Introduction
The speech of Fred Douglass has not lost any relevance even though spoken on 5 July, the year 1852 at the Corinthian hall in New York. In his speech, Frederick argues that 4 July is a mockery to all Black Americans, both free and slaves. The orator chooses his words carefully by applying rhetorical tactics to spread the intended message. The result of the speech has the intended effect on his audience due to his clear point of view. This essay will argue that Black Americans do not have any reason to celebrate and respect 4 July. The argument will align itself with the content of Fred’s speech (Frederick Douglass, 1952).
The Justice System
Note how Fred commences his speech. He asks a number of Rhetorical questions layered with sarcasm. Douglass uses ‘that’ instead of using ‘the’ to refer to the declaration of independence (Frederick Douglass, 1952). This is a clear separation of the privileged and the oppressed black Americans. In the present American society, separation between oppressed and privileged is still a major issue in America. More so, Black Americans are more prone to police violence than any other race residing in America. Most of the times, the violence against them is unjustified and without a reason. In addition, the glaring inequalities in the justice system disadvantage the people of color in America (Ditomaso, 2013).
The criminal justice system operates in a manner that disadvantages black Americans. The justice system has ingrained mechanisms that discriminate against black Americans. Most of the times, discrimination often goes unnoticed. There is a racial disparity within the justice system and the underlying reasons for this phenomena needs a keen eye for one to understand. More so, investigations reveal that racial discrimination within the justice system was as a result of a long history of slavery and racism. In other words, the institution of slavery evolved and entrenched itself in the justice system. To explain further, the justice system targets members of the black community through false accusation of criminality (Ditomaso, 2013).
The decision makers show bias toward black people through the entire justice process, leaving them disadvantaged. Evidence shows that a police officer is more likely to stop a black man than a white man. Hence, the probability of charging a black man is higher than charging a white man. For instance, a study carried out in 2004, showed that a police officer may tend to think that a black man looks more of a criminal than a white man. In addition, another study carried out in 2013 revealed that a black person is more likely to carry a higher sentence than a white person even if the perpetrators c did the same crime (Ditomaso, 2013).
The policies and practices that run the operations of the American justice system target black people through loopholes in the 13th amendment. For examples, black codes and convict leasing are ways that continue post slavery in the modern day society (Ditomaso, 2013).
Politically
After the rhetorical questions, Fred Douglass is serious and the audience acknowledges that it is not business as usual. He lays out the whole truth without sugarcoating details or sparing emotions. Fred uses words such as ‘you’ and ‘me’ to draw a clear line and differentiate between the oppressed and the privileged (Frederick Douglass, 1952). Using ‘you’ and ‘me’ revealed that the holiday has two sides. For one side, a day of joy, the other side, a day filled with pain. In order to reiterate his point, in today’s contemporary world, black Americans do not have trust in the government that leads them. A democracy functions well through trust in the government. Throughout history, the government neglected black communities. Sidelining black Americans leaves room for violence and racial profiling. Consequently, black Americans lost their faith in the public institutions and democratic processes. Hence, they do not have the morale to go out and vote for their leaders of choice (Blackmon, 2012).
From the inception of governments, denying black people political representation and accessibility to citizenship and lack of protection by the constitution discourage black people from engaging in political activity fully (Alexander, 2012). Breaking laws that govern civil rights have strained social ties between various racial groups. Socialization plays a role in strengthening the ties between the government citizens at large. In other words, lack of trust in leadership and the administration tend to affect black American politically (Blackmon, 2012).
Based on the fact that racial discrimination erodes trust and destroys the relationship between the government and black Americans, the effects reflect on the daily lives of black Americans. For instance, black communities live in neglected neighborhoods and they are poorer than other racial groups. Thus, black American still feel the long-term effects of racial discrimination and segregation than other groups (Blackmon, 2012).
Employment
In his speech, Douglass uses the Bible and God to back his argument, give it more conviction, and credit (Frederick Douglass, 1952). With God on Fred Douglass side, no one in the crowd would dare and go against his argument. In the present society, black Americans are unemployed and discriminated against (Peffley, & Hurwitz, 2010). Black communities are among the poorest neighborhoods in America. One of the reasons behind their poverty is high unemployment rate. The obvious query is to find out whether they have proper qualifications or not. However, the truth is that racism and discrimination plays a role in keeping a majority number of black Americans from employment (Blackmon, 2012).
People of color have a right to earn an honest living and live a decent life. The fact that their situation seem not to change, day in day out shows a level of negligence on the government’s side (Peffley, & Hurwitz, 2010). As stated earlier, the government has a duty of ensuring that people have access to decent basics such as shelter, food, and water. However, basics are not enough and one needs employment to cater for health insurance policies and other daily needs. However, schooling alone cannot be the sole reason for the widening gap and disparity between the two racial groups (Blackmon, 2012).
It is common knowledge among labor markets that black Americans do not fare well in the employment sector compared to other groups. In terms of percentage black are 7.1% as compared to whites, 3.8%. The reasons behind the difference keep revealing itself through various factors. Some statistics claim that very few black Americans have a college degree. Hence, the only possible reason for the disparity is racial discrimination. Employers are can shoulder some of the blame. Some employers practice are racists and do not allow minority races to work in their facilities (Blackmon, 2012).
Conclusion
Years after the abolishment of slave trade, black Americans still face similar treatment in the form of biased justice systems. Black communities do not trust public institutions due to the lack of protection by the law and unequal treatment from the government. Unemployment Rate among black American is higher than other groups, which in turn points to racial discrimination.
References
BLACKMON, D. A. (2012). Slavery by another name: the re-enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II. Duxford, Icon Books.
Ditomaso, N. (2013). The American non-dilemma: racial inequality without racism.
Frederick Douglass. (1852) “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?”
Peffley, M., & Hurwitz, J. (2010). Justice in America: The separate realities of blacks and whites.
Alexander, M. (2012). The New Jim Crow. New York,
