An Analysis of Douglass and Thoreau’s Speeches on Slavery

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Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience” and Douglass’ speech “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” are some of the popular and widely read speeches on slavery. Both of these speeches are characterized by a strong denunciation of America’s then political standing that discriminated against the African Americans. The orations were delivered in a manner of ways; cruel, funny, ironic, but mostly memorable.

One of the common elements presented in both speeches is hypocrisy of the traditional American government. In Douglass’ speech, the main agenda was that black people were not free contrary to what the American government alluded in the celebrations of the Fourth of July (Tharaud, B. 2010). Thus, there was no reason for black people to celebrate. Douglass in his speech says that “This Fourth of July is yours, not mine”, referring to the American government and those who supported slavery (McMicheal & Leonard, 2011, p. 784). Thoreau also castigates the prominent hypocrisy within the government. In his speech, he notes that the government is the only means through which the people’s will can be executed. Nonetheless, the same government “is liable to be abused and perverted” and thus does not serve the interests of the people………………………………..Buy whole paper here