What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?

Analyze the rhetorical and literary choices Douglass makes in his speech. Discuss the overall effect these choices have on the speech’s impact. How could it have been different? What do Douglass’s choices reveal about his beliefs and his audience?

Teaching Suggestion: If time is limited, or if analyzing the entire text seems unmanageable, consider dividing the speech into its three major parts and having students work in small groups to analyze only a portion of the speech.

Differentiation Suggestion: Students with limited knowledge of rhetorical and literary devices might find it useful to have a list of rhetorical and literary devices to examine as they analyze and discuss the speech’s rhetoric.