Equal Rights; Frederick Douglass and T.H Marshall

Carllene Brooks
March 29, 2016
Professor Murdaco
Politics



   Frederick Douglass once said " Knowledge makes a man unfit to be a slave." This quote is 100 percent true. I say this because if one obtains the necessary knowledge needed in order to belong to society. then they shouldn't be characterized to be slaves ( particularly African Americans).  To begin with, in Frederick Douglass' speech " What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" he expresses his thoughts and opinions on the scrutiny and treatment that the black population has endured. The first half of his speech focuses on the benefits and contributions that the founding fathers did for their country. He then goes on to to express the importance of the condemnation of the attitude of American society toward slavery. In my perspective, I believe that the issue of slavery during these times weren't really of relevance because it was mainly directed towards the black minority. Blacks were the underdogs as well as the minority. Many people believed that all we were good for was picking cotton and taking orders from the "white man".  So I feel that by Frederick Douglass obtaining the ability to read, he really proved that blacks are capable of learning and making a name for themselves. The one part of the speech that resonated for me was in the very beginning in the opening line. " Mr. President, Friends, and Fellow Citizens". I think that this statement suggests that the president who Douglass is addressing is the president of anti- slavery. In essence this does make sense because his main focus was to bring awareness to the treatment of African Americans in society. His main priority was not only to stress the importance of slavery, but to also advocate for equal justice, rights, and citizenship for blacks. Keep in mind that when Douglass gave his speech the year was 1852; so he often refers to the nation as " like a young child, that is still impressionable and capable for positive change".
      Without delay, one argument that I picked up on while reading Douglass' speech was his passion for freeing slaves. He points out that in 1852, people consider abolitionism a dangerous and subversive political stance. He predicts that in the future generations to come, that anti- slavery will eventually become reasonable and hopefully abolished.  Another purpose of the speech was to urge everyone to continue their works and involvement on who bought freedom and democracy to this land we call home. One rhetorical question that Douglass asks during his speech was " Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural justice, embodied in that Declaration of Independence, extended to us ( blacks)?". This is another question that resonates with me because it speaks not only for the conditions that were going on throughout the 18th century back then, but it also applies to even the present society we live in today. The Declaration was created in order to give freedom to "all" that live in society. These laws apply to everyone who lives in our nation; regardless of your color, gender, or ethnicity.  The Fourth of July for some can be perceived as the " white man's" holiday. He strongly feels that if a black man celebrates this freedom from oppression and tyranny, it is truly a mockery to our race as well as the black community. One quote form his speech that really emphasizes the arguments against slavery was " Your 4th July is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license ( for enslaving blacks) ... your shouted of liberty and equality hollow mockery". This quote states that there is no person on Earth who would be in favor of becoming a slave himself. He feels that the fact that we celebrate Fourth of July, it was a way for the white man to feel that he has won and has obtained all the power he needs to control us black folk.  This holiday is more of an "excuse" on bragging about the liberty and prosperity that the white man has obtained. He goes on to compare the treatment of slaves to that of animals. He points out the incident in Baltimore where slaves were transported in chains onto ships due to the anti-slavery issues. Slavery brutality and animal brutality are the same in a sense that they are both being abused and deprived of their natural rights of them being animals and of them being citizens on the United States. The last point that I would like to emphasize is when he talks about the American Declaration of Independence. The one important statement in the declaration is " all men are created equal". This also implies to men of different colors, men of different races, and men of different genders. Douglass' speech was and will always be a lasting legacy in history; because he was one of the first African Americans to passionately speak on the hardships slaves go through and on ways on how we as a nation should try to change it.
    Another speech that was influential was T.H Marshall's Citizenship and Social Class (1949). I think the main focus of the speech was that the social responsibilites the state has ( America) to its citizens. To summarize his speech in a few short sentences would be that this speech was a stepping stone for America learning how to accept responsibility for their actions. I think the three major points in his speech that are important are (1.) The lessening of the income gap ( 2.)The great extension of the area of common culture and common experience ( 3.)An enlargement of citizenship and more rights granted to these citizens. I think these three points are crucial to understand when speaking about out nation.
      In closing we can see that these three individuals gave speeches that were influential and beneficial to this developing nation. Granted at the times these speeches were given, our nation wasn't exactly " the ideal" place to live in. IF these people never written or gave these speeches, then who knows what our country would've developed into.