Frederick Douglass 's Speech Was An Important Speech

He begins by appealing to the feelings of the american audience: pride. Douglass talks about the forefathers and their accomplishments. Douglass goes on to use pathos again when he states, “ The freedom gained is yours; and you, therefore, may properly celebrate this anniversary. The 4th of July is the first great fact in your nation’s history- the very ringbolt in the chain of your yet underdeveloped destiny.” When Douglass says “The freedom gained is yours,” he is trying to convey that freedom is not for the blacks of America at this time. Whites are the only people allowed to freely exercise their freedom. Blacks are not free, for there is still slavery. The fact that a black man like Douglass is speaking at an event for the independence of America is a literal

Douglass also in his speeches liberated what Americans in this economy would have done with blacks. In his speech “what the blacks want” he states, “I have had but one answer from the beginning. Do nothing with us! Your doing with us has already played the mischief.” (Douglass). Society’s “America” has already put us in a category. Race we are not superior or equal to no other. Economically we don’t have the means to live out what we strive for. Education wise we have none, we are not sufficient enough to read or write for us to have a better life. Douglass in this speech stresses to leave us alone we are cable of doing bad or good on our own. His would view principle of self-ownership, which he understood to include both the racial and equality.

When giving this speech Frederick Douglass gives a big purpose on why he is giving this speech in the first place. The purpose of Frederick Douglass giving this speech is that he wants everybody to be free from all the nonsense and to end people from being taken away from their families. “I am myself; you are yourself; we are two distinct persons equal persons. What you are, I am. You are a man, and so am I. God created both, and made us separate beings. We are distinct persons, and are each equally provided with faculties necessary to our individual existence.” (Ramsey, William) (Frederick Douglass, Southerner). This point talks about how Frederick Douglass feels like everybody is made by the same type of person and how everybody is born the same type of person. Frederick Douglass goes on to feel that we are given equal types of responsibilities to fulfill our life as a

“For the present, it is enough to affirm the equal manhood of the Negro race. Is it not astonishing that, while we are ploughing, planting and reaping, using all kinds of mechanical tools, erecting houses, constructing bridges, building ships, working in metals of brass, iron, copper, silver and gold…that, while we are engaged in all manner of enterprises common to other men…we are called upon to prove that we are men!” (Douglass) During his speech, Douglass elaborated on the different aspects of why blacks have a natural right to freedom as any other human being He argued it is wrong to turn a man into a “brute” and proceeded to argue that slavery is not divine in its origin. Douglass’s speech was a calling for equality, for change. He accomplished his goal and proved the fourth of July was a revolting reminder to him and those like him of the continual inhumane cruelty American attempted to conceal through its mockery.

In his autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, he recalled his first childhood thoughts about his conditions: Why am I a salve? Why are some people slaves, and others masters? Was there every time when this was not so ? “ Frederick Douglass sought to live in a world where race and color would not matter, but perhaps in the late 19th century, but that is a world he sought to create.” The most unique thing about him was that he was one of very few slaves who was as well educated as white men. He was able to debate any issue about slavery and social inequality and have the personal experience to back it

“A person held in servitude as the chattel of another” (Slave, n.d.). This is the definition of a “slave”. The most well-known cases of slavery occurred during the settlement of America, for well over 300 years, slavery was allowed and for the most part considered the “norm” within our country. There were many eradicators who made an attempt to end slavery, as we know at some point; they were successful at doing so. One very influential person was, Fredrick Douglas, he along with many others, were extraordinary influences in the anti-slavery movement. Douglas was known for being a social reformer, author, journalist, women’s and human rights activist, a publisher and an abolitionist all in one. He helped to shape and strengthen our nation and try to make it one with equality as possible. Dedicating his life to fighting for justice for all Americans, specifically African-Americans and minority groups. Frederick Douglass rose from slavery, this fact itself inspired him to do so much more than just write about what it was to be a slave. He turn into one of the leading African-American voices. Douglass would eventually become the best-known abolitionist in the country and the most famous black American of his time. As an alternative to only arguing against slavery, Douglass took a different approach, he asked some hard questions about what freedom really is. The speech by Fredrick Douglas, entitled “The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro” represents just that. It express his discontent for the way the slaves were been treated while using sarcasm to prove his point that the slaves are entitles to their freedom, liberty and all American democracy.

Frederick Douglass’ speech was a like a parent disciplining their children. Douglass tries to open the eyes of the American people the lies that they’ve been telling themselves. He also tells the people at this party that there is still hope but will take a group effort to get to this actual independence for all.

