On July 5, 1855, Frederick Douglass was asked to give a public for celebration of Independence Day. Frederick Douglass was a phenomenal public speaker, his voice was strong and his words were captivating. Although he initially denied this offer because he felt that it wasn 't the right setting or subject for him, his white abolitionist colleagues insisted. So when he stood in front of his audience of about 600 people in the town square, most of whom were white, he gave his 20 minute speech. It started off as what was expected of him but slowly turned into something that caught everyone off guard.
Frederick Douglass began his saying how he couldn 't believe that he was giving a speech so close to the plantation from which he had escaped long …show more content…
Even though they were in the north, his speech about how white people as a whole are hypocritical oppressors surely made most of them uncomfortable. As well as those who were comrades must have felt like his speech was a sort of betrayal. Not that Douglass made his words personally aimed at them, but since they trusted him enough to do the event and ended slandering all that this holiday stands for. For this crowed of people it was probably a reality check of why slavery really should be abolished and more importantly how a black man viewed their traditional celebration. Most of these people probably have never even spoken to a black man before so to hear him speak on something personal to him in connection with a great historical event to them was probably really eye opening. This speech wasn 't just for the attention of the white Americans though, it was for for the free black people as …show more content…
An educated man using rhetorical form of speech and only facts to express his feelings towards a day cherished by most of that time. Only to shatter it to reveal their true demons, and expose them to themselves as people who not only created the need for the cause of abolition, but people who celebrate something opposite of it. His message was deeper than just the ongoing oppression of black people under whites, but it was him explaining one thing in different perspectives, so that the different peoples can understand it in the way most suitable to
Frederick Douglass began his saying how he couldn 't believe that he was giving a speech so close to the plantation from which he had escaped long …show more content…
Even though they were in the north, his speech about how white people as a whole are hypocritical oppressors surely made most of them uncomfortable. As well as those who were comrades must have felt like his speech was a sort of betrayal. Not that Douglass made his words personally aimed at them, but since they trusted him enough to do the event and ended slandering all that this holiday stands for. For this crowed of people it was probably a reality check of why slavery really should be abolished and more importantly how a black man viewed their traditional celebration. Most of these people probably have never even spoken to a black man before so to hear him speak on something personal to him in connection with a great historical event to them was probably really eye opening. This speech wasn 't just for the attention of the white Americans though, it was for for the free black people as …show more content…
An educated man using rhetorical form of speech and only facts to express his feelings towards a day cherished by most of that time. Only to shatter it to reveal their true demons, and expose them to themselves as people who not only created the need for the cause of abolition, but people who celebrate something opposite of it. His message was deeper than just the ongoing oppression of black people under whites, but it was him explaining one thing in different perspectives, so that the different peoples can understand it in the way most suitable to