Learning Resources

2.19 Black Political Thought: Radical Resistance

Bunk

Bunk is a shared home for the web's most interesting thinking about American history. Take a moment to read about How Bunk Works. You can find the entire article that each excerpt on Bunk is drawn from by looking for the “View on…” button below that excerpt.

The linked excerpt highlights the fact that David Walker added prefatory remarks to the third edition of his highly influential Appeal. The first edition came out in 1829. The third edition, the one that you have been assigned, came out in 1830. With this additional context in mind, write down, discuss, or simply think about answers to the following questions:

  • What words would you use to describe the tone of the revisions quoted in the Bunk excerpt?
  • What inferences might you make about how Walker’s hopes and concerns for Appeal changed from when he first published Appeal to when he published the third edition?
  • How might you support the claim that these revisions reinforced key messages conveyed in the portion of Appeal that you read?

Comparing Editions of David Walker's Abolitionist Appeal Digitization allows researchers to trace editorial and authorial changes in archival content. Both are central to the study of this famous abolitionist pamphlet. Dorothy Berry via JSTOR Daily on March 31, 2022

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