Frederic Douglass s The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro Analysis
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Frederic Douglass's "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro", like many of his works during his time, was met with disagreement, especially when this speech came out in 1852a time when abolishment of slavery wasn't even given a sincere consideration in most of America. The speech decrees that the thought of independence in a country where an entire race is enslaved is hypocritical; that "this Fourth of July is yours, not mine," meaning that the Fourth of July can only be celebrated by those who are free, not by those who are enslaved. He peppers the speech liberally with allusions to God and the Bible, exhibits syllogisms discussing humanity, and near the end uses charged language of frustration and bitterness.
While many people in the 19th century probably did not agree with the idea of equal rights for black people, many people had a strong faith in God and the Bible. In the second paragraph of his speech, Douglass wishes that God could answer why he is called upon to speak about July 4th. It would be a miracle if he could, because "in a case like that, the dumb might eloquently speak, and the 'lame man leap as an hart'". He quotes a paragraph from the King James Bible, and uses it later on to describe how he cannot forget the oppressed in spite of the presentations of national joy going on at the same time, or else, he wishes to be struck down for his lack of compassion. "If I do forget, 'may my right hand forget her cunning, and may my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth!'"
Slavery, in his mind, has trampled upon the Bible and everything that it stands for. The slaves worship and confess to the same God that free men do; so why are they required "to prove that we are men?..