LAD #16: Frederick Douglass' "5th of July"

Douglass starts with questioning why he has been asked to speak, seeing that he is speaking at an event about freedoms that are not extended to him. All of these white people are given rights that do not extend to him, just because of his skin color. The nations sympathy does not extend to the black man. The justices celebrated this day, are not extend to Douglass or anyone else sharing his skin color. The shouts of joy by white men, are accompanied by the cries of black men. These black men cannot forget the horrors of slavery. The conduct of this nation is horrendous, it allows for the wrong doings of slavery to occur. Human and just people would be disgusted with slavery, slavery is the greatest sin and a shame on the great name of America. African-Americans build and do work similar to the work done by other races, but they have been asked to prove they were men. Fourth of July is a celebration of freedoms that were not extended to all Americans at the time of this speech.

Above: Frederick Douglass