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
[Hand->] ADDITION.--If any of us see fit to go away, go to those who
have been for many years, and are now our greatest earthly friends and
benefactors--the English. If not so, go to our brethren, the Haytians,
who, according to their word, is bound to protect and comfort us. The
Americans say that we are ungrateful--but I ask them for heaven's
sake, what we should be grateful to them for--for murdering our
fathers and mothers?--Or do they wish us to return thanks to them for
chaining and handcuffing us, branding us, cramming fire down our
throats, or for keeping us in slavery, and beating us nearly or quite
to death to make us work in ignorance and miseries, to support them
and their families. They certainly think that we are a gang of fools.
Those among them, who have volunteered their services for our
redemption, though we are unable to compensate them for their labors,
we nevertheless thank them from the bottom of our hearts, and have our
eyes steadfastly fixed upon them, and their labors of love for God and
man. But do slave-holders think that we thank them for keeping us in
miseries, and taking our lives by the inches? [<-Hand]
Before I proceed further with this scheme, I shall give an extract
from the letter of that truly Reverend Divine, (Bishop Allen,) of
Philadelphia, respecting this trick. At the instance of the Editor of
the Freedom's Journal, he says,[21]
"Dear Sir, I have been for several years trying to reconcile
my mind to the Colonizing of Africans in Liberia, but there
have always been, and there still remain great and
insurmountable objections against the scheme. We are an
unlettered people, brought up in ignorance, not one in a
hundred can read or write, not one in a thousand has a
liberal education; is there any fitness for such to be sent
into a far country, among heathens, to convert or civilize
them, when they themselves are neither civilized or
christianized? See the great bulk of the poor, ignorant
Africans in this country, exposed to every temptation before
them: all for the want of their morals being refined by
education and proper attendance paid unto them by their
owners, or those who had the charge of them. It is said by
the Southern slave-holders, that the more ignorant they can
bring up the Africans, the better slaves they make, 'go and
come.' Is there any fitness for such people to be colonized
in a far country, to be their own rulers? Can we not discern
the project of sending the free people of colour away from
their country? Is it not for the interest of the
slave-holders to select the free people of colour out of the
different states, and send them to Liberia? Will it not make
their slaves uneasy to see free men of colour enjoying
liberty? It is against the law, in some of the southern
states, that a person of colour should receive an education,
under a severe penalty.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account