David Walker
What is my Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World?
I wrote a pamphlet in 1829 warning America that God would punish the nation for slavery, and I called my people to stand and resist.
What is my commitment to radical equality?
I spent my life in Congress fighting to ensure that formerly enslaved people received full equality under the law — not someday, but immediately.
What is my founding of The Liberator?
In 1831, I launched an antislavery newspaper and vowed to be “harsh as truth” and “unyielding as justice” in my demands.
What is my work as a secondhand clothing dealer?
Before I became known as an abolitionist, I made my living in Boston repairing and selling used clothes — and secretly distributing antislavery writings.
Why did I support the idea of giving “forty acres and a mule”?
I pushed for confiscating Confederate land and redistributing it to freedpeople because justice requires more than freedom — it requires resources.
What is my belief in immediate, uncompensated emancipation?
From the very beginning, I insisted that slavery must end immediately — no compromise, no gradual plans, no payment to enslavers.
What was the price placed on my head for speaking the truth?
Southern authorities hated my message so much that they placed bounties on me — one for my capture and another for my death.
What role did I play in shaping the 14th Amendment?
I was one of the main architects behind the 14th Amendment, guaranteeing citizenship and equal protection to all born in the United States.
Why did I call the Constitution “a covenant with death”?
I once burned a copy of the Constitution because I believed it protected slavery and betrayed the principles of human freedom.
Why did I challenge America to live up to its founding ideals?
I argued that the Declaration and the Constitution meant nothing if Black people were excluded from the freedom they promised.
How did I use political power to rebuild the nation?
In Congress, I used my position on the Ways and Means Committee to direct money and power toward Reconstruction and civil rights.
What is my role in organizing a national abolition movement?
In 1833, I helped found the American Anti-Slavery Society, bringing together thousands of activists dedicated to ending slavery across the nation.
Why did I declare that we are Americans by right, not by permission?
I insisted that African Americans were citizens because our sweat, our blood, and our labor helped build the United States from the ground up.
Why did I lead the charge to impeach Andrew Johnson?
I fought fiercely for the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson because he tried to undermine Black freedom and restore Confederate influence.
Why did I dedicate my entire life to abolition?
I wrote, I lectured, I protested, and I risked my life — all because I believed the moral law of God demanded the end of human bondage.