David Walker Appeal Timelines: Setting the Stage for Catto’s Life

An outspoken African American abolitionist and writer, David Walker published his appeal in Boston. The Appeal outraged many throughout the country, but especially in the South. It was a blunt expose’ of the abuses and inequities of slavery and need for individuals to act responsibily for racial equality. Many historians and liberation theologians cite Walker’s Appeal as an influential potlitcal and social document of the 19th century. Its impact was felt throughout both Southern and Northern states, as its dissemination was enabled by African American seamen in their voyages to port cities.