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An Analysis Of Frederick Douglas's 'What To The Slave Is The Fourth Of July'

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“American slavery” is a description that Americans rarely hear in today’s society. Since the establishment of the Plymouth Colony, America was intended to be the land of for those who desired and chased after one aspect of life, freedom. The description of the label “American” can be expressed as one who has a story to share about his or her family’s history of various encounters that led their family to the land of America. The description of “slavery” can be expressed as a practice that holds a person as property in bondage under the various tasks the owner sets for the slave. Putting the terms “American” and “slavery” is similar to an oxymoron, two terms contradict each other. Although these terms do contradict each other, American
slavery …show more content…

Douglass states that “it is enough to affirm the equal manhood of the negro race… we are called upon to prove that we are men” as he addressed the crowd (1004). From a slave who gained his freedom and as a human being, being able to prove that a person is not property, but rather one who deserves the rights that was promised to him was the idea that Douglass was trying to convey. Furthermore, Americans continued to have slaves because their labor and production of cash crops allowed owners to obtain profit. For most minor groups in America, freedom for most if not all was acknowledged until the end of the
Civil War in 1865 where slavery was officially abolished. The Civil War was a battle that was fought to “preserve the union,” according to President Lincoln. However, the idea of ending slavery was an underlying facet of the war. With the Union’s win at the end of the war, …show more content…

The facilities for the people of color were described as lesser quality or nonexistent compared to the white people’s facilities. Langston Hughes, an African American poet, describes Jim Crow Laws as an act of injustice and violation of their human rights in his poem “Merry-Go-Round.” He describes a train ride he encounters and describes his section as the “Jim Crow section.” The “separate but equal” facilities were a way for the white majority to maintain their higher status by manipulating the law. For example, Hughes writes about a colored child at a carnival who wishes to ride a train and the worker stated that the color child must go to the Jim Crow section (qtd. in Hughes 1-6). However, “he states that “there ain’t no back/ to a merry-go-round” (10-11). In other words, society had another way to oppress the minor group that was deemed legal and made the idea of African Americans equate to second class citizens.
Although slavery was abolished after the Civil War, African Americans faced further discrimination from others, specifically the white majority. Even though African

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Frederick Douglass was a successful abolitionist responsible for giving the famously stimulating speech “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” Embedded within this speech were multiple rhetorical strategies such as parallelism, antithesis, and rhetorical questions; all of which contributed to the overall exemplary writing. Parallelism made his sentences more powerful; it emphasized his argument by using the same structure. When Douglass harmonized his verbal arrangements, it added venom in his words and drama to the speech. He wanted passion so that the audience took him seriously and paid attention to his words.

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Rhetoric Project: Written Analysis Fredrick Douglass, in his speech, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July,” exhibits a prime example of effective rhetoric. In examining the effectiveness of rhetoric, it is essential to seek out the invention, arrangement, and style of the given speech. In section nine of Douglass’ speech, Douglass specifically emphasizes the past as a call to action for his audience. Speaking to a group of abolitionists, Douglass utilizes rhetoric to display the purpose behind abolition and why it is necessary for his northern crowd.

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614 Words | 3 Pages

“What to the Slave is the Fourth of July,” a speech given by Frederick Douglass, is full of rhetorical devices and strategies used to interest the audience and to reinforce the points that Douglass wants to make. Many great speakers were common people: slaves, moms, dads, teachers, and strangers. In contrast, most famous speeches that are made today are given by celebrities and those with large followings. Douglass, however, had to prove himself each time he made a speech; he did not have a large fanbase that was ready to sit through each speech he gave. Because only the best would help him succeed, Douglass was unable to give a second rate speech that would interest few in the audience.

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Frederick Douglass was an escaped slave who joined the Abolitionist cause in the North, writing books and speeches with a first-hand account of the horrors of slavery. In 1852, as the anti-slavery movement in the North was approaching a new peak and as secessionist sentiments were emerging in the South, he was invited to give a speech at a Fourth of July celebration in Rochester (Douglass). Douglass used the opportunity to expose the hypocrisy of this democracy through his speech, “July 4, 1852.” In the speech, he pointed the flawed logic behind celebrating freedom while keeping millions of people as property, denying them rights.

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I agreed with Justin that Frederick Douglas's speech, "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro," used the Rogerian method of argumentation to carry out his message. He uses the memory and the knowledge to inform the audience about the nation becoming independent. He easily identified the issues and suggest a possible solution about current events. He is fair on the slaves for their hard work on their production and economic growth; however, he does not agree on the treatment on slave-owners. He condemns on how African Americans were treated, while serving for their nation.

