Douglass refutes Fitzhughs pro-slavery argument of the average slave living an ideal life, by disproving early ideas of the free labor system and paternalism through real life encounters of the physical oppression slaves faced on the day to day basis in the forms of inhumane treatment and violence, as well as the true harsh, The brutality that slaves endured form their masters and from the institution of slavery caused slaves to be denied their god given rights. To many, the U.S. war with Mexico in 1846 signified an imperialist effort to expand the number and power of slaveholding states at the national level, and the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850that most foul and fiendish of all human decrees, Douglass would call it[12]effectively nationalized slavery, conscripting non-slaveholding states and citizens in the recapture of persons fleeing for freedom. The hook should be on-topic and supportive of the author's argument. on his farm recently because of a lack of water, so he decides to research how many acres of farm land were lost in his area during the last extended drought. Some of the above points adapted from theHarvard Writing Center. He claims that African Americans like himself have been denied the freedom that the holiday supports. [43] True abolition and true liberation, in Douglasss understanding, required the restoration of slaves property rights, not the elimination of all others property. Douglass, was an African American writer, abolitionist, and so much more, but before any of this, he was a slave. An argumentative essay is an essay in which the author makes a claim (argument) and then attempts to persuade their audience to believe their claim through reasons, evidence, and the addressing of counterclaims. So, there you have it - the four parts of an argument: claims, counterclaims, reasons, and evidence. In each piece of literature both authors also unknowingly touch on topics of early American history such as free labor ideology and paternalism therefore deepening our knowledge of popular understandings during this time period. keep that person in prison for all of his or her natural life" (Spangenberg and Walsh 15). [47] Douglass, Self-Made Men, in Douglass Papers, Vol. He is set free, in an educational sense. Douglass presented this speech to an antislavery societyan audience that was already on his side. This reassuring view is not, however, the prevailing opinion among postCivil Rights Era scholars and activists concerned with race relations. Including using the example of Joseph and his brothers, as well as the Israelites being slaves in Egypt. to this land, when it strips five millions of its people of all motives for cultivating an upright character.[36]. Douglass gives detailed anecdotes of his and others experience with the institution of slavery to reveal the hidden horrors. Slaverys primary victims, mostly knowing nothing of the Declaration itself, would corroborate its truth by their various acts of resistance, displaying their natural love of liberty and their moral humanity as rights-possessors. to confirm your understanding of the speech. Components of an Argument: Reasons and Evidence, Essay Introduction: Write a Thesis and Capture Your Audience, Point of View: First, Second & Third Person, Logos, Ethos and Pathos: 3 Ways to Appeal to an Audience in Essays, Parts of An Argument: Claims, Counterclaims, Reasons, and Evidence, Writing Informative Texts: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.2, Writing Narratives: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.3, Writing Development, Organization & Style: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.4, Revising & Editing: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.5, Conducting Research: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.7, Finding & Citing Sources: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.8, Writing Practice: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.10, CLEP American Literature: Study Guide & Test Prep, CLEP College Composition: Study Guide & Test Prep, 12th Grade English: Homework Help Resource, Praxis English Language Arts: Content Knowledge (5038) Prep, College Composition for Teachers: Professional Development, Logical Argument: Definition, Parts & Examples, Understanding Whether Given Evidence Supports a Conclusion, Drawing Conclusions Based on Internal Validity, Verifiable Evidence, Reasoning, & Logical Arguments in Science, German Baroque Literature: Characteristics & Examples, Working Scholars Bringing Tuition-Free College to the Community. His argument is reinforced though a variety of anecdotes, many of which detailed strikingly bloody, horrific scenes and inhumane cruelty on the part of the slaveholders. The thesis provides the main argument for the essay as well as an outline for the rest of the essay. Your argument can be summed up quickly. : Da Capo Press, 2001), p. 688. in Literary Studies. While Frederick Douglass made some key arguments, he also made common ground to make his . When Hugh Auld, Sophias husband, promptly forbade further instruction for the reason that literacy would forever unfit the boy for slavery, young Frederick gained a revelatory insight into the evil design of slavery and the sure path to liberation. 2023. Who are the experts?Our certified Educators are real professors, teachers, and scholars who use their academic expertise to tackle your toughest questions. Facebook Instagram. He states This battle with Mr. in Professional Writing and Rhetoric from the University of New Orleans and a B.A. Speed swimmers have made (alot/a lot) of progress since the 1924 Olympics. God and nature speak to our manhood and manhood alone.