Glossary
Appeal to Solidarity (Garnet's Address)
Henry Highland Garnet's urging of enslaved people to recognize their collective strength and unity, emphasizing their large numbers as a powerful force for resistance.
Example:
Garnet's Appeal to Solidarity reminded enslaved people that they were "FOUR MILLIONS!" and could achieve freedom through collective action.
Armed Resistance
The use of weapons and physical force by enslaved people to fight for their freedom, often in the form of rebellions or self-defense.
Example:
Nat Turner's Rebellion is a historical example of Armed Resistance, where enslaved people directly confronted their oppressors with force.
Call for Rebellion (Garnet's Address)
Henry Highland Garnet's direct exhortation to enslaved people to actively resist their bondage through physical confrontation and uprising, rather than waiting for external intervention.
Example:
Garnet's bold Call for Rebellion in his address urged enslaved people to "strike for your lives and liberties."
Call to Action (Walker's Appeal)
David Walker's direct exhortation to educated African Americans to take responsibility for uplifting and enlightening their less informed brethren, thereby contributing to the collective struggle for freedom.
Example:
Walker's powerful Call to Action urged literate African Americans to share their knowledge and empower their communities to resist oppression.
Criticism of Complacency (Walker's Appeal)
David Walker's strong rebuke of African Americans whom he perceived as being too submissive or accepting of their oppressed condition, urging them to reclaim their human spirit.
Example:
Walker's fiery Criticism of Complacency aimed to rouse African Americans from any perceived passivity and inspire them to fight for their freedom.
Critique of American Hypocrisy (Garnet's Address)
Henry Highland Garnet's condemnation of the United States for proclaiming ideals of liberty and freedom while simultaneously upholding the brutal institution of slavery.
Example:
Garnet's address included a sharp Critique of American Hypocrisy, highlighting the stark contradiction between the nation's founding principles and the reality of chattel slavery.
Critique of Superficial Education (Walker's Appeal)
David Walker's warning against being satisfied with only basic literacy, arguing that a deeper, more comprehensive education was necessary for true liberation and to challenge oppressive systems.
Example:
Walker offered a Critique of Superficial Education, emphasizing that merely learning to "scribble tolerably well" was insufficient for overcoming systemic oppression.
David Walker's Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World
A powerful and radical anti-slavery pamphlet published in 1829, which urged enslaved people to resist their bondage, criticized complacency, and emphasized the importance of education and self-improvement for liberation.
Example:
David Walker's Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World was smuggled into the South, inspiring fear among slaveholders and hope among the enslaved with its fiery call for action.
Direct Action
Strategies that involve immediate, forceful, and often confrontational methods to achieve a goal, rather than relying on negotiation or persuasion.
Example:
The Underground Railroad, while not always violent, was a form of Direct Action because it actively subverted the system of slavery by helping people escape.
Embraced Revolts
The active support for and participation in uprisings and insurrections by enslaved people as a primary means to end slavery.
Example:
Radical figures like Henry Highland Garnet Embraced Revolts, believing that armed uprisings were the most direct path to liberation.
Entrenched Economic Interests
The deep financial investments and profits derived from the institution of slavery, which radical resisters understood as a primary barrier to its peaceful abolition.
Example:
Radical thinkers recognized that the South's Entrenched Economic Interests in slave labor made moral appeals largely irrelevant to enslavers.
Freedom at Any Cost (Garnet's Address)
Henry Highland Garnet's assertion that achieving liberty was paramount, even if it required risking death or engaging in violent confrontation.
Example:
Garnet's powerful message conveyed the idea of Freedom at Any Cost, suggesting that death was preferable to continued enslavement.
Henry Highland Garnet's "An Address to the Slaves of the United States"
A radical speech delivered in 1843 that directly called upon enslaved people to rise up and resist their oppressors, arguing that it was their moral and religious duty to fight for freedom, even if it meant death.
Example:
Henry Highland Garnet's "An Address to the Slaves of the United States" was controversial even among abolitionists for its explicit advocacy of slave rebellion.
Historical Achievements (Walker's Appeal)
David Walker's strategy of referencing the past glories and intellectual contributions of African civilizations (like ancient Egypt) to counter racist narratives and instill pride and a sense of capability in African Americans.