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This also shows that slaves should not have to prove themselves men if the do the same things, therefore saying they deserve the same respect. Another important issue Douglass covers that help support his claim is “There are seventy-two crimes in the State of Virginia, which, if committed by a black man, (no matter

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“If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” This quote from Frederick Douglass expresses his struggle with slavery throughout his lifetime much like his speech “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” Douglass was asked to give this speech for an Independence Day celebration, but took an unexpected turn down a path his audience may not have been ready for. He uses ethos, pathos and an abrupt tone to present his argument against slavery. Nearly everyone has heard of Frederick Douglass, or at least knows he had something to do with slavery.

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The idea of freedom has always been a fluent concept in America. It’s grasp has always reached to engulf certain people in it’s arms. In the speech “What to the slave is the fourth of July”, Frederick Douglas addresses that fluency in stating the hypocrisy America practices in. He manages to accomplish his goal in stating the hypocrisy in America while painting the institution of slavery as immoral and barbaric. In this paper I intended to provide a summary of the text, examine some of the major themes, and evaluate if the Douglas’s attempt to illuminate the hypocrisy in American tradition translates clearly.

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One of the strategies Douglass uses to convince his audience slavery should be abolished is by “calling out American hypocrisy in his Fourth of July oration” (Mercieca 1). He shames them with no remorse. He speaks on the opposite treatments that enable whites to live in a state of freedom and liberty, while the blacks are living in a state of bondage. As the audience listens, he reminds them, there are men, women and children still held hostages to the chains of

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What to the Slave is the Fourth of July Introduction The 4th of July is an important day in American history it represents freedom and is usually associated with fireworks, parades, alcohol, and concerts. Those activities more or less represent today’s culture. When Fredrick Douglass made his speech he talked about American values such as liberty, citizenship, and freedom. The irony of this speech was that at the time white Americans in the south were still participating in slave trading.

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793 Words | 4 Pages

What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July? Throughout his sermon, What to the Slave is the Fourth of July, Fredrick Douglass devotedly argued that to the slave and even the liberated African American, the Fourth of July was nothing more than a holiday of a mockery of the crudest kind. Through his use of several rhetorical devices and strategies, Douglass conveyed his perspective on the concerning matter as if he were the voice of the still enslaved, both physically and logically. Prevalently, he presented an effectively argued point using ethos, logos, and pathos through credible appeals, convincing facts and statistics, and by successfully employing emotional appeals.

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636 Words | 3 Pages

He proclaims that "…While we are…living, moving, acting, thinking, planning, living in families as husbands, wives and children, and, above all, confessing and worshipping the Christian's God, and looking hopefully for life and immortality beyond the grave, we are called upon to prove that we are men!" By showing the mundanity of the slave, Douglass shows the audience that the slaves are human and therefore unable to be considered property. He forces his audience to examine their own lives and realize their similarities to the slaves and the hypocrisy of slavery. He doesn't give his audience a chance to disagree with his stance on slavery because he makes such a blunt argument. Douglass asks again, "Must I undertake to prove that the slave is a man?

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918 Words | 4 Pages

African Americans were forced to live, eat, work, and learn in “dumpier” places than white Americans. They could not do anything a white man or woman could, the whole idea of “‘Separate but equal’” was a contradiction within itself (Howell np). Everything was separated, different water fountains, schools, homes, restaurants, buses so on and so forth. Nothing was fair; nothing was as it should have been. White Americans felt the need to treat African Americans as lesser beings, when they were not any less than themselves.

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Slavery by Brodie Burns J.Williams English lll Block 4 10 March 2023 ii Outline Thesis: The duration of slavery was spread across the world and lasted for over 100 years Introduction History Treatment Families conclusion Burns 1 Slavery is by far the biggest part in United States history to date. The duration of slavery was spread across the world and lasted for over 100 years. Slavery is a condition in which one person was owned by another, and was by law considered their property. The ones in which were considered slaves were treated poorly and at most times beaten by their owners.

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The speech that I chose to dive into was one spoken by Frederick Douglas titled “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July.” Frederick Douglas was a man who escaped slavery and lead many in abolition of slavery movement. He was known for his exceptional public speaking skills and writing about the horrors of slavery. Douglas was so educated in the way he wrote and spoke that many found it difficult he once came from a life of slavery. When he was asked to speak on the Fourth of July in 1852, he unloaded the wrongfulness in slavery.

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