I read "I Hear the Mournful Wail of Millions" by Frederick Douglass
1. Douglass uses the special occasion of Independence Day as a foundation for his address because it was a perfect time to state the non independence of slave. It was a time to rebuke those that were celebrating independence but at the same time did not recognize that all men were not independent in the United States. Douglass was very effective in this way, it brought attention to the fact that it was hypocritical to celebrate independence while all men were not being treated equally.
2. The first two words of his speech are significant because he is stating that he is a citizen of the US just as white men are. Politically it is significant because he is basically stating that he is just as equal, to vote and to be elected as any white man. Rhetorical because it was effective and was the best available means of persuasion at that time.
3. He states that there is "nothing to be argued" regarding the abolition of slavery because the Declaration of Independence states that all men are created equal so what would the argument be? The slave are men and he listed all the things that slaves do.
4. Douglass characterized the Fourth of July from the perspective of a slave as "a day that reveals to him the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim".
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