American Civilisation

Elena Florescu, S.3, Gr.10

What to the slave is the 4th of July
Frederick Douglass was an American social reformer, writer, orator, and statesman, born in
Talbot County, Maryland in 1818. He is born as a slave, and works for several slave owners until he
manages to escape to New York, at the age of 20. As child, he is taught how to read and write by one
of his mistresses, but only for a short time, until her husband discovers this action and puts an end to it,
considering that if slaves have access to this kind of knowledge, they will no longer be satisfied with
their condition and will want to be free. It is the moment when, as Douglass will later confess in his
later writings, he witnesses the first decidedly antislavery lecture. He will continue to learn by
himself how to read and write, and later on, he will also teach other slaves.
Douglass delivers the discourse What to the slave is the 4th of July on the 5th of July in the
year of 1852, in New York, to the Anti-Slave Society. As suggested by the title, it is tackled the
problem of slavery in contemporary America. Douglass stresses the idea that even though Europe
seems to be fighting for the abolishment of slavery in both its social norms and religious teachings, in
America, the state of affairs is quite the opposite, as slavery is encouraged (and often even repaid) by
society, law and religion. It is a very powerful, persuasive discourse, delivered in a most skillful
manner by what was to become a very famous orator of the time.
In terms of form, the discourse is structured on different levels: from an introduction, to an
overview of the present state of affairs in America (with regards to slavery, of course), to the issue of
internal slave trading, the position of the church and the law. It has a symmetric structure (which is,
again, an Enlightenment motif), both ending and beginning in a positive note, a hopeful note that
suggests the fact that even though the situation of the slaves in present America is a dark one, maybe
the future is a brighter one.
With respect to the social current under which is written, it is heavily influenced by the
Enlightenment view, which was very popular in America at the time. According to this current, which
came from Europe and which placed at its center human knowledge and power, everything needed to
have a rational, clear basis in order to be taken seriously. Anything emotional or sentimental was
regarded as inferior, or insignificant. That is why, right from the start, Douglass relies chiefly on
rational arguments, on clear, illustrative examples and on logic and common sense to get his message
across. He does so, in order to prove that an African-American individual is as intelligent and capable
as any other white American and is by no means inferior in any way.
In his introduction, Douglass praises the glorious American past, focusing on the numerous
achievements of the American people, how they managed to break away from the European
domination and strive on their own as a very civilized and modern country. He has only glorifying
words for the American people, but, at the same time, he subtly hints to the real problem his speech
will later tackle, that of slavery. That is why this introductory part can be read and understood on two
different levels, what is said, and what is inferred. He stresses the importance of the 4th of July for the
non-enslaved part of the American population and at the same time suggests that such a date can only
bring more sorrow and suffering for the enslaved ones. He emphasizes the idea that America broke
free from the oppressing Britain, and categorizes this action as the only right and rational thing to do,
something that even though had been regarded with fright and uncertainty by some, had been enforced
and fought for by others, which eventually resulted in a glorious act. But the second idea that infers
from these arguments is that, similarly, present-day America has become an oppressor, and that the
revolutionary people that try to provoke an anti-slavery movement are but similar to those that once
had tried to provoke the liberation of America herself.

