An escaped slave and self-educated abolitionist, Frederick Douglass, in his speech given

in Rochester, New York, in 1852, addresses the irony of the 4th of July celebrations while

slavery is still a powerful institution within American society and argues that the celebration runs

directly contrary to the actions of the country as a whole, emphasizing American hypocrisy in

particular. He supports his claims by pointing out the condition of African American slaves in the

country and makes observations about the values the country holds compared with the actions of

its citizens and institutions. Douglass' purpose is to argue for the abolition of slavery and expose

contradictions in American values of freedom, equality, and Christian values. He adopts an angry

and extremely argumentative tone for his audience, the readers of the Frederick Douglass Paper

and others interested in the topic of abolition and slavery through the use of different hypophora

and anaphora. This excerpt of his speech fits the definition of a jeremiad, because Douglass'

speech criticizes American society for turning a blind eye to slavery, and celebrating its own

hypocrisy, his speech also adapts to the traditional idea of a jeremiad by constantly listing the

grievances of the slaves and asking questions that force the audience to think introspectively

about their country.

Douglass uses anaphora to make the tone of his writing seem as though he is yelling at

the audience to see the state of the American values they hold so dear and to further his argument

against slavery. For example, in the fifth paragraph of the excerpt, Douglass writes," What, am I

to argue that it is wrong to make men brutesMust I argue that a system thus marked with

blood" (Frederick Douglass Paper, 1852) This shows that Douglass used this specific

rhetorical device to make the audience to ask themselves the same questions and better

understand that the institution of slavery corrupts the ideals of their country. This also shows how

passionate Douglass is about the abolition of slavery through his tone, and furthermore, describes
the importance of the purpose of his speech, that he is so passionate. In short, Douglass used the

anaphora throughout his speech to create a dialogue that forced the audience to think heavily

about the institutions they have allowed to flourish in their country.

Then, Douglass uses hypophora to lead the readers to the conclusion that slavery is

directly contrary to the beliefs that the country was founded on, while also making his argument

seem like the obvious decision for any American that holds true to the ideals of the country. For

instance, Douglass writes," How should I look to-daymen have a natural right to freedom

There is not a man beneath the canopy of heaven, that does not know that slavery is wrong to

him". (Frederick Douglass Paper, 1852) This shows that Douglass is using hypophora to show

the readers the obvious conclusion they should come and spread his own perspective of the

argument. Additionally, Douglass brings the audience into a conversation with his questions, that

with make they think about their role in the injustices he discusses in his speech. In essence, he

uses his hypophora to draw support out of the audience and to keep the dialogue focused on the

reader.

Douglass' speech is a jeremiad because he makes his readers ask questions about

themselves and conclude that the state of American values is abhorrent as long as there are slave

institutions, listing the problems with slavery in American society and the hypocrisy of the 4th of

July celebrations. Douglass uses anaphora and hypophora to make his speech a dialogue that

forces the audience to think introspectively and make his tone passionate. In conclusion,

Douglass' speech is a strong jeremiad that points out the poor standard of freedom for African

Americans and argues against the effects of slavery on the ideals of Americans.