Top-Rated Free Essay
Preview

Frederick Douglass Freedom Speech

Satisfactory Essays
334 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Frederick Douglass Freedom Speech
Frederick Douglass's “What is your 4th of July to me” speech is a very moving speech. In his speech, he talks about how the United States, is hypocritical in all of eachs preachings. The liberty, justice for all, equality, and many other phrases stated in the constitution and other American documents are hypocritical. Slavery is going on in the United States at this time and they are preaching about equality. Many of the writers of the constitution were slave owners and remained so until death, even post independence. This speech points out exactly how I feel about the writers of the constitution. Sure they were freedom fighters but, they still kept freedom away from others because of greed, and the color of their skin. That is not what the constitution or America is about. The founding ideals of the United states are Equality, Rights, Liberty, Opportunity, and Democracy. Douglass’s speech was more about equality in my opinion. in 1776 equality meant that any man, that was white and not a female was to be treated how oneself wanted to be treated. It meant that, regardless of wealth and religion all were equal. This ideal now means anybody and everybody who feels that they are part of the United States, is equal to everyone else. The United States, in my opinion is doing well in terms of equality. Now that the United States has learned from the mistakes in the past, I feel that we as a nation have moved forward. In 1852 Douglass’s speech was a message to all slave owners, that it has to stop. This is not what the United States was supposed to be about, and if you continue owning slaves and agreeing with the constitution you are a hypocrite. This was a very important topic for Douglass because i feel that he really believed in the founding ideals, but he just wanted them to actually be implemented, and for Americans to actually wake up and see what is going on.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    I believe that Frederick Douglass put his life as a slave into words that inspired people all around the world. His Autobiographies explained the heartaches of a slave that he was forced to live through for half of his life. Although most people believe in equality today Frederick Douglass didn’t have that right, people took that from him because they believed they were doing the right thing. Douglass was a kind and determined man and didn’t give up until he got the right result. He was not afraid to get his hands dirty in the process even when people doubted him and told him he was wrong.…

    • 641 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Fourth Of July Analysis

    • 558 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Douglass’s Fourth of July speech is starts out by paying tribute to what the founding fathers did for this country and what Independence Day means to the African American population. His speech then develops into his criticism of the American peoples view on slavery. He brings up the American Revolution to emphasize the fight for freedom. He asks rhetorical questions about slavery and freedom to make the audience think about what he is speaking to…

    • 558 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Douglass’ speech, his tone mainly appeals to emotions. He engages the listeners emotionally by stating his opinion over the topic of slavery. Douglass states, “My subject, then, fellow-citizens, is AMERICAN SLAVERY. I shall see this day and its popular characteristics from the slave’s point of view,” (52-54). This quote from his speech goes to show that he is standing up as a person who has actually experienced times of slavery. There is a great deal of credibility in Douglass’ writing because he refers to actual encounters that the African-American’s had dealt with in the way they were being treated. “I say it with a sad sense of the disparity between us. I am not included within the pale of this glorious anniversary! Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us,” (19-22). Douglass is implying that he, along with the rest of the former slaves, do not feel that they are included in the celebration of the Fourth of July. He and the former slaves feel this way because even though they are said to have freedom, the people in the country…

    • 1242 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Phillis Wheatley Analysis

    • 596 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In his speech, he speaks to his listeners what the 4th of July means to blacks population. He praises and condemns the attitude of American society toward slavery. He questions the audience why should they celebrate a holiday that is base on liberty and equality if everyone does not have that. He said, “ the sunlight that brought life and healing to you, has brought stripes and death to me”(Baym, 1003). He then argues, if the founder fathers of this nation believe that all man are entitled to liberty, and if “slaves are living in families as husbands, wives, and children, and confessing and worshiping the Christian’s God” (p. 1004)” well slaves are man. He asked a lot of these insightful questions in his speech to open his listeners’ eyes to the truth. He pleaded to those who have the same view of equality “any man, whose judgment is not blinded by prejudice, or who is not at heart a slaveholder, would you argue more, and rebuke less” (p. 1003). He concludes his speech on an optimistic note that those who are on his side to continue pushing for change. The American slavery cannot be hidden…

    • 596 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In his speech, which was later published as The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro Frederick Douglass explores the injustices that plagued the African-American community during the time period in which he lived. Douglass questioned, “Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural justice, embodied in that Declaration of Independence, extended to us?” These principles, “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” were not granted to the African-American population. In regards to the Fourth of July, Douglass stated that the white Americans “shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery”. Therefore, through…

