Great Speeches by Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass was not only the most important African-American public figure of the nineteenth century, he was one of the greatest orators in American history, full stop. His speeches combined intellectual force, moral urgency, and rhetorical brilliance in a manner that moved audiences and changed minds across decades of the most consequential struggle in the nation's history. This collection, edited by James Daley, brings together his most celebrated addresses in an affordable and accessible volume. The centerpiece is "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?", delivered in Rochester, New York, on July 5, 1852, more than a decade before the Emancipation Proclamation. In it, Douglass turns the language of American liberty back on the nation with devastating force, demanding that his audience confront the contradiction at the heart of a country that celebrated freedom while maintaining human bondage. Its power has not diminished in the intervening century and a half. Also included are "Self-Made Men," Douglass's reflection on the principles of individual character and achievement, and "The Church and Prejudice," delivered at the Plymouth County Anti-Slavery Society in 1841, along with additional addresses that trace the arc of his extraordinary public career. An essential companion to his autobiographical writings.