David Walker’s Appeal a Logical Extension of the Principals of American Revolution
The last half of 18th century brought significant social and political transformation in colonial America. It was around this time that Americans started to reject the idea of Great Britain ruling from overseas without giving due representation to the local population of the colony. When communities sharing a common attribute come together and struggle for their rights they do so not just for themselves but for every one that falls under them. The American Revolution too started off when America came together and began fighting for the rights of its citizens. British indifference towards the grievances of the colonies and the realization by the colonists of their rights eventually led them to secede from Britain. David Walker’s Appeal, similar to the American Revolution, is based on the core principal of equal rights for people of African descent. The Appeal, primarily based on theological arguments, advocates equal rights for the oppressed and enslaved African Americans of 18th century America. If the ideas promoted by David Walker in the Appeal were radical and subversive to the American cause, then the same arguments could have been easily used in categorizing the white colonists as being subversive to the British cause.
The Declaration of Independence, which was an explanation to secession from Britain, provides an outline of some of the major grievances the American colonies had against Britain. The “self-evident” grievances mentioned in the Declaration can be equally applicable to the ethnically black inhabitants of America who were oppressed by the white colonists. The white colonists had reservations to England’s treatment of the colonies but they themselves were far harsher in their treatment of the black inhabitants. Describing the abject conditions of blacks, Walker himself says that the blacks are “the most wretched, degraded and abject set of beings that ever lived since the world began,” and that the white Americans treat them in a condition “more
The Declaration of Independence, which was an explanation to secession from Britain, provides an outline of some of the major grievances the American colonies had against Britain. The “self-evident” grievances mentioned in the Declaration can be equally applicable to the ethnically black inhabitants of America who were oppressed by the white colonists. The white colonists had reservations to England’s treatment of the colonies but they themselves were far harsher in their treatment of the black inhabitants. Describing the abject conditions of blacks, Walker himself says that the blacks are “the most wretched, degraded and abject set of beings that ever lived since the world began,” and that the white Americans treat them in a condition “more