Question

ANALYSIS QUESTIONS: "What to the Slave is the 4th of July" by Frederick Douglass

Directions: Respond to the following questions in CCCC Format (Claim, Cite, Clarify, Connect).

Type your responses in BOLD text.

Read the following paragraph.
"Whether we turn to the declarations of the past or to the professions of the present,
the conduct of the nation seems equally hideous and revolting. America is false to the
past, false to the present, and solemnly binds herself to be false to the future. Standing
with God and the crushed and bleeding slave on this occasion, I will, in the name of
humanity which is outraged, in the name of liberty which is fettered, in the name of the
Constitution and the Bible, which are disregarded and trampled upon, dare to call into
question and to denounce, with all the emphasis I can command, everything that serves
to perpetuate slavery-the great sin and shame of America! "I will not equivocate; I will
not excuse;" I will use the severest language I can command; and yet not one word shall
escape me that any man, whose judgment is not blinded by prejudice, or who is not at
heart a slaveholder, shall not confess to be right and just."

1.Why is Frederick Douglass is speaking to the audience in this way? How does Frederick
Douglass paint the picture of that "False America" actually exists? What makes the
country false? On what grounds?

2. How does Frederick Douglass prove that African American (Negros, black people) are
Men? Provide two pieces of evidence that solidify his argument and explain your
evidence.

3. Frederick Douglass uses his knowledge of the Holy Bible and Christianity to admonish his
audience for not following "God's Law". What does the Bible say of slave and how does
Jesus feel about the enslavement of people that goes against the actions of the
American people?.

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Answer 1

Answer and Explanation:

1. Because the public is celebrating freedom in America, however these people who make up the public, do not allow the freedom of black people and many of them have slaves in their homes. With that, he shows that America is false, because it celebrates a freedom that does not exist within it, since thousands of Americans are being enslaved. What makes the country false, in this case, is to preach something that does not live and is against. Douglass says this based on his own life, since he himself lived as a slave.

2. It shows that slaves are tortured until they bleed and that they are a part of humanity imprisoned by the constitution and the Bible. Bleeding and being imprisoned are characteristics common to men who are subjected to a devalued life. This makes it show that African Americans are men. This can be seen in the lines "Standing with God and the crushed and bleeding slave on this occasion, I will, in the name of humanity which is outraged, in the name of liberty which is fettered, in the name of the Constitution and the Bible "

3. The Bible says that whoever hurts a slave must be hurt. Furthermore, Jesus preached freedom and equality among men, who should be seen as equals and children of God, so Jesus would not approve of the position of the American people. In this way, the American people, as a Christian populace, are going against the biblical principles that they preach so much.