His speech on Fourth of July is meant to express his dissatisfaction with the fact that although America had achieved its independence there was nothing to smile about for the slaves who continued being mistreated and looked down upon. He argues that the independence was
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“Fellow-citizens; above your nation’s tumultuous joy‚ I hear the mournful wail of millions!...” (Aufses‚ et al. 260). Frederick Douglas used this to open his “What‚ to a Slave‚ is the Fourth of July?” speech in an effort to describe the terror facing many slaves living in the United States. Eleven years prior‚ Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote his collection of essays‚ “Self-Reliance”‚ to teach others how to become self-reliant and further improve society. Just as Emerson had done fourteen years earlier
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purpose of writing “Fourth of July Oration” was to show the failure of America not living up to it’s core of liberty for all men. Douglass focuses on the aspect that the Fourth of July celebration not able to truly be celebrated by all citizens. Some stylistics choices made by Douglass‚ I believe‚ made his piece successful. However there were choices he made weakening his argument. The speech organization helps focus on the important points‚ establishing the issues with the Fourth of July celebration.
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Watch the videos of Max McLean reading the Declaration of Independence and the descendants of Frederick Douglass reading "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" gave me mixed feelings‚ but mainly made me proud and hopeful about our country. These two pieces offer different perspectives on our national identity and the meaning of Independence Day. The Declaration of Independence is all about freedom and equality. It says that everyone has the right to life‚ liberty‚ and the pursuit of happiness
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In the speech “ What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” given by Frederick Douglass‚ he announces his goals for the future men and women of the United States. Douglass is a well known‚ powerful public speaker who was born into slavery then later escaped at the age of twenty one. On the day of his speech‚ he addresses an audience at the Rochester Ladies’ Anti-Slavery Society during a time where people of the United States visioned the total abolition of slavery as a profound cause. He speaks against
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Fourth of July is a holiday celebrated by many but is it really a celebration for all? “The Fourth of July” by Audre Lorde is about a trip her family had taken to Washington‚ D.C. to celebrate her sister and her graduation. Soon the trip turns into disappointment as she realizes the harsh truth of racism and humiliation. What her parents have been avoiding by not telling her the whole truth she learns during her week in Washington‚ D.C. Learning these things all at once makes her question why her
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“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot‚ Nothing is going to get better. It’s not” (Dr.Seuss‚ The lorax). In The Fourth of July by Audre Lorde and The Joy of Reading and Writing : Superman and Me by Sherman Alexie‚ both protagonists are treated as outcasts and have their unique selves suppressed by society‚ but continue to question why their identities are being taken away. Sherman Alexie and Audre Lorde both undergo the merciless cruelty that is racism‚ and discover they must actively fight
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Wise libertarian in local government: Ron Swanson‚ once said that‚ “History began on July 4th‚ 1776. Everything before that‚ was a mistake.” While standing on the very soil‚ which once oppressed the patriots of young America‚ Swanson‚ filled with a strong pride for our nation and detest of our former British monarchy‚ understands the importance of our independence and the celebration of it. The Fourth of July is both a pivottable date in our democracy‚ declaring our liberty through law‚ and serves
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“The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro” is a speech‚ which Frederick Douglass presented on July 5th‚ 1862 in Rochester‚ New York. As many may know‚ at the time of this speech African-Americans were not free from the clutches of slavery and were not treated as American citizens. Douglass informs over 600 listeners of the racial oppression African-Americans faced‚ religion and the church’s relation to slavery‚ and the U.S. Constitution. Douglass appears to give off a tone that is welcoming. The
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founded on freedom; it is a celebrated right. Yet not everyone had the freedom that was so treasured. Some people had to keep fighting for the freedom long after the Revolutionary War. Frederick Douglas‚ in his speech‚ “What to the slave is the fourth of July” and Elizabeth Cady Stanton in her Declaration of Sentiments of the Seneca Falls Women’s Rights Convention‚ share stories and explain how two groups of people‚ slaves and women‚ fight for their individual freedom. Both authors wrote two different
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