What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?

Multiple Choice

1. A (Various pages)

2. C (Various pages; explicit on page 10)

3. C (6)

4. C (Various pages)

5. A (Various pages)

6. D (Various pages)

7. B (3)

8. D (Various pages)

Long Answer

1. He has less formal education than other people who might have graced that stage. Rhetorically, he wants to ingratiate himself to his audience, so this is an appeal to their sensibilities, and maybe even to their prejudices about African Americans, whether enslaved or free. At the same time, the content of his speech is bold, and he might genuinely be nervous that the audience’s response could turn cold or even deadly. Given the historical moment and his human nature, these are reasonable fears that Douglass might have, no matter how many speeches he’s given before. (1)

2. With a personal history of enslavement in the United States, Douglass has been excluded from the rights and privileges of full citizenship. He’s been excluded from the promises of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. He knows full well that the founders explicitly excluded him and people who look like him when they nobly and fiercely fought for their own freedom from what they defined as oppression. His ability to see past the contradictions and still admire them reveals that he can embrace and accept human contradiction in himself and others.