Frederick Douglass Rhetoric

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Presence and Purpose of Rhetoric in: “What to a Slave is the Fourth of July”
The topic of analysis, “What to a Slave is the Fourth of July”, written by Frederick Douglass is a speech on the 76th anniversary of this country’s independence. Frederick Douglass was an escaped slave and his speech was given before the president at the time, Millard Fillmore. The irony of this is that a man of color would produce a speech on the independence of the country that would not provide him that same satisfaction. He stated himself that “The point from which I am compelled to view them is not, certainly, the most favorable; and yet I cannot contemplate their great deeds with less than admiration.” Never the less, it contains a beautifully written inclusion …show more content…
He uses a matter-of-fact explanation for the attitudes driving the historical campaign of independence by using the logic of human nature towards equality as he states, “Oppression makes a wise man mad. Your fathers were wise men, and if they did not go mad, they became restive under this treatment.” and following up with “The principles contained in that instrument [constitution] are saving principles. Stand by those principles, be true to them on all occasions, in all places, against all foes, and at whatever cost.” He continued to appeal to the white audience through logic by stating “Their [original independence fighters] statesmanship looked beyond the passing moment, and stretched away in strength into the distant future. They seized upon eternal principles, and set a glorious example in their defense. Mark them!” Lastly, he basically presents to the white audience an image of themselves by saying “Sydney Smith tells us that men seldom eulogize the wisdom and virtues of their fathers, but to excuse some folly or wickedness of their own. This truth is not a doubtful one. It was fashionable, hundreds of years ago, for the children of Jacob to boast, we have "Abraham to our father," when they had long lost Abraham’s faith and spirit” and alludes to the idea that white people ignored the fact that the very fight for freedom they celebrate is the exact one they suppress in people of color, and that strangely enough they celebrate a history that mirrors behavior they despise, but only celebrate the portions that they can use to stifle it in people of
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