    • 622 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    African American's lack of rights parallel to those of Women's. Frederick Douglass saw this as an opportunity to increase awareness of inequality. He participated in the Seneca Falls Convention, the birthplace of the American feminist movement, and one of the signer of its Declaration of Sentiments. It didn't matter if it was women rights or African American rights, Frederick Douglass sought for equality.…

    • 344 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Additionally, read Frederick Douglass' "The Hypocrisy of American Slavery" and then write me a paragraph in the same blog that explains what you feel was the goal of this speech. Make sure to include a quote that you feel gets Douglass' point across most effectively.…

    • 671 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    One ideal that America has not reached is equality. Equality is defined as the ideal situation where everyone is treated the same and valued equally. Usually, the people who are affected most by inequality are African- Americans, women, immigrants and people of the lower economical class. Today, some Americans believe that women are having such successful careers, that they are replacing men as the primary source of income in America. While that is somewhat true, the women still make only 70% of what men make. The pay gap only shows women are still not equal to men and progress still needs to be made. African Americans are also not equal. Even after slavery has ended, Jim Crow laws went into effect, which meant that the best of everything was reserved for whites’ only-schools, jobs, neighborhoods, hospitals, etc. This meant that Blacks did not have the same opportunities as…

    • 1384 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “What to the slave is the Fourth of July”? “Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural injustice, embodied in the Declaration of Independence, extended to us”? Although Douglass delivered his speech to a mostly sympathetic audience, he achieved a proper condemnation of America through the strategies of Pathos and parallelism.…

    • 449 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    A nation that was struggling financially and fatally due to a war to fight for equality. Abraham Lincoln may have thought at one point that it wasn’t possible that blacks and whites could live peacefully in America, but when abolitionist and black leaders confronted him head on, he never spoke of it again. Why? Because Abraham Lincoln was humble, he listened, many of Lincoln’s mistakes and flaws could be viewed as too large to ignore but because Abraham Lincoln was the man he was, he fixed his mistakes. He stood by his decisions because he saw an end in sight. A better America.…

    • 980 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    What to the slave is Fourth of July? Douglas elucidates his point by pointing out the evil doings of America towards his people. He states that, The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not me. Are we blind and ignorant, or do we just not care? I respect Frederick Douglas because he stood up for the ancestors of African Americans when no one else did. With unmitigated gall and intestinal fortitude, he unashamedly told whites how he and my ancestors felt. Moreover, he told them that they had mocked him by inviting him to speak about their Independence Day. Speaking with simple eloquence,…

    • 795 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Perspective is everything. I used to think context was more important, but now I have doubts. Frederick Douglass voiced the obvious problem with celebrating the "birth of an independent nation" in the Declaration of Independence. But of course, many of the signors, the very writer, of this document was a slaveholder. That the landed gentry could live such hypocrisy is horrifying, but no longer surprising to me. Douglass said out loud what they must have felt and known, but denied. Such is the life of the powerful. The declaration document is ruling class-centric and the makers were as well. Even as Jefferson pled for rights to the people, against many of his federalist contemporaries, he was living the lie. Douglass relies the use of…

    • 187 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Equality, to be equal again to not be treated like second class citizens “ The doom of slavery is certain” ( pg 293 F. Douglass) I think what Douglas meant by this is chang won’t happen overnight but change will happen.…

    • 468 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “What to the Slave, is the Fourth of July” is a powerful testament of American hypocrisy. To read—let alone be present while the speech was delivered—would bring an overwhelming surge of shame and embarrassment of my actions (i.e. partaking in the active slave trade or lack of abolitionist support). Though many verses from this work are undeniably gut wrenching to the audience, the most thought provoking and life altering was when Douglass stated plainly, “the sunlight that brought life and healing to you, has brought stripes and death to me. This Fourth of July is yours, not mine.”…

    • 185 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Let’s talk about equality. The ideal of equality has been partially implemented if we were to compare the equality problems America had and has between 1776 and 2017. Nevertheless, women have a harder time climbing the executive and legislative ladder just because they are women. A significant number of Americans still believe that women are inferior to men. Policemen pullover African Americans because they believe they are affiliated with gangs or they carry guns just because they are black. So it is clear that Americans have not live up to the ideal of equality expressed in…

    • 360 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays