Feeling a deep solemnity of soul, in view of our wretched and degraded
situation, and sensible of the gross ignorance that prevails among us, I have
thought proper thus publicly to express my sentiments before you. I hope my
friends will not scrutinize these pages with too severe an eye, as I have not
calculated to display either elegance or taste in their composition, but have
merely written the meditations of my heart as far as my imagination led; and
have presented' them before you, in order to arouse you to exertion, and to
enforce upon your minds the great necessity of turning your attention to
knowledge and improvement.
I was born in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1803; was left an orphan at five
years of age; was bound out in a clergyman's family; had the seeds of piety and
virtue early sown in my mind; but was deprived of the advantages of education,
though my soul thirsted for knowledge. Left them at 15 years of age; attended
Sabbath Schools until I was 20; in 1826, was married to James W. Steward; was
left a widow in 1829; was, as I humbly hope and trust, brought to the knowledge
of the truth, as it is in Jesus, in 1830; in 1831, made a public profession of
my faith in Christ.
From the moment I experienced the change, I felt a strong desire, with the
help and assistance of God, to devote the remainder of my days to piety and
virtue, and now possess that spirit of independence, that, were I called upon, I
would willingly sacrifice my life for the cause of God and my brethren.
All the nations of the earth are crying out for Liberty and Equality. Away,
away with tyranny and oppression! And shall Afric's sons be silent any longer?
Far be it from me to recommend to you, either to kill, burn, or destroy. But I
would strongly recommend to you, to improve your talents; let not one lie buried
in the earth. Show forth your powers of mind. Prove to the world, that
Though black your skins as shades of night,
Your hearts are pure, your souls are white.
This is the land of freedom. The press is at liberty. Every man has a right
to express his opinion. Many thinks, because your skins are tinged with a sable
hue, that you are an inferior race of beings; but God does not consider you as
such. He hath formed and fashioned you in his own glorious image, and hath
bestowed upon you reason and strong powers of intellect. He hath made you to
have dominion over the beasts of the field, the fowls of the air, and the fish
of the sea. He hath crowned you with glory and honor; hath made you but a little
lower than the angels; and, according to the Constitution of these United
States, he hath made all men free and equal. Then why should one worm say to
another, "Keep you down there, while I sit up yonder; for I am better than
thou ?" It is not the color of the skin that makes the man, but it is the
principles formed within the soul.
Many will suffer for pleading the cause of oppressed Africa, and I shall
glory in being one of her martyrs; for I am firmly persuaded, that the God in
whom I trust is able to protect me from the rage and malice of mine enemies, and
from them that will rise up against me; and is there is no other way for me to
escape, he is able to take me to himself, as he did the most noble, fearless,
and undaunted David Walker.
NEVER WILL VIRTUE, KNOWLEDGE, AND TRUE POLITENESS BEGIN TO FLOW, TILL THE
PURE PRINCIPLES OF RELIGION AND MORALITY ARE PUT INTO FORCE.
MY RESPECTED FRIENDS,
I feel almost unable to address you; almost incompetent to perform the task;
and, at times, I have felt ready to exclaim, O that my head were waters, and
mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night, for the
transgressions of the daughters of my people. Truly, my heart's desire and
prayer is, that Ethiopia might stretch forth her hands unto God. But we have a
great work to do. Never, no, never will the chains of slavery and ignorance
burst, till we become united as one, and cultivate among ourselves the pure
principles of piety, morality and virtue. I am sensible of my ignorance; but
such knowledge as God has given to me, I impart to you. I am sensible of former
prejudices; but it is high time for prejudice and animosities to cease from
among us. I am sensible of exposing myself to calumny and reproach; but shall I,
for fear of feeble man who shall die, hold my peace? shall I for fear of scoffs
and frowns, refrain my tongue? Ah, no! I speak as one that must give an account
at the awful bar of God; I speak as a dying mortal, to dying mortals. O, ye
daughters of Africa, awake! awake! arise! no longer sleep nor slumber, but
distinguish yourselves. Show forth to the world that ye are endowed with noble
and exalted faculties. O, ye daughters of Africa! what have ye done to
immortalize your names beyond the grave? What examples have ye set before the
rising generation? What foundation have ye laid for generation yet unborn? where
are our union and love? and where is our sympathy, that weeps at another's wo,
and hides the faults we see? And our daughters, where are they? blushing in
innocence and virtue? And our sons, do they bid fair to become crowns of glory
to our hoary heads? Where is the parent who is conscious of having faithfully
discharged his duty, and at the last awful day of account, shall be able to say,
here, Lord, is thy poor, unworthy servant, and the children thou hast given me?
