In An Indian's Looking Glass and What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July? both authors address their minority's oppression. Douglas uses rhetorical questions, powerful language such as "the mournful wails of millions [in chains]", and the admittance that his voice of reason will not be heard by the slave owners to emphasize the egregious wrongs happening in America. Apess expresses disgust at the systems which keep resources from the American Indian people and ultimately drive them to alcoholism and prostitution. They address white oppression in an outright way I did not know existed so strongly in the writings of the time because they weren't widely talked about in my schools. Even the writings of a very well discussed founding father expressed distaste with the lack of opportunity and equality in America. This, along with the other two texts show an intense dissatisfaction with the reality of the "American Dream" that we, to this day, do not read about in our grammar school textbooks.
Why do you think that we are not exposed to these perceptions of America in our early education?
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