Example:
Walker's Appeal reminded readers of the Historical Achievements of African peoples, such as the building of the Pyramids, to challenge the notion of Black inferiority.
Immediate Response
The belief that the extreme brutality of slavery necessitated a forceful and swift reaction, rather than delayed or passive approaches.
Example:
The daily atrocities of slavery demanded an Immediate Response from radical resisters, who felt that waiting for change was unacceptable.
Impact of Ignorance (Walker's Appeal)
David Walker's argument that the deliberate suppression of knowledge and education among enslaved people was a crucial tool of oppression, keeping them subjugated.
Example:
In his Appeal, Walker highlighted the devastating Impact of Ignorance, asserting that it was a primary weapon used by enslavers to maintain control.
Importance of Education (Walker's Appeal)
David Walker's central belief that acquiring knowledge and literacy was essential for the liberation and upliftment of African Americans, empowering them to challenge oppression.
Example:
Walker passionately argued for the Importance of Education, believing that learning would empower African Americans to break free from mental and physical bondage.
Ineffective Strategy (Moral Suasion)
The radical abolitionist view that moral suasion was an inadequate and futile approach to ending slavery because it failed to account for the deep-seated economic interests and pervasive racism upholding the institution.
Example:
Radical resisters considered moral suasion an Ineffective Strategy because they believed enslavers would never willingly give up their economic power based on appeals to conscience.
Justified Violence
The belief held by radical resisters that violence was a legitimate and necessary response to the extreme oppression and brutality inherent in slavery.
Example:
For many radical abolitionists, the immense suffering under slavery meant that Justified Violence was a moral imperative for the enslaved to reclaim their humanity.
Moral Right to Resist
The conviction that enslaved individuals possessed an inherent ethical justification to oppose their bondage by any means necessary, including violence.
Example:
Radical abolitionists asserted that enslaved people had a fundamental Moral Right to Resist their dehumanization and fight for their liberty.
Moral Suasion
An abolitionist strategy that sought to end slavery by appealing to the conscience and morality of enslavers and the public, often through speeches, petitions, and religious arguments.
Example:
William Lloyd Garrison initially championed Moral Suasion, hoping that public appeals to Christian values would convince slaveholders to voluntarily emancipate enslaved people.
Moral and Religious Justification (Garnet's Address)
Henry Highland Garnet's argument that resistance to slavery was not only a right but a divine obligation, framing it as a sacred duty to God and humanity.
Example:
Garnet provided a powerful Moral and Religious Justification for resistance, asserting that submission to slavery was a sin.
Naive About Racism
The radical abolitionist critique that moral suasion failed to grasp the pervasive and deeply ingrained nature of racism, which underpinned the institution of slavery and made appeals to morality largely futile.
Example:
Critics argued that relying solely on moral suasion was Naive About Racism, underestimating the extent to which racial prejudice justified and perpetuated slavery.
Publications (Radical Resistance)
Written works, such as pamphlets, narratives, and appeals, used by radical resisters to expose the horrors of slavery, counter pro-slavery propaganda, and incite resistance among both free and enslaved people.
Example:
Frederick Douglass's Narrative served as a powerful Publication that detailed the brutal realities of slavery, shocking readers and inspiring abolitionist action.
Radical Resistance
A form of resistance against slavery characterized by direct action and a demand for immediate, fundamental change, often involving confrontation and violence.
Example:
Nat Turner's Rebellion is a prime example of Radical Resistance, as it involved armed revolt to achieve immediate freedom rather than waiting for gradual change.
Rejection of Gradualism
The refusal by radical resisters to accept slow, incremental approaches to ending slavery, advocating instead for immediate and complete emancipation.
Example:
Radical resisters expressed a strong Rejection of Gradualism, arguing that every moment of delay meant continued suffering for enslaved people.
Systemic Barriers to Education (Walker's Appeal)
David Walker's exposure of the deliberate efforts by white society to limit and restrict educational opportunities for Black children, particularly in subjects like grammar, to maintain their subjugation.
Example:
Walker highlighted the Systemic Barriers to Education, such as school committees forbidding Black children from learning grammar, as a tool of racial control.