Since he was born into enslavement, he had no certainty about...• Douglass remained a slave until...
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• FrederickDouglaswasbornFrederickAugustusWashingtonBailey,inTalbotCounty,MDintheearly1800s.– Sincehewasbornintoenslavement,hehadnocertaintyabout
hisbirthdateorbirthyear• Hewasbornthesonofanenslavedwoman,and,inalllikelihood,herwhitemaster.• Douglassremainedaslaveuntilheescapedatage20.• Douglassthensharedhisexperiencesasaslaveandadvocatedagainstslavery
throughhiswritingsandspeeches.• Douglasswrotethreeautobiographies,editedfournewspapers,lecturednationally
andinternationally,andrecruitedblacksoldiersfortheCivilWar.– Inthefirstofthreeautobiographies,NarrativeoftheLifeofFrederickDouglass,An
AmericanSlave, publishedin1845.• Douglasseventuallycametobelievethatpoliticalactivismwastheonlywayto
achievefreedom.But,althoughvehementinhisrhetoric,Douglasrefusedtouseviolence.
• HeadvisedandpressuredLincolntomakeslaverythesinglemostimportantissueoftheCivilWarandremainedcommittedtointegrationandcivilrightsforallAmericansthroughouthislife.
• Asalecturer,writer,editorandex-slave,FrederickDouglassemergedasthemostprominentAfricanAmericanofthenineteenthcenturytofightforracialjustice.
WhoWasFrederickDouglass?
• TheFugitiveSlaveActwaspassedaspartoftheCompromiseof1850.
• TheActdeclaredthatallrunawayslavesmustbebroughtbacktotheirmasters.
• Asof1852,largernumbersofprotestorswerecondemningthelaw,outragedthatitdeniedtherightofhabeascorpusandtrialbyjurytoallegedfugitiveslaves,aswellasthreatenedthekidnappingoffreepeopleofcolorintoslavery.
• Abolitionistsnicknameditthe"BloodhoundLaw"forthedogsthatwereusedtotrackdownenslavedpeoplewhohadrunaway.
• Now,undertheAmericanflag,saidDouglass,blackscouldfeel"noprotection,"only"danger,trials,andbittermockery."
• SodeepwasthefearinnorthernblackcommunitiesthathundredsfledtoCanada,causingwhatDouglassdescribedas"adarktraingoingoutoftheland,asiffleeingfromdeath.“
Theatmospherein1852…TheFugitiveSlaveAct
• InMarch1852HarrietBeecherStowe‘sUncleTom'sCabin waspublishedinBoston.
• Theanti-slaverynovelgreatlyinfluencedmanypeople'sthoughtsaboutAfricanAmericansandslaveryintheUnitedStates.
• ByJune1852,14steampressesrandayandnighttoproduceenoughcopiestomeetthehighdemandforthebook.
Theatmospherein1852…UncleTom’sCabin
• Thesummerof1852wasatimeofgreattensioninthenationandinFrederickDouglass'sownlife.
• Douglasswasstrugglingfinancially;hisnewspaper,FrederickDouglass'Paper,survivedonlyondonations,andhecouldhardlysupporthisgrowingfamilyonmeagerlecturers'fees.
• Duringthistime,34-year-oldFrederickDouglasswasinvitedtodeliveraspeechfortheFourthofJulytotheRochesterLadiesAntislaverySociety.
• AswasthetraditioninblackcommunitiesofNewYorkstate,Douglassinsistedonspeakingonthe5thandnotthe4thofJuly.
• TheeventtookplaceatCorinthianHallinDouglass’adoptedhometownofRochester,N.Y.Therewerenearly600peopleinattendance.
• AfteralocalministerreadacopyoftheDeclarationofIndependence,Douglassroseanddeliveredhisnowfamousspeech,“WhattotheSlaveistheFourthofJuly?“
• “Instyleandsubstance,no19thcenturyAmericaneverofferedamorepoignantcritiqueofAmerica'sracialconditionthanDouglassdidonJuly5,1852…”
Theatmospherein1852…FrederickDouglass
• Thespeechhasthreemajorrhetoricalmoves.First,Douglasssetshisaudienceateasebyofferingcomplimentstothegeniusofthefoundingfathers.
• HecallstheFourthofJulyanAmerican"Passover"andplaceshopeintheyouthfulnation,"stillimpressible"andopentochange.
• HecallstheDeclarationofIndependencethe"ringbolt"ofthenation'sdestinyandurgeshislistenersto"clingtothisday...andtoitsprinciples,withthegraspofastorm-tossedmarinertoasparatmidnight."
• Buthisuseofpronounsisawarningofwhatissoontofollow.– Thenationis"your nation",thefathers"your fathers."