And where are the children that will arise, and call them blessed? Alas, O God!
forgive me if I speak amiss; the minds of our tender babes are tainted as soon
as they are born; they go astray, as it were, from the womb. Where is the maiden
who will blush at vulgarity and where is the youth who has written upon his
manly brow a thirst for knowledge; whose ambition mind soars above trifles, and
longs for the time to come, when he shall redress the wrongs of his father, and
plead the cause of his brethren? Did the daughters of our land possess a
delicacy of manners, combined with gentleness and dignity; did their pure minds
hold vice in abhorrence and contempt, did they frown when their ears were
polluted with its vile accents, would not their influence become powerful? Would
not our brethren fall in love with their virtues? Their souls would become fired
with a holy zeal for freedom's cause. They would become ambitious to distinguish
themselves. They would become proud to display their talents. Able advocates
would arise in our defence. Knowledge would begin to flow, and the chains of
slavery and ignorance would melt like wax before the flames. I am but a feeble
instrument. I am but as one particle of the small dust of the earth. You may
frown or smile. After I am dead, perhaps before, God will surely raise up those
who will more powerfully and eloquently plead the cause of virtue and the pure
principles of morality than I am able to do. O virtue! how sacred is thy name! How
pure are thy principles! Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far
above rubies. Blessed is the man who shall call her his wife; yea, happy is the
child who shall call her mother. O, woman, woman, would thou only strive to
excel in merit and virtue; would thou only store thy mind with useful knowledge,
great would be thine influence. Do you say, you are too far advanced in life now
to begin? You are not too far advanced to instill these principles into the
minds of your tender infants. Let then by no means be neglected. Discharge your
duty faithfully, in every point of view: leave the event with God. So shall your
skirts become clear of their blood.
When I consider how little improvement has been made the last eight years;
the apparent cold and indifferent state of the children of God; how few have
been hopefully brought to the knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus; that our
young men and maidens are fainting and drooping, as it were, by the way-side,
for the want of knowledge; when I see how few care to distinguish themselves
either in religious or moral improvement, and when I see the greater part of our
community following the vain bubbles of life with so much eagerness, which will
only prove to them like the serpent's sting upon the bed of death, I really
think we are in as wretched and miserable a state as was the house of Israel in
the days of Jeremiah.
I suppose many of my friends will say, "Religion is all your
theme," I hope my conduct will ever prove me to be what I profess, a true
follower of Christ; and it is the religion of Jesus alone, that will constitute
your happiness here, and support you in a dying hour. O, then, do not trifle
with God and your own souls any longer. Do not presume to offer him the very
dregs of your lives; but now, whilst you are blooming in health and vigor,
consecrate the remnant of your days to him. Do you wish to become useful in your
day and generation? Do you wish to promote the welfare and happiness of your
friends, as far as your circle extends? Have you one desire to become truly
great? O, then, become truly pious, and God will endow you with wisdom and
knowledge from on high.
Come, turn to God, Who did thee make,
And at his presence fear and quake;
Remember him now in thy youth,
And let thy soul take told of truth.
The devil and his ways defy,
Believe him not, he doth but lie;
His ways seem sweet: but youth, beware!
He for thy soul hath laid a snare.