American Civilisation
Elena Florescu, S.3, Gr.10
The motif of the distance:
He uses the motif of remoteness and distance in different places to create a specific type of
image. He begins by saying that the distance between this platform and the slave plantation, from
which I escaped, is considerable, to suggest the long way he has come, and the long way the
American mentality has to come in order to realize how wrong slavery is. The idea of distance is also
used when talking about the past relationship between America and Great Britain. This home
government, you know, although a considerable distance from your home, did, in the exercise of its
paternal prerogatives, impose upon its colonial children, such restraints, burdens and limitations.. The
idea of remoteness is used here to stress how unnatural it was for such a distant country to sovereign
over another, hinting to the fact that similarly, it is unnatural for the white Americans to sovereign
over the African-Americans.
They motif of the family:
In his discourse, Douglass makes use in many occasions of father-child analogies, and
successfully manages to prove the rightfulness of the saying like father like son. At first, the
American people are the children of the sovereign father, Great Britain. This distant father treats his
children unfairly; he is cruel and strict, which ultimately causes the children to rebel against him. The
newly liberated children are now the founding fathers. Presently, the descendants of these founding
fathers treat (some) of their children just as unfairly and ruthlessly as the British people once did. This
is a very subtle analogy, which proves the great skill of the orator.
The idea of liberating the slaves is clearly specified in the chapter called The Present, in
which Douglass, leaving aside the past glory of America, focuses directly on the dark present, a
present in which slaves are unrightfully and irrationally treated. In his discourse, he focuses on the
irrationality of slavery. He claims that the slave owners are inconsistent in their attitude. They treat
slaves like animals, and consider them inferior, yet they ask of them to argue more and denounce less,
persuade more, and rebuke less. This is indeed, contradictory, as one could not expect such an
inferior being to actually be capable of all those things. Furthermore, he provides other examples of
how capable and knowledgeable the slaves are the perfect equals of their owners. His arguments are
persuasive and logic, all pointing towards the idea that slavery has no solid reason to still exist in
America, and that the only rational and right thing to do is to abolish it.
He uses powerful imagery (the comparison with the people of Babylon, who were weeping in
remembrance of Zion, and the weeping and enchained slaves that weep for what America had been in
the past the land of freedom and equality), strong words (to make men brutes, to rob them of their
liberty, there is blasphemy in the thought, scorching irony is needed), quotes from the Bible,
from relevant songs and illustrious people, all to prove his point. The stresses the sharp contrast
between the whites and the slaves by making use of the I vs. you relationship.
That is why, for the Negro population, the 4th of July can never be a day of happiness and joy.
It can only be a reminder that they have been deprived of their humanity, of their rights, of everything
that the American people consider to be the utmost values of their country.

American Civilisation
Elena Florescu, S.3, Gr.10

An enslaved 4th of July

Frederick Douglass (1818 1895) biographic details

- born as a slave;
- is first taught how to read and write by one of his mistresses (only for a short
time);
- continues self-teaching and gradually starts teaching other slaves;
- manages to escape from slavery at the age of 20, settling in New York;
- is known in history as a famous American social reformer, writer, orator, and
statesman;
Social and political context of the speech
- the speech was delivered in New York, at the Anti-Slave Society, on the 5th of July,
in 1852;
- it was a time when antislavery movements had had a great success in Europe and
had started in America as well, but with some sort of success only in the Northern
part;
- the Missouri Compromise, the Compromise of 1850 and the Fugitive Slave Law
had already been implemented;
The discourse general characteristics
- tackles the issue of slavery in all its aspects in America of those times;
- structured on chapters: introduction, an overview of the present situation, the
process of internal slave trade, the view of the church and the position of the law;
- written under Enlightenment influence ( rationality, clarity, logic, illustrative
examples, reason and objective analysis, fact-based presentation );
- no substantial emotional component (it was regarded as a sign of inferiority, and
thus not taken seriously);
- Douglass wants to prove that the African-Americans are as intelligent,
knowledgeable, and worthy of liberty and human rights as any other white
American;
The introduction
- focuses on the glorious past of America;
- infers ideas about the present-day state of affairs with regards to slavery;
- the oppressor vs. the oppressed;
- the motif of distance: the distance between normality and abnormality;
- the motif of fatherhood the father-child allegory;
The Present
- explicitly condemning slavery;
- demonstrating the irrationality of slave owners;
- the use of powerful imagery, strong words, and quotes in support of his arguments;
- I vs. you contrast between the slaves and the slave owners;
Conclusion of the two chapters
The 4th of July is, for the slaves, a reminder of how they are stripped of their rights,
liberty and of their very humanity in a state that proclaims itself as the home of liberty.

American Civilisation
Elena Florescu, S.3, Gr.10

Bibliography:
1. Douglass, F. What to the slave is the 4th of July
2. http://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/n/narrative-of-the-life-of-frederickdouglass-an-american-slave/critical-essays/the-meaning-of-july-fourth-for-thenegro
3. http://www.freemaninstitute.com/douglass.htm
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Douglass