What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?

In Frederick Douglass' “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July,” I found his use of Biblical language interesting. Upon researching Zion a little more, I found that it is synonymous with Jerusalem; naturally, when the Israelites were carried away by the Babylons, they mourned for their old land, just as the slaves missed theirs. He puts God on his and his fellow slaves' side, taking the perspective that all American slave owners had forsaken Him through their actions. I could imagine this being quite disturbing to the listeners, many of whom probably considered themselves religious, God-fearing people. Despite the fact that he delivered the speech up North, it was their fellow countrymen he was implicating.

He also brings up the point that if he hadn't been carried away captive (or his ancestors if he specifically hadn't been), he would not have even been in America. How could he be grateful to live in a country that he had not even come to voluntarily? As I just did, he makes extensive use of the rhetorical question to get his audience thinking about the holiday and the nature of American slavery. His oration must have thrown quite a damper on the Fourth of July festivities at Rochester, but a much needed wake-up call to the people doing the enslaving.