Abolitionist Literature Research Paper

Thorough Reading of Abolitionist Literature
Throughout abolitionist history there have been works of literature that have changed the outcome of history as we know it. Abolitionist worked hard their entire lives trying to change the perspective of how people looked at slaves. Writers who were abolitionist used their stories and speeches as a movement in the Romantic era to get their beliefs known throughout the world. Writers such as Frederick Douglass, William L. Garrison, and Sojourner Truth all played a pivotal role in the abolitionist movement that changed the way people looked at slavery. Although Douglass and Garrison weren’t slaves at the time they wrote their works of literature they still felt as though they needed to be the mouth …show more content…
Douglass was most known for his speeches that he gave at political events. One of Douglass’s most known pieces is “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?”, this piece talks about how the fourth of july is something that could only be celebrated by the whites because it was a celebration of freedom which was something that the black americans didn’t have at the time. This is shown when Douglass says, “ Fellow Citizens-- Pardon me, and allow me to ask, why am I called upon to speak hear to-day? What have I, or those I represent, to do with your national independence?” This shows how distraught Douglass is that they would invite him a former slave to talk to the people at the event about freedom. He also shows this when he says “This Fourth of July is yours, not mine.” Here Douglass is emphasizing his point that the fourth of july is for the whites not the black although all men are supposedly equal the blacks don’t have the same rights as the whites. Although Douglass wasn’t a slave later in his life he still felt the need to be a martyr for the cause doing and saying whatever it took to get the point across to the whites that blacks should be equal to whites but they’re not and that’s why he says that the fourth of july isn’t for him or the people that he represents. He explains that the whites and the blacks should be equal when he says, “Must I undertake to prove that the salve is a …show more content…
People such as Frederick Douglass who made a speech at a party to celebrate the fourth of july and said that he and all other black americans didn’t celebrate the fourth because the holiday is to celebrate freedom and slaves aren't free so they didn't feel like they should celebrate something they don't have. Woman such as Soujorner Truth were also part of the abolitionist movement and had a huge impact on the society's views on slavery and women's rights in her case. There were also many other abolitionist who impacted the united states with their literature pieces whether it was speeches or