What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?

Reading Check

1. He is nervous about speaking in front of the crowd. He doesn’t feel qualified or educated enough to be speaking in front of them. He also hints at being nervous that the audience may not receive his message well. (1)

2. 76 years old (2)

3. It means the country still has time to mature, grow, and change to become what it could be. (2)

4. He compares them to the Hebrews who praised Abraham and took credit for his morality while also betraying his morals and ideals. (6)

5. He’s insulted. He wonders if they are mocking him. (7)

6. The Bible (Various pages)

7. He states that the feelings and conscience of the listener must be moved by feelings of shame, embarrassment, and disgust at what is happening in the nation before people will decide to do something about it. (9)

8. Lawyers and congressmen (17)

9. Hopeful (18)

Short Answer

1. Douglass addresses the audience in an almost casual way, but he also foreshadows the crux of his argument, which is that African Americans are not included in the celebrations of liberty as they ought to be. (1)

2. He reminds his audience that the Americans who led the rebellion against the British crown were seen as radical, immoral, and fanatical at the time of the revolution.