In September 1829, David Walker published the first edition of his Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World, a pamphlet that became a stirring call to arms for both slaves and free blacks alike. Walker's audience was blacks in the United States and his aim was to foster black unity and education, combat racial stereotypes, and make the case for the abolition of slavery. Like most abolitionists, black and white, Walker hoped that the end of slavery could come about through peaceful means. Unlike most other abolitionists, however, Walker openly called for slaves to violently resist their bondage, stating, “it is no more harm for you to kill a man, who is trying to kill you, than it is for you to take a drink of water when thirsty.” While advocates of pacifism and nonviolence often based their positions on their Christian faith, it was Walker's Christianity which lent support to his calls for revolutionary violence. “Does the Lord condescend to hear their cries and see their tears in consequence of oppression?” he asked. “Will he let the oppressors rest comfortably and happy always? Will he not cause the very children of the oppressors to rise up against them, and oftimes to put them to death?” Walker firmly believed that God would have his vengeance on blacks’ oppressors and that the vehicles for that vengeance might very well be the slaves themselves.

中文翻译：

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海地与黑人知识分子传统，1829-1934

1829 年 9 月，大卫·沃克出版了他的第一版呼吁世界有色人种，这本小册子成为奴隶和自由黑人的激动人心的号召。沃克的听众是美国的黑人，他的目标是促进黑人团结和教育，打击种族刻板印象，并为废除奴隶制辩护。像大多数黑人和白人废奴主义者一样，沃克希望通过和平方式结束奴隶制。然而，与大多数其他废奴主义者不同的是，沃克公开呼吁奴隶暴力抵抗他们的束缚，他说：“你杀死一个试图杀死你的人，并不比你喝一杯渴了就喝水。” 虽然和平主义和非暴力的倡导者经常将他们的立场建立在他们的基督教信仰上，但正是沃克的基督教支持了他对革命暴力的呼吁。“主会屈尊听到他们的呼声，看到他们因受压迫而流下的眼泪吗？” 他问。“他会让压迫者永远舒舒服服地休息吗？他不会让压迫者的子孙起来反抗他们，并经常将他们处死吗？” 沃克坚信上帝会对压迫黑人的人进行报复，而复仇的工具很可能就是奴隶本身。