Question

Write 2-3 paragraphs explaining what according to Douglass, what does the Fourth of July represent to an African American living in the 1850s? Why does he say this is so?

Answer 1

According to Frederick Douglass, the Fourth of July represented a stark contrast to the reality of African-Americans living in the 1850s. For them, the day was not a celebration of freedom and independence, but rather a reminder of the oppression and injustice they faced. Douglass argued that the Fourth of July was a day of mourning for African-Americans, as it was a reminder of the hypocrisy of the nation’s founding ideals. He argued that the nation’s founding documents declared that “all men are created equal”, yet African-Americans were still enslaved and treated as second-class citizens.

Douglass argued that the Fourth of July was a reminder of the broken promises of the nation’s founders. He argued that the nation’s founding documents declared that “all men are created equal”, yet African-Americans were still enslaved and treated as second-class citizens. He argued that the nation’s founding ideals of freedom and equality were not being applied to African-Americans, and that the Fourth of July was a reminder of this hypocrisy.

Douglass argued that the Fourth of July was a reminder of the broken promises of the nation’s founders. He argued that the nation’s founding documents declared that “all men are created equal”, yet African-Americans were still enslaved and treated as second-class citizens. He argued that the nation’s founding ideals of freedom and equality were not being applied to African-Americans, and that the Fourth of July was a reminder of this hypocrisy. He argued that the day was not a celebration of freedom and independence, but rather a reminder of the oppression and injustice they faced.