On July 5, 1852, Frederick Douglass, an African-American former slave and abolitionist, gave a speech in Rochester, New York, at the city's annual Fourth of July celebration, to the citizens of Rochester. . Leaving the residents of Rochester with only one day to immerse themselves in the “patriotic” festivities of July 4, Douglass’s proposal “What to the Slave is the 4th of July?” » challenges American ideals such as liberty, equality, and justice, providing arguments that examine the religious, moral, and constitutional principles that the American people claim to respect and glorify. Through rhetorical strategies such as repetition, pathos, and logos, Douglass exposes the paradoxical nature of the Fourth of July. To begin with, Frederick Douglass uses repetition to emphasize his ideas. At the beginning of the speech, Douglass repeats the word "your" to communicate to the audience that African Americans do not have national independence or political freedom and are therefore incapable of celebrating the Fourth of July. The repetition of “your” imposes their ideas on the audience by connecting their perspective of the holiday to their experience, while depersonalizing the Fourth of July from African-American society. For example, Douglass states: “This is the anniversary of your [emphasis added] national independence and your [emphasis added] political freedom. This, for you, is what Easter was for the emancipated people of God. It brings your minds [emphasis mine] back to the day and deed of your [emphasis mine] great deliverance..." In dissociating the independence of the nation from himself, Douglass under -means that the 4th of July has no meaning for the African Americans, in order to let the public know that African Americans are not...... middle of paper ......e to the public that The Bible adheres to the deserved emancipation and support of African-Americans, rather than slavery and oppression. For example, Douglass preaches: "Worship which can be led by people who refuse to shelter the homeless, to give bread to the hungry, clothing to the naked, and who enjoin obedience to a law prohibiting these acts of mercy, is a curse, not a blessing to humanity. The Bible addresses all such people as "the scribes, Pharisees, hypocrites, who tithe mint, anise, and cumin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, of judgment, of mercy and faith.” Using Matthew 23:23 to argue that American Christians are rightly outraged, Douglass infers that if white Americans are truly Christian, they will obey the doctrines of the Bible and deny their duplicity by showing love and mercy. towards black people..