Religion is pure; it is ever new; it is beautiful; it is all that is worth
living for; it is worth dying for. O, could I but see the church built up in the
most holy faith; could I but see men spiritually minded, walking in the fear of
God, nor given to filthy lucre, not holding religion in one hand and the world
in the other, but diligent in business, fervent inspirit, serving the Lord,
standing upon the walls of Zion, crying to passers by, "Ho, every one that
thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; yea, come and buy
wine and milk without money and without price; Turn ye, turn ye, for why will ye
die?" Could I but see mothers in Israel, chaste, keepers at home, not busy
bodies, meddlers in other men's matters, whose adorning is of the inward man,
possessing a meek and quiet spirit, whose sons were like olive-plants, and whose
daughters were as polished corner-stones; could I but see young men and maidens
turning their feet from impious ways, rather choosing to suffer affliction with
the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; could I but
see the rising youth blushing in artless innocence, then could I say, now, Lord,
let thine unworthy handmaiden depart in peace, for I have seen the desire of
mine eyes, and am satisfied.
Prayer
O, Lord God, the watchmen of Zion have cried peace, when there was no peace;
they have been, as it were, blind leaders of the blind. Wherefore hast thou so
long withheld from us the divine influences of thy Holy Spirit? Wherefore hast
thou hardened our hearts and blinded our eyes? It is because we have honored
thee with our lips, when our hearts were far from thee. We have regarded
iniquity in our hearts, therefore thou will not hear. Return again unto us. O
Lord God, we beseech thee, and pardon this the iniquity of thy servants. Cause
thy face to shine upon us, and we shall be saved. O visit us with thy salvation.
Raise up sons and daughters unto Abraham, and grant that there might come a
mighty shaking of dry bones among us, and a great in gathering of souls. Quicken
thy professing children. Grant that the young may be constrained to believe that
there is a reality in religion and a beauty in the fear of the Lord. Have mercy
on the blighted sons and daughters of Africa. Grant that we may soon become so
distinguished for our moral and religious improvements, that the nations of the
earth may take knowledge of us; and grant that our cries may come up before thy
throne like holy incense. Grant that every daughter of Africa may consecrate her
sons to thee from the birth. And do thou, Lord, bestow upon them wise and
understanding her hearts. Clothe us with humility of souls, and give us a
becoming dignity of manners: may we imitate the character of the meek and lowly
Jesus; and do thou grant the Ethiopia may soon stretch forth her hands unto
thee. And now, Lord, be pleased to grant that Satan's kingdom may be destroyed;
that the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ may be built up; that all nations, and
hundreds, and tongues, and people might be brought to the knowledge of the
truth, as it is in Jesus, and we at last meet around thy throne, and join in
celebrating thy praises.
I have been taking a survey of the American people in my own mind, and I see
them thriving in arts, and sciences, and in polite literature. Their highest aim
is to excel in political, moral and religious improvement. They early consecrate
their children to God, and their youth indeed are blushing in artless innocence;
they wipe the tears from the orphan's eyes, and they cause the widow's heart to
sing for joy! and their poorest ones, who have the least wish to excel, they
promote! And those that have but one talent, they encourage. But how very few
are there among them that bestow one thought upon the benighted sons and
daughters of Africa, who have enriched the soils of America with their tears and
blood: few to promote their cause, none to encourage their talents. Under these
circumstances, do not let our hearts be any longer discouraged; it is no use to
murmur nor to repine; but let us promote ourselves and improve our own talents.
And I am rejoiced to reflect that there are many able and talented ones among
us, whose names might be recorded on the bright annals of fame. But, "I
can't," is a great barrier in the way, I hope it will soon be removed,
and "I will" resume its place.
Righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. Why is
it, my friends, that our minds have been blinded by ignorance, to the present
moment? 'Tis on account of sin. Why is it that our church is involved in so much
difficulty? It is on account of sin. Why is it that God has cut down, upon our
right hand and upon our left, the most learned and intelligent of our men? O,
shall I say, is it on account of sin! Why is it that thick darkness is mantled
upon every brow, and we, as it were, look sadly upon one another? It is on
account of sin. O, then, let us bow before the Lord our God, with all our
hearts, and humble our very souls in the dust before him; sprinkling, as it
were, ashes upon our heads, and awake to righteousness and sin not. The arm of
the Lord is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither is his ear heavy, that
it cannot hear; but it is your iniquities that have separated you from me, saith
the Lord. Return, O ye backsliding children, and I will return unto you, and ye
shall be my people, and I will be your God.
