Frederick Douglass : A Prominent African American Social Reformer

Having been a slave, Douglass already knew firsthand what it was like to be considered “property” and the struggle of having to work for white men who treated them like animals. Lincoln knew that slavery was immoral and sought to abolish it even though he was not an abolitionist and was a Republican white man. In Douglass’s speech “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July” he says, “Must I argue the wrongfulness of slavery? Is that a question for Republicans?” (Douglass 291). Douglass was giving this speech to the Rochester Ladies Anti-Slavery Society and is saying in this quote that he should not have to explain why slavery is wrong and why it should be abolished. President Lincoln was one of the few who did believe slavery was a terrible thing and in

On July 4, 1852, former slave and American abolitionist, Frederick Douglass is invited to speak before an abolitionist audience in Rochester, New York. Although the speech should address the greatness and freedom of the nation on independence day, Frederick Douglass uses his platform to display his displeasure with the meaning of freedom in white America. Therefore, the sole purpose of his speech is to unmask the hypocrisy of a nation who dares celebrate freedom and independence while keeping African American slaves. To Douglass, the 4th of July is a constant reminder of the unfairness of the political and social core of the nation. As a social activist and most importantly a former slave, Frederick Douglass uses multiple rhetorical strategies to indict America on the immoral practice of slavery.

Frederick Douglass was an abolitionist, a human rights activist, and a former slave with a lot to say. July 4, 1852, a man was asked to speak at a Declaration signing commemoration event. This man, an African- American former slave steps up on stage and delivers a speech of the century, informing the white crowd of the slave's perspective on the 'celebration of freedom'. In the speech, Douglass claims that the Fourth of July is a day of mourning for current and former slaves instead of the celebration the White Americans partake in. Throughout the speech, he uses logos, ethos, and pathos to emphasize the hard perspective of a day that reminds the slave of their lack of freedom.

Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: an American Slave. New York: Barnes and Noble, 2005. Print. This a book about Frederick Douglass’s remarkable life. He was born a slave in 1818 on a plantation in Maryland. He taught himself how to read and write becoming a renowned writer and orator. This book accounts the daily horrors of his time as being a slave, and eventually recounts his time as a civil rights activist, newspaper writer, and spokesperson. He lived through the civil war, the end of

Fredrick Douglass (1818-1945), both a fugitive slave and a free man, was one of the most courageous and influential leaders of the abolitionist movement. His narrative, published in 1845, illustrates his childhood and early manhood experiences as a salve, as well as his escape to the North and find of freedom. Within his narrative entitled “The Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass,” Douglass argues that in order to achieve physical freedom, a slave must seek knowledge and an education.

Standing in stark contrast and opposition to Calhoun, slavery and the entire social structure of the ante-bellum South was Frederick Douglass. A renowned statesman, Douglass was also an orator, a writer, and a social reformer – some even call him the father of the Civil Rights movement. After escaping slavery in Maryland, he became a leader in the abolitionist movement in the New England states. A firm believer in equal rights for all peoples – including women, Native Americans, immigrants and blacks - Douglas spent his life of freedom as an example of how wrong the slaveholder's pro-slavery arguments were. Perhaps it is for this passion for freedom of all peoples that Douglass was asked to give a speech for the 4th of July in 1852. At an

The conditions they faced on plantations led them to run away or buy their freedom, although many attempts ended in failure and most did not try to run away at all. One of these slaves who escaped was Frederick Douglass. As a slave, he was educated by his master’s wife, and as a free man, Douglass advocated for the abolition of slavery and believed in the equality of all people. Douglass was a talented orator, and one of his most famous speeches he delivered was “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” Douglass was invited to a Fourth of July celebration in 1852 as a guest speaker where he delivered the speech about how slaves and free African Americans feel when there is a celebration about freedom going on and they are not free. Douglass shows the black identity of the time when he states what the Fourth of July is to a slave and says, “a day that reveals to him…the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is a constant victim…” This shows how hypocritical it is that the US was celebrating a holiday about freedom when their society and history is tainted by the horrors of slavery. At the time, 89 percent of the

Frederick Douglass was born into slavery and through self education gained his freedom and became a

Frederick Douglass was known for being a civil rights activist, journalist, orator, author, government official, and for briefly helping the women's suffrage movement. He was born in February, around 1818 as a slave. It is said that he was born Talbot County, Maryland. his exact birthdate is unknown. Later on, his "birthdate" was decided to be on the 14th of February. Fredericks real name was said to be Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey. His mother died when he was about ten years old therefore he originally lived with his grandmother Betty Bailey. He was soon sent to live in the home of a plantation owner who may have been his father. Despite the laws that banned teaching slaves to read or write Sophia Auld, who is the wife of slave owner

Frederick Douglass is a well known and famous intellectual, writer, activist, public speaker, and abolitionist. He was born on a Maryland Plantation in the early 1800’s, and died in 1895. He wrote many autobiographies detailing the struggles of slavery and his life as an abolitionist, he spoke out against the racist south, he spoke and wrote for his own antislavery newspaper, and he regularly attended and held antislavery conferences and meetings. He was a very accomplished man with a very interesting life.

After his escape from slavery, Frederick Douglass chose to promote the abolition of slavery by speaking about the actions and effects that result from that institution. In an excerpt from a July 5, 1852 speech at Rochester, New York, Douglass asks the question: What to the slave is the Fourth of July? This question is a bold one, and it demands attention. The effectiveness of his oration is derived from the personal appeals in which he engages the listener.

Frederick Douglass served as a slave on farms on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and in Baltimore throughout his youth. In Baltimore, especially, Douglas enjoyed relatively more freedom than slaves usually did in the South. In the city, Douglass first learned how to read and began making contacts with educated free blacks.He was hard working man he wanted to get freedom.He had a journey from slavery to freedom.He struggled to get a education and to free himself and get freedom.He had good skill he was a smart man because he managed to learn how to read and overcome slavery.

Frederick Douglass was born February 1818 in Tuckahoe, Maryland. For a child that was born into slavery, life was hard. The exact birthday of Douglass is unknown. Later, Douglass chose the date February 14 to be his birthday. Douglass live with his maternal grandmother Betty Bailey. At a very young age Douglass was chosen to live in the big house with the owner of the plantation who is also his father. Douglass mother died at the age of 10. 12 When Auld forbade his wife’s lessons, Douglass continued to learn from white children and others in the neighborhood. It was through reading that Douglass’s ideological opposition to slavery began to take shape. He read newspapers avidly and sought out political writing and literature as much as possible.

Independence Day, since the first signing of the Declaration of Independence, has been a nationwide victorious day filled with cheer in celebration of the United States gaining freedom from the British Crown. But the effects of the Declaration of Independence did not at all do what it was expected of for almost three centuries. During this time, there were a lot of famous people who stood up and fought against slavery, and Frederick Douglass was one of the most well-known abolitionists. Frederick Douglass was born as a slave in Maryland in 1895. He was also a journalist, orator, and social reformer, but most of all, he is famous for his leadership as an abolitionist. Spending his young ages as a slave, he was the victim of and witness of cruelty at the hands of his owners, therefore he had strong hatred toward slavery in the United States. After escaping from slavery to be a free man in 1838, he published several autobiographies and became an outspoken advocate for the abolitionist movement. One of the most recognized speeches of Frederick Douglass - “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” - was held on the nation's 76th anniversary. By revealing unfairness and injustice of racism throughout this speech, Douglass, with his angry but passionate and vigorous voice, not only got the audience's sympathy but also succeeded in convincing them that “all men are created equal”, no matter what color of their skin.