[58]. Frederick Douglass shows her fast transformation from generosity to hard-heartedness to show the pernicious effect slavery has on white slave owners. In paragraph 5, (b) How does he refute that counterclaim? As he renewed his labors for justice and progress for the freedpeople, Douglass had to confront a nettlesome question, lingering in the minds even of many anti-slavery whites, that had long obstructed the abolitionist cause. His first hand accounts of the cruel nature of slavery and the thought. Whom was he trying to reach? [61] Douglass, Why Is the Negro Lynched? in Life and Writings, Vol. Provide a quotation from the speech that shows Douglass's response to the counterclaim identified. Here it is essential to note that Douglass, like James Madison, conceived of the right to property in its primary sense as a right to acquire material goods, grounded in the free use of ones faculties for productive labor. Evidence - something that proves the truth of a claim, or leads to a . Use etymological information in a dictionary to verify your choices, -obstacle: prevents progress How would you like to be able to win any argument? Although writers use plenty of other options, Im teaching the counterclaim and refutation in the final body paragraph. In Stevenss plan, lands belonging to the former Confederate states and their soldiers would be deemed forfeited and then distributed in parcels of 40 acres as homesteads to the freedpeople. In Douglasss day, the forces of disintegration were represented by slaveholders, white supremacists, segregationists, colonizationists, and the more extreme partisans of state or regional sovereignty, and also by black emigrationists and other proponents of black nationalism in its own more extreme forms. When you're preparing an argument, make sure to note where you got your evidence. Do nothing with us! https://www.facebook.com/groups/sorliteracyhub, Enter code 3716 for 10% Discount on all ELA and Reading Intervention Programs. [13] Douglass, My Bondage and My Freedom, in Autobiographies, p. 392. After giving your reason, if your mom is anything like mine, she'll probably say, 'So?' II, p. 360. -it allows the student to prove his/her point even further by refuting a misconception. [49] Douglass, The Color Question, July 5, 1875, in Douglass Papers, Vol. Tell why all or part of the opposing point of view may be reasonable, plausible, or valid, but minimize the opposing position. This is called the counterclaim. The broadest and bitterest of the black mans misfortunes is the fact that he is everywhere regarded and treated as an exception to the principles and maxims which apply to other men.[35], In its concrete applications, Douglasss principle of fair play meant first that the white majority must refrain from various courses of action whereby it might be tempted to evade rather than to resolve properly the problem of race relations. Additionally, the conclusion of an argumentative essay should look to the future. Douglass made these particular remarks in a speech at the dedication of an industrial education institution in the state of Virginia, but they represent an extension of his broader advocacy, in this period, of a federally established system of public schools. Slavery was an embarrassing time in Americas history. In paragraph 5, what does Douglass acknowledge as a counterclaim to his Writing before slaves were freed in the United States, Douglass' main objective in the Narrative is to dispel any notion that slavery is good for those enslaved. 117118. For radical critics, Americas betrayals of the ideals of liberty and equality for all are betrayals in the nations founding principles rather than betrayals of them. Viewing it amid the grand course of human events, Douglass saw in the Civil War an event of epochal moral significance. Such practices implicated southern white landowners in a conspiracy to refrain from selling land to black would-be buyers and to compensate black laborers only by means that prevented them from accumulating any savings. Introduction--The introduction of a five-paragraph essay is one paragraph. He never had a pair of shoes, no matter how cold it got ,and had only a single thin shift to wear, summer and winter. He allowed that Lincolns election has demonstrated the possibility of electingan anti-slavery reputation to the Presidency of the United States.[24] But an anti-slavery reputation was a far cry from a genuine abolitionist, in Douglasss estimation, and Douglass at first expected little of Lincoln, who did not share his radically abolitionist reading of the Constitution. Slavery was established by religious law. The counterclaim is the opposite argument which the author addresses in order provide a rebuttal. He writes: "Slavery soon proved its ability to divest her of these heavenly qualities. how does douglass refute this counterclaim? Douglass attempts to show us how African American slaves were still human beings like their white counterparts, there have been numerous instances where it is shown that many whites did not want to accept slaves as true humans. For example, This evidence may be true; however, the objection does not change the fact that. Argumentative Writing Overview & Facts | How to Write A Claim & Counterclaim, Study.com ACT® English Test Prep Practice: Commas, Concluding Statements: Supporting Your Argument, How to Establish and Maintain a Formal Writing Style, How to Analyze an Argument's Effectiveness & Validity, Study.com ACT® English Test Prep Practice: Verb Tense and Subject-Verb Agreement, Writing for An Audience: How to Structure Your Argument, How to Structure an Argument in Your Essay, Providing Effective