Fourth of July Response Paper

Please use the readings to do the citations. Readings are from chapters 11 and 12 of Give Me Liberty! An American History,
Thank you

Fourth of July Response Paper
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The second exam assignment in this course is the composition of a Response Paper that measures critical thinking and analysis of a statement about a topic reviewed in United States History through the Civil War. This paper is a written essay and students are instructed to interpret assigned readings, course content, and external research where relevant. The Response Paper illustrates original analysis, evaluation of primary sources, and consideration of the overall topic through a composed response (argument) to a statement about a topic reviewed in American history. Students are required to compose an essay that demonstrates their argument (thesis) as an analysis and representation of interpretation and evaluates primary sources in response to and discussion of the statement.
Frederick Douglass was born a slave in 1818, escaped in 1838, and according to Eric Foner, the “most influential African American of the nineteenth century and the nation’s preeminent advocate of racial equality.”[1] His first autobiography published to immediate success in 1845, and he spoke frequently on slavery, freedom, and equality throughout his life. He died in 1895.
In 1852, Douglass was invited to give a speech commemorating the Fourth of July, in which he asked the question “What, to the American slave, is your Fourth of July?”[2] For your consideration of Douglass and response in this assignment, historian David W. Blight, whose 2018 biography of Douglass won the Pulitzer Prize, identified his significance in American history thusly: “Above all, Douglass is remembered most for telling his personal story—the slave who willed his own freedom, mastered the master’s language, saw to the core of the meaning of slavery, both for individuals and for the nation, and then captured the multiple meanings of freedom—as idea and reality, of mind and body—as perhaps no one else ever has in America.”[3]
In response to the Abolitionist Movement and Frederick Douglass, discussed in chapters 11 and 12 of Give Me Liberty! An American History, read the excerpt of Douglass’s 1852 speech, “What, to the Slave, is the Fourth of July?” (referenced on p. 348 and included on pp. A85-A90 of the MCC Custom edition). Answer the following essay questions for your response. Composition of a response is timed to take at most 80 minutes (though it is not timed within Brightspace). Your submission should be compiled as an essay with paragraphs.
How did Douglass characterize slavery and the celebration of the Fourth of July in his speech?
How do the ideas of freedom, liberty, and American history (such as the Declaration of Independence) factor in Douglass’s description of the Fourth of July and slavery?
Do you think the speech represented most Abolitionists’ thinking at the time? Why or why not?
Explain the meanings of slavery, the Fourth of July, and freedom in American society of the 19th century as documented in Douglass’s speech and the materials presented in the course textbook and module content.
Assessment
The objective of this assignment is for you to gain insight into Douglass’s perspective, as an abolitionist and former slave, of abolishing slavery and expanding equality and freedom to all Americans. Answering and explaining the questions with examples achieves this goal and demonstrates the significance of Douglass and his speech to American history. A rubric is utilized to grade and provide feedback on this assignment.
You are expected to provide a developed response that is specific and clear in the composition and discussion of the topic and includes a strong argument at the core of the response. You should strive to demonstrate understanding and interpretation through critical analysis of assigned readings, primary sources, and presented content, and provide a strongly developed, discussed, and defended thesis.
A thesis statement illustrates an argument about the topic that proves you have evaluated the topic and formed a unique interpretation through critical analysis of presentations, discussions, and assigned readings. When you compose your response, write to convince me that your essay provides the best answer for the topics by including a thesis statement (underline it for clear identification) and using effective examples and discussions to prove your argument in the answer and explanation.
Cite all examples used in your response. While Chicago-style footnote citations are preferred for a history paper, MLA or APA formatting (typically in parenthetical format) is accepted. Model citations are included in these instructions and should be attached to any example (quoted) or paraphrased section from assigned materials.
Model Citations (as Footnotes)
Richard D. Driver, “The Abolitionist Movement” (lecture, McLennan Community College, 2022).
Eric Foner, “An Age of Reform,” in Give Me Liberty! An American History, Brief 6th ed. (New York, NY: W.W. Norton and Company, 2020), 334-359.
Frederick Douglass, “Fourth of July Speech (1852),” in Give Me Liberty! An American History, Brief (MCC Custom) 6th ed., by Eric Foner (New York, NY: W.W. Norton and Company, 2020), A85-A90.
Submission
Expected minimum length of the Response Paper is 500 words (no more than three pages). Your paper should be submitted as a professionally typed essay with paragraphs, 12-point font (preferably serif), and double-spaced. A bibliography page is required for the paper. You should type your paper in Microsoft Word or Google Docs and upload into Brightspace as a .doc or .docx file.

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