Responding to Douglass

After reading and listening to the speech given by Douglass it is clear that he is arguing that 4th of July has two different meanings depending on your skin color. If you’re white you love 4th of July, you’re able to celebrate and have a good time, but if you are black you don’t have that luxury to celebrate and have a good time because 4th of July is a day were the country you were brought to against your will was declared independent. Douglass is saying there is no grey area when it comes to who celebrates 4th of July, it is literally black and white.

Quote: “This, for the purpose of this celebration, is the 4th of July. It is the birthday of your National Independence, and of your political freedom. This, to you, is what the Passover was to the emancipated people of God. It carries your minds back to the day, and to the act of your great deliverance; and to the signs, and to the wonders, associated with that act, and that day. This celebration also marks the beginning of another year of your national life; and reminds you that the Republic of America is now 76 years old.” (4th paragraph, 1st page)

Paraphrase: Douglass is saying that 4th of July brings back joy and happy memory for the white people in this country, 4th of July is for them not for African Americans

Explain: By Douglass’ constant use of ‘your’ he’s trying to bring to light the barrier between the two races. He could’ve replaced the word ‘your’ with ‘we’ but he knew he couldn’t do that because the black people in America didn’t see 4th of July the same way as the white people did. There wasn’t any black people that were behind the Declaration of Independence nor were black people even thought about when that document was being made and that therefore helps him prove his point that there are two different meanings when it comes to 4th of July, that meaning depends on the color of your skin.