David Walker's Appeal Analysis

Uproar and protest bubbled over in the states after Scott’s failure to obtain his freedom. His case also fueled the North in their battle with the South, since the big topic of the century was “slavery”. They wanted justice for Dred Scott, to rightfully place his ownership in his own hands, to grant him the freedom to live however he pleased and to not have to walk in shackles. Any human should have that basic right, as it says in the constitution. This landmark of a case stood as a breaking point for social reform; motivation to stop the discrimination that ran throughout the country.

This pamphlet was one of the first signs of the new abolitionism. Walker warned Americans that God would punish them if they did not put an end to slavery and called for black Americans to rally for abolition. He also wanted blacks to embrace who they were and what they were. He wanted them to take pride in African civilizations ' achievements and claim their rights as American born citizens. Walker 's pamphlet scared many Northerners and Southerners and he later died of mysterious circumstances.

The African American revolution started in 1950s represented a range of protests by black people against segregation and for freedom. They chose direct action to reach their goal – “they marched, picketed, went to jail, and suffered harm, pain and inhumane acts” (Letter from Birmingham Jail). After the protest in Alabama has failed, Martin Luther turned to Birmingham, where his house and family was set under attack because of his active position. It resulted in his more active participation and organization of further opposition. In the letter, Martin Luther described Birmingham as “probably the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States.

The people of America have been grappling with the problem of racism since the colonial times. With the development of the Civil Rights Movement, many leaders and figureheads have taken upon themselves the idea of unifying the black race and helping them gain equality in their own personal ways. Recently, the country is witnessing the rise of Malcolm X while as he works with a rather aggressive approach to get the black community their well-deserved rights. In ‘Not just an American problem, but a world problem’, a recently given speech by Malcolm X, he has openly accused the colored communities of manipulating the media with their tactics of ‘image making’ and hence, playing a very significant role in undermining the position of the black race. There is no doubt about the fact that Malcolm X believes in dealing with the dilemma of this racial prejudice in an aggressive manner.

Malcolm X and Nelson Mandela were such influential people whose societies helped mold them into who they became. Both Malcolm X and Mandela lived in societies that had a legal system of oppression on blacks. In the United States, the KKK was very prominent while Malcolm X was growing up. The Ku Klux Klan advocated for white supremacy and white nationalism and terrorized groups they opposed, such as blacks. Even before Malcolm was born, he and his family experienced oppression from the Klan.

Martin also uses hyperbole, exaggerated statements or claims, to further the message of his speech. Martin announced, “... millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice” (King 1). The proclamation directly revealed the hardships that the Negroes dealt with in an exaggerated fashion and illustrated a picture of just how poorly people of color were treated. Martin declared that they would “... shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges” (King 2). The strong words and phrases that Martin voiced made the crowd feel for the blacks who faced difficult situations.

The revolutionary Civil Rights leader, Martin Luther King Jr, once described discrimination as “a hellbound that gnaws at Negroes in every waking moment of their lives to remind them that the lie of their inferiority is accepted as truth in the society dominating them.” His point being that African Americans face racial discrimination on a daily basis. Brent Staples, being an African American living in America, expresses his view on the subject in his essay “Just Walk on By”, where he conveys the message of how fear is influenced by society's stereotypical and discriminating views of certain groups of people; his point is made clear through his sympathetic persona, descriptive diction, depressing tone, and many analogies. Staples sympathetic persona helps the reader feel and understand the racial problems that he experiences daily. His point of view is that of a man who feels that he has done wrong, when in reality, it is society that has done the wrongdoing. Staples knows that the stereotypes that he faces for being black are wrong but also understands that he has to accept them.

William Lloyd Garrison was an abolitionist and the author of a weekly journal, the liberator. Ironically, Garrison really became a notorious and famous abolitionist only after the South published his work in news papers in an attempt to condemn him. Garrison’s weekly journal became the main journal of abolitionist. Garrison called for the immediate abolishment of slavery in America and for blacks to be viewed as Americans. With the help of other abolitionists, Garrison’s conceptions spread across the North.

In fact, “New World plantation agriculture came to depend on the labor of enslaved workers…” (Created Equal 80). Though being enslaved as an African American in the New World was inevitable, most slaves were determined to fight back against such injustice even if it meant using violence to gain their freedom. The Stono Rebellion, (1739), was marked as the largest slave rebellion in the newly founded colonies. A first account reported by Lieutenant Governor William Bull stated, “a great number of Negroes arose in rebellion… [and] killed twenty one White Persons…burning several houses as they passed along the road” (VCE 58). Later, in the same report, Bull claims that it would be effective to pay Indians to bring back the African

Black Americans are forced to deal with society’s racist views. He grows up in a time period where slavery is legal and blacks are looked down upon. His perception and opinions on slavery are his main struggle. According to the law, Huck is the wrongdoer. Once Huck comes to the realization that he is technically committing a crime, his conscience kept saying, “But you knowed he was running for his freedom, and you could a paddled ashore and told somebody” (109).