Abstract
Daniel Coker has been labeled as a “pioneer educator and churchorganizer.”1 Behind this label is the story of a restless adventurer, who possessed the priceless virtues of ability to see the needs of his enslaved and oppressed fellowmen and sufficient courage to do something about them. He belonged to that great company of personalities who have devoted their lives to the cause of freedom, equality and justice for Africans in America as well as on the Continent of Africa. Yet Daniel Coker is less well known than some of his contemporaries with whom he labored in the struggle for black liberation and human dignity. Historians have given less attention to his career than they have to some other freedom fighters who lived during his time and subsequent periods. The main reason for this neglect is not hard to seek, for Daniel Coker spent the greater portion of his public career in West Africa. Hence complete records of his adventurers have not been available to American writers. Consequently, the story of his pioneering endeavors is limited largely to the American scene of his activities. The purpose of this paper is to give a more complete account of his life and labors at home and abroad, and at the same time highlight some of his significant achievements.