According to Douglass, “They went so far in their excitement as to pronounce the measures of government unjust, unreasonable, and oppressive, and altogether such as ought not to be quietly submitted to” (Douglass, 150). Douglass saw similarities between the struggles of the forefathers and black slaves, and he compelled his audience to recognize these similarities and follow the example of the forefathers.

Frederick Douglass realized that he had to take matters into his own hands and help gain voting rights for African Americans without the help of President Lincoln. It takes a lot of ambition to seperate yourself from President Lincoln. Douglass gave a speech in Rochester, New York, about the hypocrisy of the 4th of July. Even though he was nervous to be in front of the audience, he was still determination to get his point across to the them. In the speech, Frederick said, “He who could address this audience without a quailing sensation, had stronger nerves that I have” (Douglass 169). Despite the fact that he was nervous to be giving the oration, he knew that this would help the chances of slaves being freed. His tenacious nature gave him the motivation to give the speech. Frederick Douglass was known as a great writer and abolitionist. After African Americans were freed, Frederick did not stay complacent, he continued to work hard in order to achieve his goal, which was to abolish slavery for good. Douglass, “set his powerful ideas and commanding speaking voice to the task of ending slavery” (Douglass

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

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.

Frederick Douglass had specific audiences that he wanted to either relate to or to get across a point to. African American people that had endured slavery were an intended audience because Frederick Douglass states things such as “Thus, after a long, tedious effort for years. I finally succeeded in learning how to read and write” and “I was compelled to resort to various stratagems”. Those sentences by Frederick Douglass show that it was not an easy time for him and the levels or trials that he went through to be someone who was not illiterate. Frederick Douglass never once was one to give up on the need to learn to read and write, so that shows that Frederick Douglass thought that it was important for the African American people to be as well educated as the caucasian Americans were. The caucasian Americans were Frederick’s intended audience because of Frederick’s use of contrast throughout the extract. Frederick tells how his mistress had changed on him from being a helpful, loving, and nice woman to an evil spirited, bitter brute

Most everyone has tried on another individual's shoe within their lifetime. How is it possible that an object as simple as another man's shoe can feel so different than one's own? In America, citizens have a tendency to latch on to their own ideas of the world and ignore any conflicting perspectives solely because they are different. In “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”, Frederick Douglass possesses an alternative view of a celebratory holiday representing freedom for American citizens. His background as a slave influences his unique outlook on the issue of true independence. He feels that the holiday represents the torture of slavery and the cruelty of slave owners, rather than the liberation of all

Fredrick Douglass also came to exude a great sense of racial pride as his life progressed. At first, his only perception of his people was that of a lowly slave nation. Yet, he was dedicated to trying to improve their lot. After his fellow slaves learned that he was literate, they “insisted that I must keep a Sabbath school.” He agreed to this proposal because he felt that the only shot his “brothers” had at gaining their freedom was through the power of the written word. Later, when he and his fellow slaves were jailed after their plans to escape to freedom were revealed, he states that “our greatest concern was about separation.” Douglass felt a sense of responsibility and kinship towards the members of his own race, and was loath to break these bonds. His racial pride reached its peak when he saw the houses that the free blacks in the North lived in. Douglass proudly writes that “I found many, who had not been seven years out of their chains, living in finer houses, and evidently enjoying more of the comforts of life, than the average of slaveholders in Maryland.” When Douglass saw how well some of his kinsmen were living, he could not help but change his impression of his people being a downtrodden slave nation. He came to recognize his race for what they truly were: a people equal in stature to any other, even the lofty Caucasians.

In his speech, Douglass included a powerful pathos appeal by explaining the horrible conditions the slaves were forced to endure, causing his listeners to pity these slaves and feel the desire to help. “...it is wrong to make men brutes, to rob them of their liberty , to work them without wages, to keep them ignorant of their relations to their fellow-men, to beat them with sticks, to flay their flesh with the lash, to load their limbs with irons, to hunt them with dogs, to sell them at auction, to sunder their families, to knock out their teeth, to burn their flesh, to starve them into obedience and submission to their masters,” is how Douglass painted an emotional,vivid, and depressing picture of what the slaves went through every single day. In addition to using a pathos appeal, Douglass also incorporated a careful, but strong diction. “What to a Slave is the Fourth of July” was a very important speech for Douglass, leading him to be very careful with his words. He used an extensive vocabulary to prove to the audience that he was qualified enough to give his famous speech. Douglass was trying to successfully get his point across, while also being sure to not upset his audience. “The fact is, ladies and gentlemen, the distance between this platform and the slave plantation, from which I escaped, is considerable - and the difficulties to be