Summary

In his speech, Douglass confessed that Africans had been forgotten; their contributions towards the United States were easily thrown out of the window without the care of the effort they mand. Much of what can be remembered about the Black Americans is the number of years they endured suffering under the hand of their white masters. Douglass believes that beyond what was endured by slaves, many people do not care to know more, leave alone understanding what they had to undergo such a tough time. The same idea is held by Dr. Diana Ramey, who in her presentation indicates that “when I was growing up, African American history was literally one paragraph. There were — Africans came, and they were enslaved” (video, 1:25-1:34).

Additionally, Douglass Frederick indicates that American history has always been the same; they never change, even with increased persuasion to better treat black people. His speech seems to paint a tinted picture of what American has always been. In some instances, he indicates, “notwithstanding the dark picture I have this day presented, of the state of the nation, I do not despair of this country” (Fonor, 1950, par. 15). His statement...