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Frederick Douglass
The Founding Fathers are repeatedly discussed by Douglass throughout his speech, particularly when discussing America’s past. Douglass praises the Founding Fathers due to their accomplishments in the Revolutionary War and their writing of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution; in this way, they are America’s patron saints of freedom. Although Douglass expresses personal ambivalence about the Founding Fathers due to their ownership of slaves, he respects them for their ability to risk their lives for their principles and love of country. In this way, the Founding Fathers serve as a symbol of integrity and patriotism and, according to Douglass, a model for present-day Americans.
The Founding Fathers Quotes in What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?
The What to the Slave is the Fourth of July? quotes below are all either spoken by The Founding Fathers or refer to The Founding Fathers. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Introduction
Quotes
Oppression makes a wise man mad. Your fathers were wise men, and if they did not go mad, they became restive under this treatment. They felt themselves the victims of grievous wrongs, wholly incurable in their colonial capacity. With brave men there is always a remedy for oppression. Just here, the idea of a total separation of the colonies from the crown was born! It was a startling idea, much more so, than we, at this distance of time, regard it. The timid and the prudent (as has been intimated) of that day, were, of course, shocked and alarmed by it.
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The Founding Fathers Quotes in What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?
The What to the Slave is the Fourth of July? quotes below are all either spoken by The Founding Fathers or refer to The Founding Fathers. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Introduction
Quotes
Oppression makes a wise man mad. Your fathers were wise men, and if they did not go mad, they became restive under this treatment. They felt themselves the victims of grievous wrongs, wholly incurable in their colonial capacity. With brave men there is always a remedy for oppression. Just here, the idea of a total separation of the colonies from the crown was born! It was a startling idea, much more so, than we, at this distance of time, regard it. The timid and the prudent (as has been intimated) of that day, were, of course, shocked and alarmed by it.
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
