What to the Slave is Fourth of July?

Douglass thinks that the Declaration of Independence was put together by great men even though he does not respect them. He states that this revered document grants the American ideals of liberty, justice, and prosperity only to whites; it does nothing for blacks. Therefore, the Fourth of July is a day of importance only for the white people and it “reveals the immeasurable distance between” the whites and slaves. From the slave’s point of view, by celebrating the Fourth of July, “America is false to the past, false to the present, and solemnly binds herself to be false to the future”. America’s idea of freedom is false as there is only liberty for the whites. The Fourth of July also reminds the slaves that they are not considered totally human and they cannot own anything. Douglass thinks that slavery is wrong and that all men should be free. He thinks that it is wrong to make men “brutes” or animals to treat how you please. It is wrong to take their freedom, to make them work without being paid, to beat them, and to sell off their families.

Douglas appeals to logos, pathos, and ethos to engage his audience. He gives striking examples of the prejudices towards blacks to show the injustice. For example, he shows the inequality of punishment. There is a double standard because there are only two crimes in Virginia which punish whites by putting them to death. On the other hand, there are 72 crimes that would put blacks to death. This is not fair. In addition, black people have to prove that they are men, yet they are given sentences as if they were animals. Douglass stresses the fact that blacks are men, but they do not have rights that white men have. He states it is wrong to make men “brutes” or animals to treat how you please. Douglass also appeals to ethos. His view is credible because he is black and was a slave who escaped. He had experienced the injustices of slavery. He appeals to pathos by asking the audience questions that will get a negative reaction out of them towards slavery and the treatment of blacks. He also uses contrasts to show how different the Fourth of July is for blacks. For example, he says “This Fourth July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn. To drag a man in fetters into the grand illuminated temple of liberty, and call upon him to join you in joyous anthems, were inhuman mockery and sacrilegious irony.” Douglass even says it is mockery to have him speak about this topic because American independence is a hypocrisy. Lastly, he recites a poem to appeal to pathos. It implicitly shows how slaves feel and how they dream about being free. In addition it infers that God’s will is that all men shall be free. Douglass’ speech has made an excellent case that “slavery is a sin and the shame of America.” It has shed a new light on the meaning of Independence Day.