Assignment
Directions: Papers should be 5 pages double-spaced.
This assignment asks you to read Frederick Douglass's very well known speech, "What does the Fourth of July mean to the Slave." The speech is justifiably famous; it also long and challenging to understand at times. The paper should have two parts.
Part I: A detailed summary of the speech. This should be detailed and specific. The goal is to summarize the speech with a high level of specificity. The summary should be 1-2 pages, and even potentially longer, if need be.
Part II: For Part II, you need to tackle the question of how Frederick Douglass is defining the United States. What is the country supposed to be all about in his opinion? How does he talk about the nation's founders, for instance? This is a topic we have discussed a good bit in class. You need to try to make a connection between what he is saying and what we have talked about in class. This also needs to be as specific as possible.
Watch the Youtube Video "Frederick Douglass The Meaning of the 4th of July to the Negro full".
Article: The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro by Frederick Douglass.