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Mustafa Abdul-Hakim Williams
5.0 out of 5 stars History Untold
Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2013
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Wow! As with many other books I have had the pleasure to read, I can surely say this book changes the conception that African Americans wasn't intellected enough to challenge the system of slavery.
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