Question

Read and respond to this article? I think that Frederick Douglass was invited to speak on the 4th of July to emphasize and include African American slaves or former slaves and individuals within the United States. This, however, didn't settle well with Fredrick. He emphasized that although the celebration for freedom and independence was a wonderful thing for the United States, it didn't quite apply to individuals like himself. He makes sure to mention that, "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 overcome in getting from the latter to the former, are by no means slight. That I am here to-day is, to me, a matter of astonishment as well as of gratitude." (P1, Douglass). What about the strife of slaves? And the founding fathers of America that allowed slavery to exist? His speech was a perfect indictment of America at that time. He speaks and writes beautifully, making to be considerate and considerate throughout his entire speech while addressing the issue of slavery and independence for the rest of America. How can America celebrate it's independence while simultaneously neglecting the raw battle still going on for so many African Americans? He argues that the 4th of July didn't include slaves or former slaves such as himself. "What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer: a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity: your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless your denunciations of tyrants, brass fronted impudence: your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery, your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all your religious parade, and solemnity, are, to him, mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy-a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages. There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices, more shocking and bloody, than are the people of these United States, at this very hour." (P12, Douglass)

Answer 1

The speaker here is a victim of former slavery which existed in United States of America. He considers sir Frederick to be a biased speaker as he spoke on 4th of July only about the freedom that the Americans got from the others and did not care about those who were slaves of Americans. The speaker reveals that they were neglected and whose feelings were not considered at all during the celebrations of 4th of July throughout this day.