David walker was an African-American author and activist born on 28th of September, 1785, North Carolina, United States. He inherited free slave status from his mother who was free slavery, but she died while David was still young. Although he was free of slavery, he witnesses misery the slaves were experiencing on a daily basis. It is believed it is this mistreatment of slaves and slavery institution as a whole that forced him to leave North Carolina for Boston where he engaged in second-hand clothes business. In Boston, he engaged in charitable initiative by helping the poor and the runaway slaves. It is this philanthropy nature that earned him respect and recognition of the black community in Boston. Moreover, he was anti-slavery activist who advocated on the unity of the black community in the United States (University of North Carolina. 2004). He believed that the black deserve fair treatment from the white community who were mistreating the black community. He reasoned that the black community had participated in building the American from scratch through forced labor that has caused the colored to shed blood and tears (Africans in America, 1995).
The hardship that the slaves were facing at that time forced him to write a 76-page pamphlet famously know as the ‘walker’s appeal’. The book was published in 1829 and secretly circulated to a number of states such as North Carolina, Virginia and Georgia. The pamphlet highlighted the oppression the African-American were facing at that time through slavery. In the appeal, he called the black community to unite and so that they can fight the injustice they were facing from the white masters (University of California, Irvine, 2011). He believed that the black community would not get out of slavery unless they stand united and fight for their freedom regardless of the dangers associated with the fight. He urged the African-American not to have mercy on their white master since they have lost their loved ones in the hands of their tyrant masters (Africans in America, 1995). This was a dangerous venture to do at that time; this put his life on the line. However, it marked the start of revolution and uprising of the black community. It is believed this book was one of the contributors to the civil unrest in United State that was witnessed in the late 1800s to 1960s
References
Africans in America. (1995). Africans in America/Part 4/David Walker's Appeal. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4h2931t.html
