---
title: "David Walker — AP African American Studies Definition"
description: "David Walker wrote the 1829 Appeal calling for radical resistance to slavery, rejecting moral suasion and African emigration. Key figure for Topic 2.19 in AP African American Studies."
canonical: "https://fiveable.me/ap-african-american-studies/key-terms/david-walker"
type: "key-term"
subject: "AP African American Studies"
unit: "Unit 2"
---

# David Walker — AP African American Studies Definition

## Definition

David Walker was a free Black activist whose 1829 Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World demanded the overthrow of slavery through direct action, rejected emigration to Africa, and warned that God would punish the United States for slavery, making him a foundational voice of radical resistance.

## What It Is

David Walker was a free Black [abolitionist](/ap-african-american-studies/unit-2/20-abolitionism-and-the-underground-railroad/study-guide/pKJA8ozY2at2IfTR "fv-autolink") living in Boston who published his *Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World* in 1829. The Appeal did something most [antislavery](/ap-african-american-studies/unit-2/14-freedom-womens-rights-and-education/study-guide/bp2sHi0HFb0u4pX4 "fv-autolink") writing of the time refused to do. It told enslaved and free African Americans that slavery was so urgent and so violent that overthrowing it through direct action, including revolts and violence if necessary, was justified. Walker also argued that Black people had built America and belonged in it, so he rejected colonization schemes that pushed emigration to Africa. And he framed slavery as a sin the nation would answer for, asserting that God would punish the United States if it did not end slavery.

In the AP course, Walker represents the radical resistance strand of nineteenth-century Black political thought (Topic 2.19). His Appeal is exactly the kind of publication EK 2.19.A.3 describes, a text that detailed the horrors of slavery to push African Americans toward action. Walker's approach stands in deliberate contrast to [moral suasion](/ap-african-american-studies/key-terms/moral-suasion "fv-autolink"), the strategy of appealing to white Americans' sense of morality and ethics. Walker essentially asked why anyone should wait for slaveholders to grow a conscience.

## Why It Matters

David Walker anchors [Topic 2.19](/ap-african-american-studies/unit-2/19-black-political-radical-resistance/study-guide/irfzuDC8oenkD4GE "fv-autolink") (Black Political Thought: Radical Resistance) in [Unit 2](/ap-african-american-studies/unit-2 "fv-autolink"): Freedom, Enslavement, and Resistance. He directly supports learning objective 2.19.A, which asks you to describe the features of radical resistance strategies promoted by Black activists. Walker checks every box in the essential knowledge: he embraced direct action and accepted violence as a legitimate response to the daily urgency of slavery (EK 2.19.A.1), his Appeal challenged the slower persuasion-based strategy of moral suasion (EK 2.19.A.2), and he leveraged a publication to spread the message (EK 2.19.A.3). If the exam asks you to contrast strategies within the abolitionist movement, Walker is your go-to example of the radical side. He also matters for the bigger Unit 2 throughline that resistance to slavery took many forms, from everyday acts to organized revolts to printed words designed to ignite both.

## Connections

### [David Walker's Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World (Unit 2)](/ap-african-american-studies/key-terms/david-walkers-appeal-to-the-coloured-citizens-of-the-world)

The Appeal is Walker's signature contribution and the document the exam actually tests. Walker is the person; the Appeal is the source. Expect MCQ stems built around what the 1829 text argued.

### [Moral Suasion (Unit 2)](/ap-african-american-studies/key-terms/moral-suasion)

Moral suasion tried to end [slavery](/ap-african-american-studies/unit-2/23-the-civil-war-and-black-communities/study-guide/izqwf48keJf083W0 "fv-autolink") by convincing white Americans it was immoral. Walker's Appeal is the course's clearest rejection of that approach. He argued enslaved people could not afford to wait for persuasion to work.

