Rhetorical Analysis Of Frederick Douglass

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.

Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural justice, embodied in that of Declaration of Independence, extended for us" and "what have me or those I represent to do with your national independence?” He was starting how Americans were celebrating "freedom" and "independence" when nearly four million humans were kept as slaves and scraped from their rights and left nude and alone in the world. How can someone be so shallow to ask a former black slave to talk about freedom how shallow can someone be to speak of freedom in America when slavery still existed? Frederick Douglass grabs the audience’s attention by giving out strong diction in his speech as he says “above your national, tumultuous joy, I hear the mournful wails of millions, whose chains, heavy and grievous yesterday, are today rendered more intolerable by the jubilant shouts that reach them,” he is explaining that while Americans celebrate this so said freedom he still hears the cries of those slaves who suffer. And that it is becoming now less and less hard for people to hear out their shouts, In different occasions he use words like justice, Gratitude, Liberty, Prosperity, And independence. These loaded words that mean so much to the slaves words that seem almost impossible for them to obtain words they seek to keep nut cant. Words that America thinks can only ne for those whom face is dressed in

The poor treatment of women and people of color is a main reason why these past issues are still present in the United States today. In Frederick Douglass’s speech given on July 5, 1852, he expresses his opinions of America’s Independence Day and how

Douglass began his speech to the audience by asking a series of rhetorical questions in addition to the use of sarcasm. He referred to the Declaration of Independence as “that” instead of “the” Declaration stressing a separation between African-Americans and the freemen of the United States. He extended the use of his rhetoric by asking, “What have I or those, I represent, to do with your national independence?” Slaves, whose freedom is denied, do not share other Americans’ patriotic feelings regarding the Fourth of July. His use of these rhetorical questions was valid because it separated Douglass as a different man than the rest of his white audience. Furthermore, Douglass asked, "Would you have me argue that man is entitled to liberty?" He indicated that people knew in their hearts that all were entitled to freedom. Douglass demonstrated sarcasm in this principle of freedom, almost as if the aforementioned rhetorical question shouldn’t need to be stated. He further declared that the stigma separating free whites and enslaved African-Americans was blatantly foolish.

By supporting the Revolutionaries actions to break free from British Rule, Douglass alluded to the similar fight that the American population faced to attain the same liberty that white citizens had. With the same courage the Founding Fathers had to create a free country, the American generation of 1852 faced a similar test to uphold the values of the Declaration of Independence, and liberate American slaves.7 After applauding the Founding Fathers, Douglass acknowledges that the emphasis of his speech is not to give praise, but to call on America to act on it’s own failures and begin to faithfully fulfill the nations oath.8 He asks his audience, “Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural justice, embodied in that Declaration of Independence, extended to us [African Americans]?”9 This rhetorical question Douglass presents, challenges America to reevaluate what they are truly celebrating on the Fourth of July, for it is surely not the freedom in which they claim to have achieved. Douglass asserts that asking black people to rejoice in the “shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery”10 and do not respect the courage, and steps the Founding Fathers took to create a free, liberated nation.11

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

In chapter seven of the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Douglass is finally aware of his approximate age, and is burdened with the thought of being a “slave for life.” At the age of 12, it is not very encouraging to be given the description of a “slave for life.” Douglass uses his newfound reading and writing skills to cleverly comprehend the book The Columbian Orator, and the speeches from the Catholic emancipation it contains, in his favor. The book Douglass discovers does a good job of supporting his invalidation of slavery as well as providing him with knowledge and reasonable arguments.

Frederick Douglass establishes his own ethos in the opening lines of the speech. He does so by questioning his oratorical authority to speak on freedom with the following rhetoric: “ Fellow citizens, pardon me, and allow me to ask, why am I called upon to speak here today? Frederick Douglass is not saying that he is a nobody, but out of everybody why would he, the former slave and abolitionist, be chosen to to speak on the celebration of freedom. But of course, Frederick Douglas resume suggests that he is educated, experienced and qualified enough to speak on freedom. He was born a slave in Maryland and experienced the horror of slavery first hand. He escaped from slavery and

Douglass uses rhetorical questions when he wants us to think about how slavery will affect our next generations to come. Elizabeth Cady Stanton does not use rhetorical questions she is more on base with her speech. Douglass uses a lot of rhetorical questions in his speech. They both have knowledge of their topic. Why he used rhetorical questions he wants us to understand that slavery is getting worst. He has proof because he is a former slave. He wants

A brilliant speaker and self-educated, Douglass was asked by an abolitionist group the American Anti-Slavery Society to tour and give lectures of his accounts as a slave. He

experience to persuade the readers that slavery is cold-blooded and cruel. Douglass uses many rhetorical

Douglass used these questions to get his audience thinking about what the slaves are going through and how everything should change for them. He is trying to get his point across and is very bold about it. “What have I, or those I represent, to do with your national independence? Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural justice, embodied in that Declaration of Independence, extended to us?” (Douglass 285). Douglass knows what the slaves are going through because he was once a slave himself. He wants to know if the “Declaration of Independence” can be extended to the slaves or if they are going to have to live an awful life as long as they live. “Would you have me argue that man is entitled to liberty? that he is the rightful owner of his own body? You have already declared it. Must I argue the wrongfulness of slavery? Is that a question for republicans?” (288). Douglass is stating, that he does not have to tell anyone that slaves should be entitled freedom because they are human and they do not deserve the life they are living. However, Elizabeth Cady Stanton does not use any rhetorical questions. She gets right to her main point of emphasis with help from the “Declaration of Independence.” Stanton knew that her audience was aware of what was going on because they were mostly women she was speaking to. These women were going through the same thing as every other

Douglass gave this speech in 1852, which was before the civil war. In his speech, Douglass starts by apologizing for being nervous in front of the crowd of people, but acknowledges that he has come a long way since slavery. This is proving that the tone of the speech is humble and loyal. Towards the end of the speech the tone changes and Douglass begins to become more passionate and angry. The reason that the tone changes is because Douglass soon starts to talk about slavery and connects it to when he was a slave. This brought lots of emotion and truth.

Douglass started off his speech appealing to the audience by showing equality, only within the first paragraph though . However, his tone immediately changes from a calm understanding to that of anger. Anger, a completely necessary mood, lets the audience know exactly how Douglass feels about the situation. From pointing out the wrongs of white man, to pointing out the wrongs of America, he expresses to the audience, through anger, how wrong their country behaves. The tone of his speech speaks to the audience and fellow African Americans, because they can share

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