What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?

“What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?”

• Genre: Nonfiction; essay/speech
• Originally Published: 1852
• Reading Level/Interest: College/adult
• Structure/Length: Approx. 20 pages; approx. 1 hour, 10 minutes on audio
• Central Concern: Frederick Douglass argues against slavery and the Fugitive Slave Act, pointing out the hypocrisy of celebrating freedom in a country where so many are enslaved.

Frederick Douglass, Author

• Bio: Born into slavery about 1818 in Talbot County, Maryland; escaped from slavery and became an abolitionist leader; founded and published The North Star, an antislavery newspaper; became the first Black US marshal; died in 1895 in Washington, DC
• Other Works: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (1845); My Bondage and My Freedom (1855); Life and Times of Frederick Douglass (1892)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:

• Celebrating and Acknowledging History’s Legacy
• The Appropriate Response to Oppression
• The Idea of America as a Child

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:

• Develop an understanding of the political, social, and cultural contexts of the antebellum United States that inform both the rhetoric and the content of Douglass’s speech.
• Study the US Constitution and short, paired texts to make connections via the text’s various themes and evaluate the validity/persuasiveness of Douglass’s argument regarding the Constitution.
• Analyze Douglass’s rhetorical and literary choices in structured essay responses regarding language, persuasion, and the speaker-audience relationship.