Thenation'sstoryistaughtin"your commonschools,narratedatyour firesides,unfoldedfromyour pulpits."
• AsDouglassremindshiswhiteaudienceoftheirnationalandpersonaldeterioration,thespeechfindsitstheme—thehypocrisyofslaveryandracisminagrowingrepublic.
“WhattotheSlaveistheFourthofJuly?”
“Fellow-citizens,pardonme,allowmetoask,whyamIcalledupontospeakheretoday?WhathaveI,orthoseIrepresent,todowithyour nationalindependence?…Arethegreatprinciplesofpoliticalfreedomandofnaturaljustice,embodiedintheDeclarationofIndependence,extendedtous?WouldtoGod,bothforyoursakeandours,thatanaffirmativeanswercouldbetruthfullyreturnedtothesequestions!”
• Douglassansweredhisrhetoricalquestionsinnouncertainterms:Totheslave,IndependenceDayisa…
“daythatrevealstohim,morethananyotherdaysintheyear,thegrossinjusticeandcrueltytowhichheistheconstantvictim.Tohim,your celebrationisasham.”
• WhatthenflowsisDouglass’famousandrelentlessattackonAmerica'sdeepestcontradiction.– Asthepainfulanalysisunfolds,heissuesalitanyofaccusative
pronouns:"ThisfourthofJulyisyours,notmine.Youmayrejoice,Imustmourn."
– ToinvitehimasIndependenceDayspeaker,saysDouglassismere"mockeryandsacrilegiousirony.”
– Hewouldnotsingapraisesongonthenation'sbirthday,because"aboveyournational,tumultuousjoy,Ihearthemournfulwailofmillions!“
• Hesangnoanthems,nospirituals,onlyarequiemforhispeopleandforthenation.
“WhattotheSlaveistheFourthofJuly?”
• Inthesecondsectionofthespeech,Douglassdragshisaudienceintothe"sightsandscenes"ofslaveryitself—theslavetrade,brutalpunishments,salesatauction,anddenialsofAfricanAmericanhumanity.
• Heimplicatesthechurchandthestateinsupportingslavery,andhecallstoattentiontheevildonebyAmericanstootherAmericans.
• AfteratiradehighlightingAmericaswrongdoingsregardingenslavinghumanbeingswithinitsstates,Douglassissuesawarningtohisreligiousaudience:– "Oh!bewarned!bewarned!ahorriblereptileiscoiledupin
yournation'sbosom;thevenomouscreatureisnursingatthetenderbreastofyouryouthfulrepublic;fortheloveofGod,tearaway...."
“WhattotheSlaveistheFourthofJuly?”
• For20minutes,thecrowdmusthavefeltstrappedintheirseats,bearinguptoahailstormofhumiliation.
• Then,inthethirdstageofthespeech,Douglasseasesuponhisaudienceandendsoncautioushope.
• HesaystheprinciplesoftheDeclarationofIndependencestillexist;thefounders'bestwisdomcanstillbetapped.Itisnotyettoolate.
• Heendedthespeechbyrecitinganabolitionistpoem,"GodSpeedtheYearofJubilee,”transcendinghisaudience.
• “FreedominAmericahadneverfoundsuchavoiceatoncesoterribleandsotruthful.”
• AsDouglasstookhisseat,600whiteNorthernersroared,wroteajournalist,with"auniversalburstofapplause."
“WhattotheSlaveistheFourthofJuly?”
• ForDouglass,IndependenceDaywasnotatimeofnationalself-congratulation;itwasapainfulreminderofnationalhypocrisy,oftheevilofslaveryandofpromiseunfulfilled.
• Throughouthislife,evenafterslaverywasabolished,DouglassviewedtheFourthofJulynotas“adayofcomplacentself-congratulation,butadayinwhichallAmericansreflectonhowfartheyhavecomeinrealizingthenobleidealsofthenation’sFounders.”
• In“WhattotheSlaveistheFourthofJuly?”DouglasscriticizedAmerica’s“fraud”and“deception”abouttheinstitutionofslavery.Heusedaseriesofrhetoricalquestionstounderlinethecontradictionsbetweenthenation’s“idealsandpracticewithregardtohumanrights.”
• “Hehadusedlanguagetomovepeopleandmountains;hehadexplainedanation'scondition,andthroughthepainofhisindictment,illuminatedapathtoabetterday…ThemeaningofslaveryandfreedominAmericahadneverfoundsuchavoiceatoncesoterribleandsotruthful.”
WhattoFrederickDouglassistheFourthofJuly?
Sources• http://origin.web.fordham.edu/campus_resources/enewsroom/fordham_magazin
e/book_reviews/frederick_douglass_a_23868.asp• http://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/douglass/bio.html
