In the oration by Fredrick Douglass, he spends considerable time telling his audience what points do not need to be argued: that a slave is human, that man is entitled to liberty, and so on. I believe that Douglass spends so much time talking about them, because he feels it is something that everyone should agree on. These points should be common sense to the audience.
Douglass does not want to argue about something that should be known by everyone already. He does not see the point in it. When these points come up he says that they are already conceded in the Declaration of Independence. The United Stats has already declared that slavery was wrong, so therefore, the argument has already won. So he does not see why he needs to argue something that has already won, unless someone were to challenge the idea of one of these points.
To Douglass the fourth of July is a mockery to him, and to those like him. As Americans celebrate the fourth of July, to him, it is a reminder of how he and those like him use to live. He believes that America is false, it always has been, and it always will be. So he feels like it is inhuman for Americans to celebrate on this day.
--Brittany
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2 comments:
I agree that he thinks the fourth of July is a reminder to himself and the people like him of how they were treated. While everyone else is celebrating.
I also believe that Douglass is tired of being told that he must celebrate America's birthday. For him, america is empty with nothing but broken promises.
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