Frederick Douglass : Fourth Of July Speech ( 1852 )

Frederick Douglass was a freed slave in the 1800’s who was famous for his ability to read and write, uncommon of a black man at the time. On July 4th, 1852, he gave a speech to citizens of the United States. In this speech, he called out the “hypocrisy of the nation”(Douglass), questioning the nation's treatment of slaves on a supposed day of independence. Frederick Douglass effectively uses rhetorical strategies to construct his argument and expose the hypocrisy of the nation.

On July 5th of 1852, the Ladies Antislavery Society of Rochester requested that emancipated slave, Fredrick Douglass, speak for their celebration of the United States’ national independence. Douglass accepted this request and presented a powerful speech that explained and argued his true beliefs and feelings concerning this event. He considered their decision to request him as a speaker on that day to be a mockery of his past and of the ongoing status of blacks as slaves in America at the time. Nevertheless, Douglass skillfully constructed his speech utilizing various methods that forced his audience to take him seriously and think twice about the issue of slavery in America. His passion about the subject, his ability to captivate his

On Monday July 5th, 1852, Frederick Douglass captivated his audience at Corinthian Hall in Rochester, New York with one of the most powerful antislavery orations ever delivered, “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?”1 As an African American and former slave himself, Douglass was a crucial component to the Civil Rights movement and the abolishment of slavery. His concern for equal rights sprouted as early as twelve years old, often listening to debates among free blacks in Baltimore, as well as becoming a member of the East Baltimore Mental Improvement Society. While enslaved, he taught himself to read and write with the patriotic essays and speeches in Caleb Bingham’s The Columbian Orator, which emphasized the power of a speaker’s

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.

Frederick Douglass’s speech The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro and John C. Calhoun’s Speech on the Reception of Abolition Petitions have some similarities and differences in the argument about slavery and its destiny with America. They both talk about slavery but in different ways. Douglass argues against slavery addressing that the signers of the Declaration of Independance put the interests of a country above their own and urges his listeners to continue the work of these great men who brought freedom to this land. While Calhoun argues for slavery responding to anti slavery petitions sent to the Senate by abolitionist groups, and unlike most southern politicians, Calhoun thought white southerners needed to stop apologizing for

Preliminary Thesis: I will persuade future American generations that freedom is a privilege. We Americans need to stop taking our freedom for granted because there are people who wished to have the opportunity to be free the way we do.

Through his crafty use of rhetoric, Douglass delivered a scathing attack on the hypocrisy of America in his self-referential speech, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July.” The speech articulated his passionate pursuit for liberty and equal rights. Douglass’s speech passionately argued that in the eyes of the slave and even the “free” black

On July 5th 1852, Frederick Douglass, one of history’s outstanding public speakers, carried out a very compelling speech at Corinthian Hall in Rochester, New York. Within that moment of time where the freedom of Americans was being praised and celebrated, he gathered the nation to clear up the tension among slavery and the establishment of the country’s goals. Frederick Douglass’s speech mentions the development of the young nation, the Revolution, and his own life experience. While speaking, his main subject was seen to be American slavery. The “Fourth of July Oration” was a commendable model of Frederick Douglass’s affection and engagement towards the freedom of individuals. Frederick Douglass’s speech left an impact on his audience

In this book Fredrick Douglass finds shows himself growing up as a slave in Baltimore, Maryland. He eventually escapes from his master and becomes a run away slave as he flees to the north. Douglass however is most popularly known for his pressure on the supreme court to obtain equal rights for African American citizens. He made huge advances in civil rights for his fellow African American brothers and sisters. His contributions have caused a balancing of society that is still getting better to this day.

Sweat rolled down the backs of an attentive audience. Despite the sweltering temperature, a crowd had gathered to listen to a renowned orator celebrate the birthday of their fine new nation. The day was July 5th, 1852, and Frederick Douglass was poised to deliver what would soon become his most famous speech, “What to the Slave, Is the Fourth of July?” Commissioned to be a cheerful hurrah, it instead scathes the unexpected audience, bringing to light the overabundance of hypocrisies dwelling in America’s Independence Day celebration. Asked simply to give a speech, Frederick Douglass seizes the opportunity

Frederick Douglass was another abolitionist who also spoke out vigorously about slavery. He himself was an emancipated slave who fought for the abolishment of slavery. He fought to demonstrate that it was crude, unnatural, ungodly, immoral, and unjust. During a July 4th Celebration he made it known that he despised the treatment of the slaves. He explained that this hypocrisy was aimed at the black population and so in his speech on the Fourth of July celebration he proclaimed to the anti-slavery individuals that “This Fourth of July is yours not mine” and “You may rejoice, I must mourn”. Frederick Douglass quoted from the Declaration of Independence, “All men are created equal; and are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights; and that, among these are, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”. He wondered if the rights that are stated in the Declaration of Independence, apply to everyone in America, because he believed they should. He asked the question what the Fourth of July was to an American slave, and responded, to the American slaves that one day, is full of hyprocrisy. He wondered how people could celebrate liberty and equality where there was slavery in America. In support of his idea of how sorrow slavery was Douglas used imagery. He stated, “I see clouds of dust raised on the highways of the South; I see the bleeding footsteps; I

Frederick Douglass was a prominent African American social reformer in the 1800’s. Frederick Douglass’s work includes 1,000 of speeches and autobiographies throughout his quest for reform. Douglass escaped slavery at the young age of 20 years old. He went on to spread his voice on social justice through a long profound, powerful, and influential career. Frederick Douglass’s famous Fourth of July speech has caused much criticism over the years. Douglass believed that on a day when white Americans were celebrating the slaves and former slaves were reminded of how their liberty and equality were disgraced in America.

What comes to mind when you think of the Fourth of July? Most people think of positive words such as freedom and independence (maybe even fireworks and cookouts). Unfortunately, if a slave in the 1850s was asked this same question, this person would most likely not think of such pleasant words. Slaves did not think of this day as a celebration and instead were saddened by the fact they did not have the freedom that the white people in America did. One of these people is Frederick Douglass, who was born a slave and remained a slave for twenty years before escaping from the oppression he faced. When he arrived in the North, which was where a slave could be free, he became a great writer and speaker, and he told many about the cruelty of slavery. One of his famous speeches, called “The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro,” was given on July 5, 1852, in Rochester, New York, at an event in the Corinthian Hall. The purpose of the event was to celebrate America’s signing of the Declaration of Independence, 76 years before. However, this was not the purpose of Douglass’s speech. He instead used this opportunity to tell the perspective of slaves on this day. Frederick Douglass hopes to inspire his audience to see how and why the celebration of a country that allows such an immoral practice to occur is inappropriate, and why he will instead be mourning on this holiday. In establishing this idea, Douglass incorporates rhetorical devices that hit all three points of the rhetorical

Fredrick DouglasFredrick Douglas was a very prominate African American because he was an abolitionist,orator,writer,and statesman. He was born in February 1818 and died in February 1895. Within his life he escaped slavery in Maryland. He was a national leader of the abolitionist movement in Massachusetts and New York. During his life Douglas wrote several auto biographies. His first autobiography was called "Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglas, An American Slave" which was a bestseller book. It was inspirational in supporting the cause of abolition. His second autobiography was called "My Bondage and My Freedom", he wrote this one in 1855. When the civil war ended he stayed an active campaigner against slavery, this is when he wrote his