A Second Appeal: A Consideration of Freedom and Social Justice

Daphne M. Rolle

doi:10.5771/9780761849629

Summary

A Second Appeal: A Consideration of Freedom and Social Justice engages in an analysis of the ideals of freedom and social justice. It does so with an eye towards the development of universally applicable concepts of each. Rolle examines the work of David Walker, author of Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World, who, in his own writing, appeals to the slave to embrace a particular theologically based understanding of freedom and participate in insurrectionist activities to overthrow slavery. A Second Appeal considers whether Walker was mistaken in his conception of freedom or merely constrained by the very particular time and circumstances in which he was writing. Rolle's work asserts the goal-oriented concept of freedom that shapes David Walker's Appeal is not sufficient for current concerns. A Second Appeal prompts readers to rethink these ideals.