When taking a look back at the stages of the world history, one might be wondering how different the world would be if at certain points, people had undertaken different actions, made different decisions and considered different ideas. Sometimes, the choice between a plethora of options would have done nothing; in other cases, the solution to a specific dilemma would have waged the fate of millions of people.
Changing the outcomes is one thing, however; changing people’s mindset is another. Taking the famous refusal to accept David Walker’s Appeal will be a perfect way to illustrate the aforementioned idea. One might argue that David Walker’s famous brainchild, Appeal, and its further rejection by the Founding Fathers at the time of composing the declaration of Independence predetermined the further course of the USA development, with its horrible history of slavery and the further racial discrimination, particularly against Black people.
However, assuming that David Walker’s Appeal would have changed people’s minds entirely would be rather naïve. Despite the fact that by 1829, the citizens of the United States have accepted the ideas of equal chances, rights and freedoms, it would have been wrong consider that the U.S. citizens were ready to accept the concept of rights and freedoms for everyone.
Abolitionist ideas have not yet sunk deep enough with the common people, and it was thirty-six years until the Civil War, which could possibly mean only that the then dominant USA population would have not considered David Walker’s Appeal as a possible idea. Therefore, in terms of the relationships between the white and the Black population of the USA, the Appeal would have solved nothing.
Moreover, further conflicts between the Americans and the African Americans would have been spawned, which means that the Civil War might have been somewhat crueler and it would have taken more than four years to win the battle. Overall, even if Walker’s Appeal had been considered in the Senate, it would have made the conflict between the two cultures even longer and more complicated. Some of the changes might have been speeded up a bit, yet the majority of the historic events would have remained in their places.
However, with all these issues in mind, Walker’s argument cannot be considered as radical; despite its tone and premises, i.e., the dissatisfaction with the policy towards the African American people, Walker’s work is written as a suggestion instead of a demand or a call for action, which means that Walker’s Appeal cannot be considered as a thrust in a direction towards the derogation of the white people.
Walker must be credited for a very strong opinion on the policy that the American government was implementing. He did not hesitate to express his concern with the lack of humanity and to critique the very concept of slavery, as well as the policies that supported it. Some might argue that Walker’s appeal never had any Black Nationalism implications in it[1].
Indeed, it would be rather unexpected in the era when the African American population was oppressed that a person of an African American origin, even a man of education and intelligence of Walker’s, would have decided to promote the ideas that would have diminished the role of the dominating part of the population.
According to the existing researches, the fact that Walker suggested the ideas of equality in the era when slavery was a widely accepted phenomenon can hardly be posed as a supportive argument – in fact, abolitionists have done their job by 1820ies, and a number of the African American people had learned about the basic abolitionist principles by that time.
Considering some of the passages from Walker’s famous work will help define the parts that have been interpreted as the start of the “Black Nationalism.” Among the most daring statements, the following must be quoted:
I have been for years troubling the pages of historians, to find out what our fathers have done to the white Christians of America, to merit such condign punishment as they have inflicted on them, and do continue to inflict on us their children. But I must aver, that my researches have hitherto been to no effect.[2]
It is important to stress that in the given sentence, two basic ideas can be traced. On the one hand, walker makes it clear that there is no basic difference between an American and an African America.
Walker does so by stating that the Black people might have deserved such cruel treatment and such unbelievable injustice by only committing a terrible crime to the entire race of the American people. Otherwise, walker implies, such an attitude is completely pointless and unexplainable. Thus, Walker draws parallels between the Black people and the white people, claiming that they are on the same level, and that slavery can only be explained – but not justified – by a terrible mistake that one could have done in the past.
Rather understandable plea for justice, the given statement seems innocent enough; however, when considered closer, it supposedly could be viewed as a reason to start an eye-for-an-eye battle between the oppressed and the dominating ones; since the African people are equal to the American ones, it would only be fair that the latter should pay for the years of humiliation and abuse.
Still, viewing the given passage in the light of Black Nationalism does not seem possible. Walker’s question can be considered demanding, persistent, solution seeking, even demanding for a change, yet it does not have a single tangible element of stating the need to establish a specific nation and represent a specific culture.
