Analysis Of What To The Slave Is The Fourth Of July

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African-American social reformer and abolitionist, Frederick Douglass, in his speech, “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” recounts his perspective on what fourth of July means to African-American’s while speaking in front of white Americans about a holiday that was put into place to represent the independence and freedom of America. As an astonishing writer Mr. Douglass uses many powerful phrases and words to describe the way he is feeling and how he wants to get an idea across a group of people. He also arranges his wording to make his sentences distinct from other writers.
Mr. Douglass uses many words to better convey his point of view in a particular meaning. By using words such as “patriotic, inflammatory, and connotative” a writer
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African slaves show their desires for freedom to the whole world. The War of 1812 serves as the catalyst for anti-slavery movements. The Americas were in chaos during the war when African slaves fought on both British and American sides; also, the British burned down the Capitol in Washington DC. Abolitionists such as Nat Turner became more vocal and lead rebellions that eventually ended with over fifty seven whites dead. Frederick Douglass wrote “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July” to express…

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was considered radical, extreme, and dangerous. In “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?”, Frederick Douglass wanted to convince people of the wrongfulness of slavery and also to make an argument for the abolition of slavery to Northern whites. At the invitation of the Rochester Ladies Anti-Slavery Society, Frederick Douglass delivered this speech on July 5, 1852 in Rochester, New York (Faigley 351). Frederick Douglass was a former slave, so he was able to share first-hand experiences and was…

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