Responding to Douglass

Victoria Powell

Douglas is arguing about the hypocrisy of Independence and how it only caters to a certain group of people. With that being said, he proceeds to explain that the group the Independence day belongs to, is white people and the fact that black people were not even included to celebrate this day. He continues to explain how including black to celebrate that day would be unfair, cruel, and a form of mockery being that it’s a day where white people flaunt THEIR independence, and that it’s not dedicated to us. He also explains how democracy, freedom and equal rights of independence day is full of hypocritical lies because not all groups of people were included.

Quote: “American slave-hunters. Many of its most eloquent Divines. who stand as the very lights of the church, have shamelessly given the sanction of religion and the bible, to the whole slave system.—They have taught that man may, properly, be a slave; that the relation of master and slave is ordained of God”

Paraphrase: The Pro-slavery American people have illustrated this illusion that it’s okay to be a Man of God and still own a slave. 

Explain: This helps illustrate Douglass’s quotas because he brings attention to the fact that people involved in the church are trying to excuse the fact that although they’re “holy” people, they can own slaves. He refuted this by demanding that this is not okay, and the fact that they try to excuse this inhumane behavior shows how much of a hypocrite they really are. You can not say you are following a religion’s peaceful beliefs and provide a cruel environment to what God has created. That’s blasphemy.