Rhetorical Devices In Frederick Douglass's Speech

This will get the listeners thinking about what sincerely is happening with the issue of slavery and stimulate interest in the abolitionist mindset. Additionally, the author laconically questions, “What to the American Slave is your Fourth

Douglass gave a speech called, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?.”. Douglass delivered this speech on July 5th, 1852 about how the Fourth of July makes African- Americans feel. Douglass uses rhetorical questions to get the audience to reflect, and get them to start thinking about the Fourth of July. Throughout the speech Douglass refers to the country as “yours”, he never says “ours” or “we”, this creates a distinction between himself and the audience. Douglass does not feel like he can call the country as his own.

Abigail Adams letter to John Adams asking him to remember the ladies when the new country is made (Source B), and his crude letter back explaining her ridiculousness (Source E). A letter most likely written by a free slave so desperate for the freedom of the African children that he learned to write and sends a petition to the congress (Source C). And finally, in the recreation of the the mid 1770’s events, the miniseries John Adams (Source D). Therefore, The statement, “All men were created equal” is a hypocritical statement because the African people and women were treated as property to be owned instead of as equal people as the statement

They repeatedly pointed out the disagreement between American ideals of liberty and equality and the base reality of slavery. President Thomas Jefferson recognized that the Virginian slaves had been motivated by the same ideals that had inspired white colonists to revolt against Britain. Jefferson told the minister to assure the British that the rebel slaves were not criminals, but men aspiring for freedom. The negotiations with the British were unsuccessful, and most of the accused conspirators were sold as slaves to Spain and Portugal 's New World colonies.

After the Civil War, African Americans went from bondage into gaining liberty. Twentieth President James A. Garfield stated, “The elevation of the Negro race from slavery to the full rights of citizenship is the most important political change we have known since the adoption of the constitution.” However, the centuries of racism, prejudice, and devaluation took its toll on Southern society, and they would take another century before all Blacks could vote unhindered. The ratification of civil rights legislation created only a beginning of a change because the Emancipation Proclamation failed to free all slaves, Whites did not view Blacks as social equals, and most Southern Whites would not cooperate with the new laws. The Emancipation

Frederick Douglass on July 4th ,1852 gave a speech titled “ What To The American Slave Is Your Fourth of July?” Douglass gave this speech in Rochester,Ny in front of a crowd of white Americans. Throughout his speech he questions the audience a lot. He wants them to see and understand the viewpoint of a black slave. Douglass does not consider the fourth of July a day to celebrate instead he says “This fourth of July is yours, not mine” “You may rejoice, I must mourn.”

Its failure was firmly secured in 1873 when the Supreme Court began to undermine the Constitutional Amendments and the Civil Rights Act in the Slaughter-House Cases. Military and political force was used in an attempt to give slaves equal rights to the white man. However, the actions of the South had stopped that from happening. Slaves were free but they were trapped in plantation labor. They could vote but many could not.

Secondly, Douglass adds on to his speech by describing that the slaves are living a gloomy existence while the young Nation is celebrating its freedom and liberty which they don’t get to experience because they are a lock in chains. He uses ethos to appeal to the moral idealistic views of the fellow Christian man by bringing the question of God by saying “[...] and would make me reproach before God and the world (P. 5).” By expressing his views, Douglass and the audience unite under the set of clear morals that came from God who would disagree with the actions that they comminuted

An excerpt from one of Frederick Douglass 's many speeches shows what the fourth of July means to slaves (Document 4). Douglass expressed that the fourth of July was a grim time for African- Americans. He said, “...your shout of liberty and equality, hollow mockery... ”(Document 4). This allegorized that the African-Americans didn’t feel free and abolitionist in the North, like Douglass were upset about it, especially free African-Americans.

In “The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro” by Frederick Douglass, it states “There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of the United States…” (Doc. G). Frederick Douglass hates how the United States celebrate Independence Day even though everyone not everyone is free, slaves. Slavery captivates the human from his or her rights and caused an uprise for the end of slavery. In a Republican nomination speech by Abraham Lincoln, it states “A house divided against itself cannot stand” (Doc. M).

Short further explains that the British are bringing slaves to America without our consent (88). Furthermore Randall explains that Jefferson was trying to free all slaves by the time they reached their adulthood (302). The first time Jefferson spoke during the meeting he said “all men are created free” (147). These findings challenge Jefferson’s actions considering he owned

“I shall see this day and its popular characteristics from the slave’s point of view” (Douglass). Everyone is human, so they should all have the same human rights, but slaves were stripped from them all. Fourth of July was set upon to celebrate the freedom won after the war, yet there were still millions of people who were not free. Frederick Douglass does not believe that he, along with other African Americans, should celebrate Fourth of July because they were not included in the freedom that was won. Douglass simply reminded everyone that just because the Declaration of Independence was signed, there were still slaves in the world.

It points out how the Patriots desire for independence goes against their ways of not giving freedom to thousands of slaves. All in all, the war demonstrated the democratic ideals of the Patriots while showing how many Patriots went against their own fighting reason by owning slaves. There fighting reason would be to gain independence and freedom. However, they did not give these rights to others, as you can see this in the Connecticut Slaves Petition for Freedom. As important as the war was, there were some flaws in the way many of the Patriots

Eventually, the delegates compromised on the slavery issue as well. Slaves were declared to count as three-fifths of a person for the purpose of population counts. However, neither the word slavery nor slave was used in the Constitution. Rather, it refers to the Three-Fifths Compromise as applying to “all other persons. ”Still, it was apparent whom the Three-Fifths Compromise targeted, since it went a step further and addressed the issue of the African slave trade.

Beliefs could be considered an essence of what makes people human, the belief in a higher power, or the lack thereof. Relating to Douglass declaring, “Is there any God? Why am I a slave. ”(10) Douglass alludes to the Israelites in the Old Testament, who constantly complain about God not helping them, but Douglass uses this allusion ironically, believing he won’t get help with or without complaining, because he has had past masters who claimed to be very religiously good people.