Freedom and Equality Americans value their freedom, their right. They have fought for their freedom. They fought for the thing they believe in but after the fight was over did they really get their freedom. By comparing and contrasting, Frederick Douglass’ speech “What to the slave is the fourth of july” and, Elizabeth Cady Stanton's “Declaration of Sentiments of the Sens Falls Women's Rights Convention. Argues that America was established as a free country, that freedom should be guaranteed to all. Although they argue for the rights of different groups of people, their struggles for freedom and equality are much in the same. In the speech “What to a Slave is the Fourth of July” by Frederick Douglass. Celebrating the free country that we have, but we aren't really free because we still have slavery. When he gives his speech he hits America hard and says “There are seventy-two crimes in the state of Virginia which if committed by a black man, subject him to the punishment of death; while only two of the same crimes will subject a white man to the like punishment.” (Douglass). What he points out is that a black man and white men are not treated equal so is it fairly freedom and independence that the American people celebrate …show more content…
It's like if we keep telling ourselves things have gotten better we start to believe them, but if these people actually open their eyes and look around to see the the freedom and equality of the African Americans and the women hasn't really changed maybe the American people and and any people around the world will stand up and actually make a change. That is how Frederick Douglass speech about slavery and Elizabeth Cady Stanton's speech to the Women's Rights Convention have in common. They both took a step back and saw that something wasn't right and they stood up and made a
Throughout history, Americans have sought to spread the spirit of equality, which is believed to be the realization of true freedom. Before establishing this freedom, every American had only one question stuck in their head: What is freedom? Our country received it in the year of 1776 from the British through a series of difficulties and wars. African Americans defined it as an escape from slavery, while immigrants defined it as their acceptance into a new society. More yet, women of the women’s suffrage defined their freedom as their recognition into society and for their rights to be equal to that of every other man. These different perceptions of cultures/groups in America tied together to form an American view of freedom. Freedom is something that every American should be willing to do anything in order to maintain. We may have weapons of mass destruction, but when it comes to living in a peaceful, American lifestyle, our freedom is our greatest weapon.
Many great minds have discussed their opinions on freedom and or slavery. During the 1800’s, many people, such as Frederick Douglass, became known as abolitionists, or those who oppose slavery. A major speaking point of these abolitionists were the obligations of freedom. Yet, several years later, there was still the discussion of the obligations of freedom. Two men that discussed this topic and made an everlasting impact were John F. Kennedy as well as Martin Luther King Jr. John F. Kennedy discussed it in his Inaugural Address and King discussed it in his letter, Letter from Birmingham City Jail. In the texts, Letter from Birmingham City Jail by Martin Luther King Jr. and John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address the topic of the obligations of freedom is frequently noted.
On July 5th 1852, Frederick Douglass, one of history’s outstanding public speakers, carried out a very compelling speech at Corinthian Hall in Rochester, New York. Within that moment of time where the freedom of Americans was being praised and celebrated, he gathered the nation to clear up the tension among slavery and the establishment of the country’s goals. Frederick Douglass’s speech mentions the development of the young nation, the Revolution, and his own life experience. While speaking, his main subject was seen to be American slavery. The “Fourth of July Oration” was a commendable model of Frederick Douglass’s affection and engagement towards the freedom of individuals. Frederick Douglass’s speech left an impact on his audience and continues to change the minds of those who read his speech today. I agree with plenty of dominant thoughts and cases he acknowledged in the “Fourth of July Oration.”
A human being is a complicated entity of a contradictory nature, where creative and destructive, virtuous and vicious are interwoven. Each of us has gone through various kinds of struggle at least once in a lifetime, ranging from everyday discrepancies to worldwide catastrophes. There are always different causes and reasons that trigger these struggles, however, there is common ground for them as well: people are different, even though it is a truism no one seems to be able to realize this statement from beyond the bounds of one’s self and reach out to approach the Other. The concept of the Other is dominant in Frederick Douglass’s text “The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro”, for it determines the main conflict and illuminates the issue of intolerance and even blasphemy regarding the attitude of white Americans towards Negroes. The text was written as a speech to commemorate the signing of the Declaration of Independence and delivered at Rochester’s Corinthian Hall on July 5, 1852.
