Introduction
Frederick Douglas, who was a prominent preacher and fair arraignee for public freedom from Slavery as well as women’s Rights, held that unavoidable and important speech, “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” on July 5, 1852. This address is addressed to the Rochester Ladies’ Anti-Slavery Society, and it sparingly expresses its remark by outlining the inconsistency of the American Independence that is celebrated amid the ongoing slavery of the blacks. In his speech, Douglass is notable for presenting a dissonance of a nation which, on the one hand, seemingly supports freedom and liberty. In contrast, the reality is that many people are denied these rights. This analysis shall be based on the historical background concerning the speech, b two, Douglas’ intention; three, its influence on the audiences; and fourth, it will also examine the biases it shows. Through this, the main objective is to discover the intricate relationships between race and freedom during the pre-civil War American period and also the comparisons which can be made between them and the racial injustice which still exists today.
Creator
It was the story of Frederick Douglass, an enslaved person born around 1818, who, when he was 20 years old, escaped, and after refusing to become a slave breaker, he rose to become a seminal figure in the abolitionist movement. Instead of providing theoretical arguments relying on mere concepts, his experiences in the harsh reality of slavery allowed him to combine emotion and rationality for powerful civil rights advocacy. Summing up his personal history and broad knowledge of the social and political situation of that time, he was able to give the impact of the criticism of American society; his diagnosis was deep and had a resounding effect. Through his experiences and work as a writer and a self-educated orator, he conveyed the ugly, contradictory reality of the United States as the land of liberty to those enslaved. He verbally articulated the sufferings of racial injustice in his speeches and was equally courageous enough to voice for freedom and equality (Douglass,2021). These speeches attracted a broad audience working for the cause of abolitionism, ranging from local activists to national leaders. His voice will be an evergreen sign of defiance against the injustices of the time that will remain in American civil rights history forever.
Audience
Frederick Douglass gave a speech titled, “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” in Rochester, New York, in a predominantly white setting to a group of abolitionist American people. The ways of composition and thinking of his listeners deeply engage Douglass and determine the approaches and rhetoric so that he can seek to contradict and disclose the contradictions in the very own beliefs of his listeners about liberty. Smart money on Douglas went before them as they were immersed in their festivity of freedom. He challenged them to critically examine the disconnection between their celebration and the continued enslavement of millions (Douglass,2021). He challenged his audience to go beyond the simple idea of liberty, namely one where all Americans, regardless of race, are equally free and at liberty. It was meant to evoke the thought and prompt behaviour of the people who already believed in abolition by showing the absurdity of Independence Day for the millions of others who still did not enjoy it.
Purpose
In Frederick Douglass’ speech “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” several purposes of Frederic were so cohesive that they were ceaseless. First and foremost, the author sought to decisively reject the idea of slavery, which had been the bedrock of the United States’ culture and identity. He specifically emphasized the absurdity of one part of the nation rejoicing about freedom when another part of the same nation espoused slavery as a valid institution. His impassioned prose aimed to startle people reckoned with the glaring disparity between the roaring celebrations and the injustices of inhuman treatment and suppression meted out to African Americans (Douglass,2021). A critique per se, which in addition was also a powerful appeal for action, is what Douglass’s address had been. He pressed for recognition not only of these injustices but also engagement with the anti-abolitionist movement listeners. He wanted to bring to the limelight the inherent hypocrisies in the US values to stir his followers’ involvement and to be committed body and soul to the abolitionist cause and, in the process, die for bona fide freedom and equal justice for all.
Influence
The delivery of Frederick Douglass’ speech, “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” had considerable importance in their days. Trying to eliminate slavery from the United States is what he wanted to achieve. Also, he tried to alter the public perception regarding slavery and slavery. Kept popular for more generations, the speech has come to be known as a high art of rhetoric which teaches and inspires people on complex matters such as liberty and justice. It is in the striking and elegant rhetorics that the speech finds a special place, as its penetrating insights are closely associated with the delivery that makes it a favourite in the civil rights movements’ lectures and discussions, where it is awarded for its compelling rhetoric and the forceful call for equality and justice it embodies (Douglass, 2019). Until today, the man’s phrases claim their rights to be recognized as a landmark of historical facts and a forever actual theme of our modern civil rights and social justice discourses.
Biases
Although Douglass’ observations about slavery and American society were wise, in his case, his memories and emotions would undoubtedly have determined his perspective of this period. In his speeches, he revealed the things he believed in, which were that Africans’ moral and intellectual excellence were intertwined with their freedom as a civil right. This view was common when people believed empathy was the way to achieve and maintain social change. The opinions he expressed resulted from a collective consideration of the prevailing abolitionist approaches and the extreme racism, which was the era’s characteristic that often dictated a disputable ideology.
Connection to Contemporary Issues
This speech by Frederick Douglass still rings true in today’s world despite the extended period that has come and gone since he made it. These disparities and the continuous black lives matter movement in the United States today give a starting point to the question of what real equality means for all. The ideas and goals presented in Douglass’ speech are mirrored in the Black Lives Matter movement and the wider resistance against systemic racism, which shows that the concept of American democracy is a contradiction in itself by its inability to create legitimate and equal opportunities for all regardless of race (Douglass, 2019). In a similar way to Douglass’s symbolic depiction of Independence Day as a way of showing how a nation that openly declares freedom while implementing slavery does, contemporary activists also deliberately use national holidays and symbols to spotlight and fight against racism. The way memory acts here serves just that aim, once again drawing the present-day civil rights movements directly to Douglass’ nineteenth-century activism, demonstrating the timelessness of the man’s words as he fights for racial justice.
Conclusion
In the oratory titled “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?”, Frederick Douglass provided a detailed analysis of American society’s contradictions by disparaging what it prided in and, on the other hand, how different it was in practice. Analysis of who the intended audience is, what the purpose was and what impact it had on that feature of American life at the time shows the importance of that speech in the history of struggles for equality and power expressed in today’s social justice movements. What we get after reading this speech, and Stephen’s legacy overall, remains powerful to stir us up and to invite thought about the essence of freedom and justice for everyone all the time. He is the torch that announces a new movement and that neither fear nor dread can stop such a quest toward real equality and freedom.
References
Douglass, F. (2021). What is the Fourth of July to the enslaved person? Graphic Arts Books.
Douglass, F. (2019). What is the Fourth of July to the enslaved person? In Ideals and Ideologies (pp. 377-381). Routledge.
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