Realism Project- "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro"

Frederick Douglass was an African American man who had been born into slavery but escaped later in his life to the North, where he became free (Barney and Paddock. In an excerpt from his speech, "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro," Douglass spoke of how many slaves and African Americans felt about the Fourth of July. He made the point that while the white people felt that it was a day to celebrate and rejoice, many African Americans did not agree with that mindset (Douglass 337). For the African American, the Fourth of July is just another day in which the white man gets to boast about all of his achievements while still putting down the African Americans (Douglass 337).

Douglass presented this speech to an audience of all white men, which I personally think is a very brave and bold thing to do. Douglass, as a former slave himself, was a very famous orator who presented his opinions on racial differences to many groups of people of different race (Anderson, et al). In this particular speech regarding the Fourth of July, Douglass made his point and positioning very clear. He described the mistreatment of slaves and the overall bad treatment of African Americans in general, explaining how the Fourth of July is supposed to be seen as a day of "justice, liberty, prosperity, and independence," and while this may apply to the whites of America, it certainly does not seem to apply to the African Americans (Douglass 337). He said that the boasting of freedom and liberty made African Americans extremely angry; while the white man is certainly free and happy, the African American still has constant struggles and is looked down upon. Therefore, it almost seems that the Fourth of July is a completely biased and racist day of celebration. The whites are celebrating their own freedom, while the African Americans are still, in many ways, not free. This holiday, therefore, as not seen as a happy day to celebrate whatsoever; it is instead a day that angers them greatly (Douglass 337).

"The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro" is obviously a work of Realism. Frederick Douglass portrays the thoughts and feelings of the typical African American, and he is basing his speech off of true facts, events, and situations. He describes the constant struggle that African Americans must go through, even though they are considered "free" (Douglass 337). Douglass, an average, middle class man, has to overcome the daily struggle of just living as an African American. He did not choose to be in this situation; he was born into it, and yet he is still discriminated for it. He describes how this situation applies to many African Americans like him, and that he does not find this fair whatsoever. The fact that the Fourth of July is so widely celebrated is a problem to him, as he believes that the celebration of independence and freedom applies to the whites only (Douglass 337). This speech narrates the typical feelings of an African American in that time period, and allows readers or listeners to realize the constant struggle they were put through.

WORKS CITED

Barney, Brett, and Lisa Paddock, eds. "Douglass, Frederick." Encyclopedia of American Literature: The Age of Romanticism and Realism, 1816–1895, vol. 2, Revised Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EAmL0492&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 14, 2011).

Douglass, Frederick. "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro." American Literature. Comp. Jeffery D. Wilhelm. Columbus: McGraw Hill, 2009. 337. Print.