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Difficulty: MediumBlack Abolitionism and Anti-Slavery Activism

Read the excerpt from David Walker’s *Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World* (1829) and answer the following question.

"America is more our country, than it is the whites—we have enriched it with our blood and tears. The greatest riches in all America have arisen from our blood and tears:—and will they drive us from our property and homes, which we have earned with our ashes?"

Which of the following historical debates among Black abolitionists does the excerpt most directly address?

  1. The debate over whether to seek emigration and colonization abroad or to demand full citizenship rights within the United StatesAnswer
  2. B
    The debate over how to implement colonization, based on the assumption that all Black abolitionists agreed that emigration was the only path to freedom
  3. C
    The debate over whether to support armed resistance or to limit the political influence of early Black churches to spiritual matters
  4. D
    The debate over whether to organize public political conventions or to rely primarily on covert plantation-level resistance like tool breaking

Answer

The debate over whether to seek emigration and colonization abroad or to demand full citizenship rights within the United States
The correct answer accurately identifies the debate between colonization/emigration and the claim to U.S. citizenship. In his 1829 Appeal, David Walker strongly rejected the efforts of the American Colonization Society and other colonizationists who proposed that free Black people relocate to Africa. Walker asserted that African Americans had built the United States through their labor ('blood and tears') and were entitled to stay and claim their full rights as citizens.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the stimulus text to identify the author's main argument.
The author argues that America belongs to Black people because of their labor, blood, and tears, and opposes being driven out of the country.
This establishes that the author is responding to attempts to remove or deport Black Americans from the United States.
2
Link the author's argument to the historical context of the 1820s and 1830s.
During this period, the American Colonization Society and some Black leaders proposed emigration/colonization to Africa or the Caribbean, while others demanded citizenship and equality in the U.S.
Understanding these historical debates allows the student to categorize the disagreement over colonization versus citizenship.
3
Identify the option that correctly describes the tension between colonization and domestic citizenship claims.
The option focusing on the choice between emigration/colonization abroad and demanding full citizenship rights in the United States accurately matches the text's opposition to being 'driven' from their earned home.
This demonstrates a correct understanding of Black abolitionist ideological divisions regarding their destiny in America.

Key Concept

Black Abolitionism and Anti-Slavery Activism
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Black Abolitionism and Anti-Slavery Activism

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