Frederick Douglass, who was born into slavery around 1818, will forever remain one of the most important figures in America's struggle for civil rights and racial equality. As an ex-slave, his inspiration grew beyond his boarders to reach the whole world. Without any formal education, Douglass escaped slavery and became a respected American diplomat, a counselor to four presidents, a highly regarded speaker, and an influential writer. By common consent Douglass’s Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave (1845) is recognized as the best among the many slave narratives that appeared before the Civil War. He amazed people when he spoke bravely in his Fourth of July speech. He spoke out against oppression throughout America and abroad, and his struggle for freedom, self-discovery, and identity stands as a testament for all time, for all people. Although some people accused him of lying, exaggerating, and using his narrative and his well-known Fourth of July speech as part of an abolitionist plot, Douglass was able to clearly demonstrate his talents, sensitivity, and intellectual capacity by revealing the truth about the lives, culture, and psychological struggles of American slaves.
Keywords: Martin Luther King Jr, Frederick Douglass, “I Have a Dream”, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July”
In his speech, Frederick Douglass made it clear that he believed that the continued toleration and support of slavery from both a religious and legal standpoint was utterly absurd when considering the ideals and principles advocated by America’s forefathers. He began by praising the American framers of the Constitution, an...
“Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe”( Douglass). This famous quote epitomizes the philosophies of Frederick Douglass, in which he wanted everyone to be treated with dignity; if everyone was not treated with equality, no one person or property would be safe harm. His experience as a house slave, field slave and ship builder gave him the knowledge to develop into a persuasive speaker and abolitionist. In his narrative, he makes key arguments to white abolitionist and Christians on why slavery should be abolished. The key arguments that Frederick Douglass tries to vindicate are that slavery denies slaves of their identity, slavery is also detrimental for the slave owner, and slavery is ungodly.
Frederick Douglass the most successful abolitionist who changed America’s views of slavery through his writings and actions. Frederick Douglass had many achievements throughout his life. His Life as a slave had a great impact on his writings. His great oratory skills left the largest impact on Civil War time period literature. All in all he was the best black speaker and writer ever.
Slave owners in the South were some of the most cruel and inhumane human beings out there. They used many tactics to maintain a prosperous system of slavery amongst them. Like many, Frederick Douglass was born a slave. Deprived of as much as possible, Douglass knew not much more than his place of birth. Masters were encouraged to dispossess slaves of any knowledge and several of them did not know their birthdays or other personal details of themselves. The purpose of this was to keep slaves as misinformed of anything other than labor as possible. Slave owners knew the dangers that would upraise if slaves became literate and brave enough to fight for freedom.
equality, hollow mockery … a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages” (Douglass). Essentially, everything that the slave observes is a lie. Everything the slave observes represents hypocritical double standards created by their oppressors to further otherize and dehumanize the slave. Here, Douglass’s critique of the citizenry reflects the concerns and critique that Socrates gave in regards to rhetoric and its uses in the Gorgias: “rhetoric seems not to be an artistic pursuit at all, but that of a shrewd, courageous spirit, which is naturally clever at dealing with men; I shall call the chief part of it flattery” (Plato 23). Flattery is necessarily a deceitful as it seeks to hide certain flaws or faults. The rhetoric and celebration of the Fourth of July, at least to Douglass, disguises the moral failures of the country in false patriotism pushing the nation even farther from the
The most absolute issue that Douglas points out is that white Americans are hypocritical towards certain subjects; one of them being freedom. “This Fourth of July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must
Another aspect of becoming a regular American is that of reconnecting families that have been separated. As stated above, one of the steps in the slave making process is that of separating families and sending them to different plantations or even just taking a member from their home in their own country. Douglass also included gaining economic power, the right to vote, and greater social latitude and mobility in communities as aspects to help establish being a non-enslaved American. Douglass’ goal was to stand up against slavery and prove to people in American that people who were once or still were slaves are deserving of just as much dignity as the free people give each other and give the slave owners. Douglass teaches the need for respect
American freedom has faced many tribulations, especially throughout the slavery, segregation, and women’s suffrage eras. However, the ideological belief of individual freedom has always triumphed. From when the first Pilgrim stepped onto American soil to the present day America has been run by a democracy and the freedom that system of government allows its peoples to have. “Americans share a common identity grounded in the freedom — consistent always with respecting the freedom of others — to live as they choose” (Friedman).
n Frederick Douglass’ What to the Slave is the 4th of July, he presents a simple yet morally complex argument. In his letter, Douglass states that it is hypocritical for a country to celebrate its freedom and separation from another country, yet still have slavery alive and well in the United States. Morally, this issue is a pretty straightforward argument and the very definition of hypocritical. Douglass also touches upon his belief that all men and women are equal, as stated in the constitution, yet slaves are subhuman. Another topic touched on is the contributing factors that perpetuate the constant and unjust nature of how slaves are treated, such as religion, agricultural, and over all demeanor towards slaves.