O, ye mothers, what a responsibility rests on you! You have souls committed
to your charge, and God will require a strict account of you. It is you that
must create in the minds of your little girls and boys a thirst for knowledge,
the love of virtue, the abhorrence of vice, and the cultivation of a pure heart.
The seeds thus sown will grow with their growing years; and the love of virtue
thus early formed in the soul will protect their inexperienced feet from many
dangers. O, do not say, you cannot make any thing of your children; but say,
with the help and assistance of God, we will try. Do not indulge them in their
little stubborn ways; for a child left to himself, bringeth his mother to shame.
Spare not, for their crying; thou shalt beat them with a rod, and they shall not
die; and thou shalt save their souls from hell. When you correct them, do it in
the fear of God, and for their own good. They will not thank you for your false
and foolish indulgence; they will rise up, as it were, and curse you in this
world, and, in the world to come, condemn pour. It is no use to say, you can't
do this, or, you can't do that; you will not tell your Maker so, when you meet
him at the great day of account. And you must be careful that you that set an
example worthy of following, for you they will, imitate. There are many
instances, even among us now, where parents have discharged their duty
faithfully, and their children now reflect honor upon their gray hairs.
Perhaps you will say, that many parents have set pure examples at home, and
they have not followed them. True, our expectations are often blasted; but let
not this dishearten you. If they have faithfully discharged their duty; even
after they are dead, their works may live; their prodigal children may then
return to God, and become heirs of salvation; if not their children cannot rise
and condemn them at the awful bar of God.
Perhaps you will say, that you cannot send them to high schools and
academies. You can have them taught in the first rudiments of useful knowledge,
and then you can have private teachers, who will instruct them in the higher
branches; and their intelligence will become greater than ours, and their
children will attain to higher advantages and their children still
higher; and then though we are dead, our works shall live: though we are
mouldering, our names shall not be forgotten.
Finally, my heart's desire and prayer to God is, that there might come a
thorough reformation among us. Our minds have too long grovelled in ignorance
and sin. Come, let us incline our ears to wisdom, and apply our hearts to
understanding; promote her, and she shall exalt thee; she shall bring thee to
honor when thou dost embrace her. An ornament of grace shall she be thy head,
and a crown of glory shall she delivers to thee. Take fast hold of instruction;
let her not go; keep her, for she is thy life. Come, let us turn unto the Lord
our God, with all our heart and soul, and put away every unclean and unholy
thing from among us, and walk before the Lord our God,'with a perfect heart, all
the days of our lives; then we shall be a people with whom God shall delight to
dwell; yea, we shall be that happy people whose God is the Lord.
I am of a strong opinion, that the day on which we unite, heart and soul, and
turn our attention to knowledge and improvement, that day the hissing and
reproach among the nations of the earth against us will cease. And even those
who now point at us with the finger of scorn, will aid and befriend us. It is of
no use for us to sit with our hands folded, hanging our heads like bulrushes,
lamenting our wretched condition; but let us make a mighty effort, and arise;
and if no one will promote or respect us, let us promote and respect ourselves.
The American ladies have the honor conferred on them, that by prudence and
economy in their domestic concerns, and their unwearied attention if forming the
minds and manners of their children, they laid the foundation of their becoming
what they now are. The good women of Wethersfield, Conn. toiled in the blazing
sun, year after year, weeding onions, then sold the seed and procured money
enough to erect them a house of worship; and shall we not imitate their
examples, as far as they are worthy of imitation? Why cannot we do something to
distinguish ourselves, and contribute some of our hard earnings that would
reflect honor upon our memories, and cause our children to arise and call us
blesses? Shall it any longer be said of the daughters of Africa, they have no
ambition, they have no force? By no means. Let every female heart become united,
and let us raise a fund ourselves; and at the end of the one year and a half, we
might be able to lay the corner-stone for the building of a High School, that
the higher branches of knowledge might be enjoyed by us; and God would raise us
up, and enough to aid us in our laudable designs. Let each one strive to excel
in good house wifely, knowing that prudence and economy and the road to wealth.