Another element from Walker’s work might be considered a manifestation of the Black Nationalism relates to his attitude towards the white people. This is the point at which his statement stops being a typical peace-seeking statement and where the demand for establishing the status quo stems from.
owever, this can also be viewed as the point that spawned the most turmoil and caused even greater conflict between the Black and the white population. For example, such passage as “The whites have always been an unjust, jealous, unmerciful, avaricious and blood-thirsty set of beings, always seeking after power and authority”[3] shows clearly that the author did not have a very favorable opinion of most of the USA white population.
Clearly, the given opinion was voiced by a person who knew the white people from their worst side and, therefore, had the right to pass such harsh and stern judgment. However, the given judgment did not serve the purpose that the given document had, i.e., providing the African American people with the rights and freedoms that they deserved. Indeed, the ways in which Walker describes the white population of the USA, as well as the white race in general, starting from the Romans, as slaveholders for their selfish reasons.
Even though at some point Walker states that in no way did he want to insult the representatives of the European origin and was only attempting to provide freedom to the entire nation: “Let no one say that I assert this because I am prejudiced on the side of my colour, and against the whites or Europeans”[4], the given specifics of the paper does make the statement weaker.
Nevertheless, it would be absurd to consider the ideas of the man who appealed to “humanity, kindness and the fear of the Lord”[5] in his major work as the ones that promoted radical actions.
In the light of what slaveholders did to their so-called “living goods,” the principles of equal rights that Walker heralded could be regarded as the most peaceful response possible: “Why, I thought the Americans proclaimed to the world that they are a happy, enlightened, humane and Christian people, all the inhabitants of the country enjoy equal Rights!! America is the Asylum for the oppressed of all nations!!!”[6]
To give Walker credit, though, his work did accelerate the process of recognizing the rights of the Black people and freeing them from the burden of slavery that they had been carrying for so long. Nevertheless, as it has been stressed above, the tone and the overall straight-forwardness of the paper made it hardly applicable in the late 1820ies settings.
Walker’s statement could not have been considered radical simply because he preferred reasoning with the people oppressing his kind instead of straight calling the Black people to take revenge on the oppressors.
Therefore, it can be assumed that Walker’s paper was more than appropriate response to the anti-abolitionists. Sadly, the complicated XIX century relationships between the African Americans and the rest of the American population would not have been saved with a single document, even with such glorious and meaningful as Walker’s Appeal.
While its contribution into the history of the United States cannot possibly be doubted, the issue concerning the adequate treatment of the African American people, as well as the ideas concerning freedom, equality and fraternity, do not change rapidly. It takes time and great patience to convince someone that a nation must not be judged on the merits of the looks of its representatives, religious beliefs, political system, etc.
While the goal that Walker pursued by promoting his Appeal as the guiding principle of the new policies towards Black people, it must be admitted that he chose the wrong time and the wrong tone. While the fact that the Appeal would have caused a surge of Black Nationalism is rather doubtful, it is still clear that, once adopted, the given law would have triggered numerous protests from the owners of slaves, the supporters of slavery and all the people who were not ready for the changes in their attitude towards the Black population.
It is clear that the results would not have changed either way; in the latter case, it may be assumed that the 1861 bloodbath would have been lengthier and bloodier, yet slavery would have finally been dealt with, while equality principles would have had to wait for another century. That being said, it can be assumed that Walker was ahead of his time; he had written his Appeal for a different era and for the people of different and more tolerant mindset.
Reference List
Robinson, Dean E. Black Nationalism in American Politics and Thought. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. 2001.
Walker, David. David Walker’s Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World. University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University. 2002.
Footnotes
- Dean E. Robinson, Black Nationalism in American Politics and Thought (Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2001), 11.
- David Walker, David Walker’s Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World (University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University, 2002), 16.
- David Walker, David Walker’s Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World (University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University, 2002), 20.
- David Walker, David Walker’s Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World (University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University, 2002), 28.
- David Walker, David Walker’s Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World (University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University, 2002), 28.
- David Walker, David Walker’s Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World (University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University, 2002), 82.