Feedback on Writing Samples, Claim Statements in Arguments | Strong & Weak Reasons, Evidence, & Examples, How to Add, Subtract and Multiply Complex Numbers, Supporting Claims with Evidence & Reasoning | How to Write a Claim Statement, Citing Textual Evidence to Support Analysis, The Importance of Using Precise Language in Writing. John W. Blassingame and John R. McKivigan (New Haven: Yale University Press, 19791992), p. 430 (hereinafter Douglass Papers). Conclusion--The conclusion of a five-paragraph essay is one paragraph. Nevertheless, his speech does make an argument. [21], Douglass believed that slavery was doomed, first and foremost, because he believed that the law of nature as epitomized in the Declaration was, at some deep level, not only true but known or felt to be true by all concerned in the conflict over slavery. For each of the following sentences, write the correct word or expression from the pair in parentheses. He had finally conquered his fear of water. Because of Douglasss quest for freedom, his daring attitude, and determination to learn, he shows us the way through American Slavery in his eyes. When Douglass wrote this book, slavery was still legal in a large portion of the United States. If someone conceded a point, did he or she continue to argue against it? How does douglass refute this counterclaim? That the salvation of the nation lay in its rededication to them. Some of his works are obvious and others are a bit harder to see. His emphasis on property rights grounded in productive, opportunistic laboring went hand-in-hand with a respect for blacks equal capacity for cultivating and perfecting the self-elevating virtues. I, p. 311. I would definitely recommend Study.com to my colleagues. Douglasss mind was opened to the wisdom of Lincolns statesmanship as he came to see the depth of Lincolns commitment to the anti-slavery cause. [29] Douglass, Speech at the Unveiling of The Freedmens Monument, April 14, 1876, in Life and Writings, Vol. Max Farrand (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1911), p. 135. Frederick Douglass's America: Race, Justice, and the Promise of the Fredrick Douglas Flashcards | Quizlet In order for evidence to be reliable, it must come from a credible source that is current, nonbiased, provides researched sources, and (preferably) peer-reviewed. Concluding his July Fourth oration in 1852, he reassured his audience, I do not despair of this country. Reasoning is the author's logic used to support and prove their claims. Space permits here only a brief sketch of Douglasss singularly remarkable life story, which sheds much light on the formation of his political philosophy. As he gathered his energies to prepare yet another lecture on the imperative of equal justice for all, he suffered a sudden heart attack or stroke and died on February 20, 1895. Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) was a former slave who became a nationally recognized abolitionist orator during the antebellum period. Douglass labored throughout his postwar career to preserve and propagate this enlarged, moralized understanding among a war-weary loyalist population longing for reunion and a stable peace. Not transient and fitful effort, but patient, enduring, honest, unremitting, and indefatigable work, into which the whole heart is put. Much of the distinctive greatness of this nation, he continues, is due to its hospitality to just this sort of virtue. He not only. Douglas removed his residual doubts by diving into the Warm Lake and swimming across to the other shore and back. This provides more room to address the counterclaim and apply a rebuttal of the counterclaim. How does the concept vocabulary sharpen the reader's understanding of 3 - Reasons. A great deal is at stake in this critique, and it demands a clear, forthright response: These charges against the Founders are false as well as pernicious. Peter C. Myers is Professor of Political Science at the University of WisconsinEau Claire and the author of Frederick Douglass: Race and the Rebirth of American Liberalism. On one side, he rejected as plainly blasphemous the radical positivism expressed in the eminent Senator Henry Clays assertion that what the law makes property, is property.[42] At the other extreme, he judged it arrant nonsense to conflate the causes of abolitionism and socialism, as some abolitionists did in the belief that they could eradicate the desire for property in another human being only by eradicating the desire for private property of any kind. Douglass's sometimes stern emphasis on the virtues of self-reliance and self-elevation does not mean that he had grown insensitive to the magnitude of the difficulties yet to be overcome; nor . Counterclaim - a claim for relief made in opposition to, or to offset another person's claim. Evaluating an Argument Guidelines & Examples | What is an Argument? The first of his positive reversals occurred as he was sent to serve as a house slave in Baltimore, where, aided by his kindly slavemistress Sophia Auld, he learned the rudiments of literacy. 'Mom, I really need a new cell phone!' Doubts arose as to whether so skilled an orator could ever have been a slave, and Douglass responded by writing his first autobiography. [60] He feared that such a development among black Americans likewise would be the effect of continuing failures to do justice by American institutions, as it could result also from the disaffection propagated by black advocates of emigration, despairing of Americas prospects for reform. [50] My Bondage and My Freedom, in Autobiographies, p. 286; Douglass to Stowe, March 8, 1853, in Life and Writings, Vol. Frederick Douglass, J. M. Whitfield, H. O .