Let us not say, we know this, or we know that, and practise nothing; but let us
practise what we do know.
How long shall the fair daughters of Africa be compelled to bury their minds
and talents beneath a load of iron pots and kettles? Until union, knowledge and
love begin to flow among us. How long shall a mean set of men flatter us with
their smiles, and enrich themselves with our hard earnings; their wives'
finger's sparkling with rings, and they themselves laughing at our folly? Until
we begin to promote and patronize each other. Shall we be a by-word among the
nations any longer? Shall they laugh us to scorn forever? Do you ask, what can
we do? Unite and build a store of your own, if you cannot procure a license.
Fill one side with dry goods, and other with groceries. Do you ask, where is the
money? We have spent more than enough for nonsense, to do what building we
should want. We have never had an opportunity of displaying our talents;
therefore the world thinks we know nothing. And we have been possessed of by far
too mean and cowardly a disposition, though I highly disapprove of an insolent
or impertinent one. Do you ask the disposition I would have you possess? Possess
the spirit of independence. The Americans do, and why should not you? Possess
the spirit of men, bold and enterprising, fearless and undaunted. Sue for your
rights and privileges. Know the reason that you can attain them. Weary them with
your importunities. You can but die, if you make the attempt; and we shall
certainly die if you do not. The Americans have practiced nothing but head-work
these 200 years, and we have done their drudgery. And is it not high time for us
to imitate their examples, and practise head-work too, and keep what we have
got, and get what we can? We need never to think that any body is going to feel
interested for us, if we do not feel interested for ourselves. That day we, as a
people, hearken unto the voice of the Lord our God, and walk in his ways and
ordinances, and become distinguished for our ease, elegance and grace, combined
with other virtues, that day the Lord will raise us up, and enough to aid ago
befriend us, and we shall begin to flourish.
Did every gentleman in America realize, as one, that they had got to become
bondmen, and their wives, their sons, and their daughters, servants forever, to
Great Britain, their very joints would become loosened, and tremblingly would
smite one against another; their countenance would be filled with horror, every
nerve and muscle would be forced into action, their souls would recoil at the
very thought, their hearts would die within them, and death would be far more
preferable. Then why have not Africa's sons a right to feel the same? Are not
their wives, their sons, and their daughters, as dear to them as those of the
white man's? Certainly, God has not deprived them of the divine influences of
his Holy Spirit, which is the greatest of all blessings, if they ask him. Then
why should man any longer deprive his fellow-man of equal rights and privileges?
Oh, America, America, foul and indelible is thy stain! Dark and dismal is the
cloud that hangs over thee, for thy cruel wrongs and injuries to the fallen sons
of Africa. The blood of her murdered ones cries to heaven for vengeance against
thee. Thou art almost become drunken with the blood of her slain; thou hast
enriched thyself through her toils and labors; and now thou refuseth to make
even a small return. And thou hast caused the daughters of Africa to commit
whordoms and fornications; but upon thee be their curse.
O, ye great and mighty men of America, you much and powerful ones, many of
you will call for the rocks and mountains to fall upon you, and to hide you from
the wrath of the Lamb, and from him that sitteth upon the throne; whilst many of
the sable-skinned Africans you now despise, will shine in the kingdom of heaven
as the stars forever and ever. Charity begins at home, and those that provide
not for their own, are worse than infidels. We know that you are raising
contributions to aid the gallant Poles; we know that you have befriended Greece
and Ireland; and you have rejoiced with France, for her heroic deeds of valor.
