Walker's Appeal, with a Brief Sketch of His Life: And Also Garnet's Address to the Slaves of the United States of America — John Shaqi
Walker's Appeal, with a Brief Sketch of His Life: And Also Garnet's Address to the Slaves of the United States of AmericaWalker, David
History
Walker's Appeal, with a Brief Sketch of His Life: And Also Garnet's Address to the Slaves of the United States of America
Walker, David
Slavery -- United States
See this, my brethren!! Do you believe that this assertion is
swallowed by millions of the whites? Do you know that Mr. Jefferson
was one of as great characters as ever lived among the whites? See his
writings for the world, and public labors for the United States of
America. Do you believe that the assertions of such a man, will pass
away into oblivion unobserved by this people and the world? If you do
you are much mistaken--See how the American people treat us--have we
souls in our bodies? are we men who have any spirits at all? I know
that there are many _swell-bellied_ fellows among us whose greatest
object is to fill their stomachs. Such I do not mean--I am after those
who know and feel, that we are MEN as well as other people; to them, I
say, that unless we try to refute Mr. Jefferson's arguments respecting
us, we will only establish them.
But the slaves among the Romans. Every body who has read history,
knows, that as soon as a slave among the Romans obtained his freedom,
he could rise to the greatest eminence in the State, and there was no
law instituted to hinder a slave from buying his freedom. Have not the
Americans instituted laws to hinder us from obtaining our freedom. Do
any deny this charge? Read the laws of Virginia, North Carolina, &c.
Further: have not the Americans instituted laws to prohibit a man of
colour from obtaining and holding any office whatever, under the
government of the United States of America? Now, Mr. Jefferson tells
us that our condition is not so hard, as the slaves were under the
Romans!!!!
It is time for me to bring this article to a close. But before I close
it, I must observe to my brethren that at the close of the first
Revolution in this country with Great Britain, there were but thirteen
States in the Union, now there are twenty-four, most of which are
slave-holding States, and the whites are dragging us around in chains
and hand-cuffs to their new States and Territories to work their mines
and farms, to enrich them and their children, and millions of them
believing firmly that we being a little darker than they, were made by
our creator to be an inheritance to them and their children
forever--the same as a parcel of _brutes_!!
Are we MEN!!--I ask you, O my brethren! are we MEN? Did our creator
make us to be slaves to dust and ashes like ourselves? Are they not
dying worms as well as we? Have they not to make their appearance
before the tribunal of heaven, to answer for the deeds done in the
body, as well as we? Have we any other master but Jesus Christ alone?
Is he not their master as well as ours?--What right then, have we to
obey and call any other master, but Himself? How we could be so
_submissive_ to a gang of men, whom we cannot tell whether they are as
_good_ as ourselves or not, I never could conceive. However, this is
shut up with the Lord and we cannot precisely tell--but I declare, we
judge men by their works.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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