4th of July Speech by Frederick Douglass Answer the following questions regarding Douglass
1)Why do you think Douglass opened his speech with a question? What
was the logic of his question?

2) Judging from Douglass’ comments on the Fourth of July, who was he
truly addressing?

3) What point of view concerning the 4th of July did Douglass choose to
focus on? How did he do this?

4) What did Douglass mean by his comment, “America is false to the past,
false to the present, and solemnly binds herself to be false to the future”?

5) What points did Douglass use to back up his argument that enslaved
Americans were indeed human? Were they valid arguments?

6) Who and what was Douglass referring to when he said that “You” have
already declared that “Man is entitled to liberty”?

7) In the second paragraph of the final page, what do you think Douglass
meant when he said, “For it is not light that is needed, but fire; it is not the
gentle shower, but thunder?”

8) When Douglass compared the United States to the other nations of the
world, what were his intentions? How did it tie in with the present occasion?