You have acknowledged all the nations of the earth, except Hayti; and you may
publish, as far as the East is from the West, that you have two millions of
negroes, who aspire no higher than to bow at your feet, and to court your
smiles. You may kill, tyrannize, and oppress as much as you choose, until our
cry shall come up before the throne of God; for I am firmly persuaded, that he
will not suffer you to quell the proud, fearless and undaunted spirits of the
African forever; for in his own time, he is able to plead our cause against you,
and to pour out upon you the ten plagues of Egypt. We will not come our against
you with swords and staves, as against a thief; but we will tell you that our
souls are fired with the same love of liberty and independence with which your
souls are fired. We will tell you that too much of your blood flows in our
veins, and too much of your color in our skins, for us not to possess your
spirits. We will tell you, that it is our gold that clothes you in fine linen
and purple, and causes you to fare sumptuously every day; and it is the blood of
our fathers, and the tears of our brethren that have enriched your soils. AND WE
CLAIM OUR RIGHTS. We will tell, you that we are not afraid of them that kill the
body, and after that can do no more; but we will tell you whom we do fear. We
fear Him who is able, after he hath killed, to destroy both souls and body in
hell forever. Then, my brethren, sheath your swords, and calm your angry
passions. Stand still, and know that the Lord he is God. Vengeance is his, and
he will repay. It is a long lane that has no turn. America has risen to her
meridian. When you begin to thrive, she will begin to fall. God hath raised you
up a Walker and a Garrison. Though Walker sleeps, yet he lives, and his name
shall be had in everlasting remembrance. I even I, who am but a child,
inexperienced to many of you, am a living witness to testify unto you this day,
that I have seen the wicked in great power, spreading himself like a green bay
tree, and lo, he passed away; yea, I diligently sought him, but he could not be
found; and it is God alone that has inspired my heart to feel for Afric's woes.
Then fret not yourselves because of evil doers. Fret not yourselves because of
evil who bring wicked devices to pass; for they shall be cut down as the grass,
and wither as the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou
dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Encourage the noble-hearted
Garrison. Prove to the world that you are neither ourang-outangs, nor a species
of mere animals, but that you possess the same powers of intellect as those of
the proud-boasting American.
I am sensible, my brethren and friends, that many of you have been deprived
of advantages, kept in utter ignorance, and that your minds are now darkened;
and if any of you have attempted to aspire after high and noble enterprises, you
have met with so much opposition that your souls have become discouraged. For
this very cause, a few of us have ventured to expose our lives in your behalf,
to plead your cause against the great; and it will be of no use, unless you feel
for yourselves and your little ones, and exhibit the spirits of men. Oh, then,
turn your attention to knowledge and improvement; for knowledge is power. And
God is able to fill you with wisdom and understanding, and to dispel your fears.
Arm yourselves with the weapons of prayer. Put your trust in the living God.
Persevere strictly in the paths of virtue. Let nothing be lacking on your part;
and, in God's own time, and his time is certainly the best, he will surely
deliver you with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm.
I have never taken one step, my friends, with a design to raise myself in
your esteem, or to gain applause. But what I have done, has been done with an
eye single to the glory of God, and to promote the good of souls. I have neither
kindred nor friends. I stand alone in your midst, exposed to the fiery darts of
the devil, and to the assaults of wicked men. But though all the powers of earth
and hell were to combine against me, though all nature should sink into decay,
still would I trust in the Lord, and joy in the God of my salvation. For I am
fully persuaded, that he will bring me off conqueror, yea, more than conqueror,
through him who hath loved me given himself for me.
Boston, October, 1831.
Hymn
God is a spirit, just and wise,
He knows our inmost minds;
In vain to heaven we raise our cries,
And leave our souls behind.
Nothing but truth before his throne,
With honor can appear;
The painted hypocrites are known
By the disguise they wear.
Their lifted eyes salute the skies,
Their blended knees the ground.
But God abhors the sacrifice,
Where not the heart is found.
Lord, search my heart, and try my reins,
And make my souls sincere;
So shall I stand before thy throne,
And find acceptance there.