### [Henry Highland Garnet (Unit 2)](/ap-african-american-studies/key-terms/henry-highland-garnet)

Garnet picked up where Walker left off. His 1843 '[Address to the Slaves of the United States of America](/ap-african-american-studies/key-terms/address-to-the-slaves-of-the-united-states-of-america "fv-autolink")' echoed Walker's call for direct resistance, showing radical resistance was a tradition, not one man's idea.

### [Address to the Slaves of the United States of America (Unit 2)](/ap-african-american-studies/key-terms/address-to-the-slaves-of-the-united-states-of-america)

Pair these two texts for any question about radical resistance publications. Walker's 1829 Appeal and Garnet's 1843 Address bookend the shift away from moral suasion in the 1830s and 1840s.

## On the AP Exam

Walker shows up most often in multiple-choice questions that ask you to characterize his approach in the 1829 Appeal or to identify him as a figure who challenged moral suasion. Practice questions on this topic ask things like which document challenged the effectiveness of moral suasion (answer: Walker's Appeal) and who is associated with radical resistance. The skill being tested is comparison. You need to explain how radical resistance differed from moral suasion: direct action and accepted violence versus appeals to conscience. For short-answer or source-analysis questions, be ready to read an excerpt from the Appeal and connect its claims (God's judgment on America, rejection of emigration, the urgency of slavery) to the radical resistance strategy described in LO 2.19.A.

## David Walker vs Henry Highland Garnet

Both are radical resistance figures, so they're easy to mix up. Walker wrote the *Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World* in 1829 as a published pamphlet. Garnet delivered the 'Address to the Slaves of the United States of America' in 1843 as a speech. Walker came first and set the template; Garnet extended the tradition more than a decade later. If the question says 1829 or 'Appeal,' it's Walker. If it says 1843 or 'Address,' it's Garnet.

## Key Takeaways

- David Walker was a free Black activist who published the Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World in 1829, calling for the overthrow of slavery through direct action, including violence if necessary.
- Walker rejected emigration to Africa, insisting that African Americans had built the United States and had every right to remain and claim full citizenship in it.
- Walker argued that God would punish the United States for the sin of slavery, giving his Appeal a prophetic, religious urgency.
- Walker's strategy directly opposed moral suasion, which relied on persuading white Americans through appeals to morality and ethics.
- Walker's Appeal is the model example of EK 2.19.A.3, a publication detailing slavery's horrors to encourage African Americans toward resistance.
- Henry Highland Garnet's 1843 Address to the Slaves continued Walker's radical resistance tradition, so know both figures and which document belongs to which.

## FAQs

### What did David Walker do?

David Walker was a free Black abolitionist in Boston who published the Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World in 1829. It urged African Americans to resist slavery through direct action, rejected emigration to Africa, and warned that God would punish the United States for slavery.

### Did David Walker support moral suasion?

No. Walker's Appeal challenged the effectiveness of moral suasion, the strategy of changing slavery through ethical persuasion. He argued the daily urgency of living and dying under slavery justified direct action, including violence if necessary.

### How is David Walker different from Henry Highland Garnet?

Walker wrote the Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World in 1829; Garnet delivered the Address to the Slaves of the United States of America in 1843. Both advocated radical resistance, but Walker established the tradition and Garnet extended it fourteen years later.

### Did David Walker want Black Americans to move to Africa?

No. Walker explicitly rejected emigration to Africa. He argued African Americans had earned their place in the United States through their labor and belonged there as full citizens.

### Is David Walker on the AP African American Studies exam?

Yes. Walker appears in Topic 2.19 (Black Political Thought: Radical Resistance) under learning objective 2.19.A. Expect questions asking you to characterize his 1829 Appeal or contrast his radical resistance approach with moral suasion.

## Related Study Guides

- [2.19 Black Political Thought: Radical Resistance](/ap-african-american-studies/unit-2/19-black-political-radical-resistance/study-guide/irfzuDC8oenkD4GE)

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