Quote 1: “The blessings in which you, this day, rejoice, are not enjoyed in common.ā€”The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me. “(Douglass pgĀ  7-8)

Paraphrase: The blessing and happiness this day brings to you , we do not share in common. The freedom of justice, freewill and independence past on by your fathers is enjoyed by you, not me.

Response: What Douglass is saying in this quote is that as a black American he does not share the same views of independence in contrast to how white Americans celebrate and value this day.Ā  I believe this quote gives a great example of what this holiday means to a black man and a slave.

 

Quote 2: “What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer; a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim.”Ā  (Douglass pg 11)

Paraphrase: What is the 4th of July to the American slave? This is a day more than any other day in which reminds the slave of the filthy unfairness and the cruelty in which he is the continuously victim of.

Response: This quote truly expresses how the slaves feel on the Fourth of July . This holiday is a sad day for the slaves because it reminds them that they can’t enjoy this celebration like everyone else. It reminds them of the injustice and cruelty they have to relive day by day.

 

Quote 1: One is struck with the difference between the attitude of the American church towards the anti-slavery movement, and that occupied by the churches in England towards a similar movement in that country. There, the church, true to its mission of ameliorating, elevating, and improving the condition of mankind, came forward promptly, bound up the wounds of the West Indian slave, and restored him to his liberty. (Douglass pg 16-17)

Writing Strategy: Douglass is Comparing and Contrasting the different actions the American and English churches took against slavery in the past.

Explain: This is a great way to persuade listeners to listen to your point. In this piece Douglass is giving factual examples of past and present events and how they were handled differently by two nations. He compares the actions taken from both churches towards the slaves. By doing this Douglass exposes how immoral and unjust the American churches were towards slaves and proves his point.

Quote 2: The sin of which it is guilty is one of omission as well as of commission. Albert Barnes but uttered what the common sense of every man all observant of the actual state of the case will receive as truth, when he declared that. Ā ā€œThere is no power out of the church that could sustain slavery an hour, if it were not sustained in it.ā€ (Douglass pg 15-16)

Writing strategy: Douglass is QuotingĀ  Albert Barnes on how the church had great influence in the way America conducted slavery.

Explain: Quoting other writers is a good strategy because itĀ  shows that other writers also support your idea and makes your work more credible.