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LAD/Blog #17: Frederick Douglass' "5th of July" speech

Within his famous speech, Frederick Douglass expresses his disapproval with America's handling of African Americans and the hypocrisy surrounding it. When he says, "This Fourth July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn" accurately describes the point Mr. Douglass is trying to get across; while the white man can enjoy themselves on the Fourth of July, others must toil at their expense. While Douglass places no blame on the Founding Fathers, instead he finds that current leaders must enact change. Furthermore, Douglass brings religion into his speech saying that both races believe in the same god, and therefore must answer to him if they let racism continues. To Frederick Douglass, the 5th of July symbolized the aftermath of free men and the long overdue rights that African Americans had yet to have. 

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Mr. Douglass 

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As the First African American President, Barack Obama fulfilled Frederick Douglass' dreams in a sense.

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