10/25 Civil Disobedience

     "But such is not the state of the case. I say it with a sad sense of the disparity between us. I am not included within the pale of glorious anniversary! Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. The blessings in which you, this day, rejoice, are not enjoyed in common.ÑThe rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me. The sunlight that brought light and healing to you, has brought stripes and death to me. This Fourth July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn. To drag a man in fetters into the grand illuminated temple of liberty, and call upon him to join you in joyous anthems, were inhuman mockery and sacrilegious irony. Do you mean, citizens, to mock me, by asking me to speak to-day? If so, there is a parallel to your conduct. And let me warn you that it is dangerous to copy the example of a nation whose crimes, towering up to heaven, were thrown down by the breath of the Almighty, burying that nation in irrevocable ruin! I can to-day take up the plaintive lament of a peeled and woe-smitten people! "

     What this passage is stating from Frederick Douglass' speech, is that during his time and even leading up to this day independence is still celebrated, but at what cost? During Douglass' lifespan, there were many civil rights issues and he is questioning the structure of the government itself. The foundation of our society rests on the shoulder of the Founding Fathers themselves. As many celebrate their own independence and individuality, they still forget the concept of equality, the basis of a stable government. Frederick even stated in his speech; "Do you mean, citizens, to mock me, by asking me to speak to-day? If so there is a parallel to your conduct." What this quote means is the fact that Douglass has been through separation and unjust laws, only to be given a small opportunity of speech in society? Not only was it agitating that such a mockery existed, but it seemed very fallacious as well to Douglass. 

      The reason as to why I chose this article, is because I believe that inequality still exists and that unfair, or unjust laws make it possible. This also relates to Thoreau's summary of civil morality. During the time of Frederick Douglass, many strayed from the authority that the laws have established upon themselves. I also believe that it is very important to trust your own morality, and disobey unfair rules sometimes, only to show that they are insufficient and degrading. Douglass makes plenty of claims in this passage about the truth of society, and the restrictions it places upon its citizens only to cause "Woe," and "Misery."