Appealing to Religious Morality: Comparing Douglass’s “What to a Slave is the Fouth of July” and Apess’s “An Indian’s Looking-Glass for the White Man”

 After reading both texts, I noticed a theme emerging. Both Douglass and Apess found it necessary to appeal to moralistic sensibilities when making an argument for the oppressed and their desire to have a voice and be treated equally. Appealing to the higher power that you both claim to serve equalizes you. This highlights the effort to find common ground and build upon it. It is a good start. And it helps the argument for equality when one can point to the passages the oppressors claim to abide by and state, “Hey what you do to me goes against everything we’ve been taught by you”. Can’t claim a moral high ground or religious piety when you commit an egregious act with full knowledge of how contrary it is to God’s word. As Douglass states:

 

“Americans! your republican politics, not less than your republican religion, are flagrantly inconsistent.”  

I find it still rings true today. The America that we tout today- "Land of the free, home of the brave” where "everyone has an equal opportunity,” that America ceased to exist ages ago. As e.e. cumming's poem highlighted, these are mere concepts and phrases now, talked of as lofty ideals, but the reality for many people, especially people of color, remains constantly imbalanced, and more often than not, religion is used as a crutch to defend blatant ignorance and hatred, instead of eradicating those issues.

Questions: Both Frederick Douglas and William Apess utilize religious teachings as a way to rebuke hypocrisy and demand equality and freedom for people of color. Are there any other arguments that could have been used to confront the oppressive mindset of white Americans? Would they have been as effective?

EDIT: I have fixed the link below. Apologies for any inconvenience.

P.S. You can read/download "Indian Nullification of the Unconstitutional Laws of Massachusetts Relative to the Marshpee Tribe
Or, the Pretended Riot Explained" by William Apess here.