Frederick Douglass proclaims that the 4th of July is meaningless (in his words, "a sham") in the eyes of his fellow African American slaves in his speech "What To The Slave Is The 4th Of July?" Douglass begins his argument by announcing the hypocrisy concerning Americans' celebration of independence because while they believe that they have eliminated all tyrannical elements from their nation, in reality, they are directly responsible for oppressing the African Americans. As a result, Douglass tells his audience that because they continue to celebrate Independence Day, Americans are still neglecting to see the dark and ugly underbelly of the nation - socioeconomic injustice. Douglass finds that by enslaving African Americans and that by treating them inhumanely, they will never have any actual freedoms in the home of the free. Douglass asserts that beliefs that African Americans are lesser than their white counterparts is foolish, as they perform labor which Caucasians have also performed, noting that they have built houses, constructed bridges, and have taken part in fishing. Additionally, Douglass tugs on the emotions of his audience by asserting that the oppressed are men of faith and believers of God. Douglass concludes by claiming that despite being a free, independent nation, there is an incomparable amount of injustice and atrocities here than anywhere else in the world.
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