What to the Slave is the Fourth of July.

– You can find the reading under files that I provided.

Please read Frederick Douglass’s “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July.” You will find this reading in your textbook. Also, be sure to read the little introduction paragraph I include don the unit page.

Welcome to Unit Nine! in this unit, we will finish our exploration of the relationship between the fight over slavery and American Literature by looking at the work of Frederick Douglass, one of the most important writers of the period. Douglass has been a slave and, once free, became one of the key voices for abolition or ending slavery. We are going to read his powerful critique of what we sees as the hypocrisy among people celebrating the U.S. as a land of freedom even as it denied freedom to or even recognized the humanity of people of color through its continuing support of slavery. Pay close attention to the way he makes his argument and the tone of his piece. Much like the writers we read in the previous unit who challenged Jefferson’s attempt to reconcile the enlightenment principles of the Declaration of Independence with racial inequality and slavery, Douglass points out the failings in Jefferson and others who sought to justify inequality by arguing people of color were inferior through “scientific” or “empirical” analysis that was central to justifying the denial of rights in Enlightenment terms. At the same time, Douglass’s approach differs in some key ways that make his arguably the most powerful critique of slavery and racism during this period.

Primary Post

Please answer the following four questions, Your answers should be at least 200 words each, and you must quote and analyze Douglass at least twice in each answer. After each quote you use must have at least 2 sentences after each quote. You must also quote and analyze any other writer mentioned twice as well, so, for example, 2 and 3 should have at least four quotes – two from each author.

1) What stands out to you about the way Douglass makes his case? Quote and analyze the words to prove your point.

2) In what way does Douglass uses his experience as a slave differently that Phyliss Wheatley in “On Being Brought from Africa to America?”

3) How Does Douglass challenge Jefferson’s position in “Notes on the State of Virginia?”

4) Explain how Douglass uses the principles of the enlightenment – humans have rights because they are capable of reason and basing your positions on facts, experience and reason – to show why the Fourth of July is hypocritical. Be sure to quote and analyze in depth here as a more general answer will not be sufficient.

Reflection Post
Also, write your two paragraph reflection – one on what you learned about the ideas and one on what you learned about your writing. Be sure to quote your own writing to demonstrate your point about what you learned about your writing.

Last Completed Projects