Introduction (1 paragraph that contains the claim), Body Paragraphs (3 paragraphs that contain the reasons, evidence, and counterclaims), Conclusion (sums up the entire argument and provides a look to the future), Describe the four main parts of an argument, Explain why it is important to develop each of these parts in an argument. In these three stories, as well as in a sizable number of other articles, lectures, and letters, Douglass strongly advocated against slavery. Taking the policy claim from earlier, if an author is arguing that the United States should ban capital punishment, their reasons would be the reasons why they believe this is the case. It was just what I wanted, and. You really want a new cell phone, after all. Religion and intellectual inferiority were concepts that were used to manipulate the minds of everyone around into believing that practicing slavery was acceptable. A rebuttal is when the author disproves an argument. What evidence does he use to support his claim?" He talks about how grateful he is that america is young because it has time to create its own path without a past to hold it down. Douglass publicly announced his change of opinion in the spring of 1851, but his most powerful statement of his revised view appears, fittingly enough, in his speech at an Independence Day celebration in 1852. (a) What main claim shapes Douglass's speech? Educators go through a rigorous application process, and every answer they submit is reviewed by our in-house editorial team. While this quote is from a credible source (Carolina Justice Policy Center) and provides factual evidence, the evidence is not relevant to the specific claim and reasoning provided. [4] Thurgood Marshall, Speech at the Annual Seminar of the San Francisco Patent and Trademark Law Association, May 6, 1987, at http://www.thurgoodmarshall.com/speeches/constitutional_speech.htm (November 8, 2010). The specific nature of slaverys worst wrongs, however, suggested a more definite approach. The KansasNebraska Act reversed a federal prohibition of slavery within those two territories, thus betraying the principles of the Declaration by making moral indifference to slavery the guiding principle of federal policy and prompting an alarmed Abraham Lincoln to return to electoral politics. Knowing that your mom could care less about the newest games, appeal to what she thinks is important - your grades. A claim of fact (or a factual claim) is a claim arguing that something is or is not true. 3 - Reasons. Because they can defend for theirselves, their thoughts, and beliefs, Give an example of a disparity that you have noticed between two groups V, pp. So far as it filled the country with a deeper abhorrence of slavery and a deeper love for the great liberator, the murder of Lincoln, he hoped, would arouse in the war-weary nation the spirit to continue and complete Lincolns workand Douglasss ownin the postwar years.[29]. To reaffirm the old integrationist faith in America, Myers turns to the renowned 19th century abolitionist and advocate of civil and political equality Frederick Douglass. I hope you win your next argument! It will tell that people and all others that the nation has the disposition if not entire ability to do the Negro right and justice.[54]. His first hand accounts of the cruel nature of slavery and the thought processes of the various slave owners help to substantiate his assertion. : Da Capo Press, 2001), p. 688. Good reasoning for a claim is on topic, logically sound, factual, and can be supported by evidence. (b) Up to that point, what evidence has he presented to support his claim? The body can be organized by reasoning, with the author providing three reasons as the topic sentences for the three paragraphs, then using further reasoning and evidence to prove the topic sentence. II, p. 235; Address on the Twentieth Anniversary of Emancipation, April 16, 1883, in Douglass Papers, Vol. Frederick Douglass pure story telling in the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass directly goes against any argument for slavery from Fitzhugh, by revealing the harshness of the institution of slavery and the individuals behind it. Note that every step of the argument is supported by credible evidence. [23] See especially Douglass, The Doom of the Black Power, July 27, 1855, in Life and Writings, Vol. Through the use of first person encounters, Frederick Douglass in his narrative A Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass argues that the key to freedom is claimed through education. We are able to explore new ideas and concepts, which leads to more knowledge. [32] Douglass, What the Black Man Wants, January 1, 1865, in Douglass Papers, Vol. At the same time Douglass is disgusted with education because it lets him know and fully understand the extent and horrors of slavery. [N]o one seems to have doubted the correctness of the prevailing opinion of the time.[4]. Education empowers people to make good decisions and paves a future that provides opportunities. Why, then, did Douglass speak as harshly as he did? [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. The position of Douglass and constitutional radicals, by contrast, was that the Constitution was in the strict sense abolitionist. 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. An education can open doors that were once closed. Frederick. In addition to using Counterclaim and Refutation Sentence Frames, writing teachers may also be interested in these related articles:Why Use an Essay Counterclaim?,Where to Put the Essay Counterclaim, andWhat is the Essay Counterclaim? This technique helps to make the argument more effective by strengthening the claim being made. In the speech, Douglass makes a claim. (make). He point-by-point counters a Southern narrative that argued that slavery benefitted black people. [43] Douglass, Property in Soil and Property in Man, November 18, 1848, in Life and Writings, Vol. the debate over slavery? Which words helped you convey information precisely? In fact, weve already writtenour argumentative essays on whether Phoebe was a good friend to Sal. Of course the writing prompt is a bit more complex. By learning to read and write, Douglass eventually came to the conclusion that he was not living the life he wanted and longed to get away. 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. The principles of natural human rights set forth in the Declaration of Independence, Douglass was convinced, represent a permanent, universal truth as well as the most practically powerful moral and political theory ever conceived. IV, p. 514. A counterclaim is the argument (or one of the arguments) opposing your thesis statement. Douglass' primary claim in his narrative is that a nation predicated upon individual freedom cannot allow slavery to exist. The time for such argument is passed. I know of no soil better adapted to the growth of reform than American soil. Due to this criticism, he had to mask much of his work with irony. He claims that African Americans like himself have been denied the freedom that the holiday supports. The fact is, Douglass observed as he reviewed the succession of failed attempts to quiet the controversy over slavery, the more the question has been settled, the more it has needed settling. It must be acknowledged that most of the Founders, with notable exceptions, were not racial integrationists; yet despite their particular doubts, racial integration is a legitimate inference from their principles, as Douglass forcefully argued. An effective argumentative essay will bring up counterclaims for two reasons: Bringing up counterclaims provides the author with a sense . Less than 20 inmates were executed in the United States in 2020. Start your 48-hour free trial to get access to more than 30,000 additional guides and more than 350,000 Homework Help questions answered by our experts. It contains a hook or way of gathering the audience's attention. how does douglass refute this counterclaim?kids baking championship where are they now marshall park lunenburg ma where is boca grande beach where is boca grande beach II, pp. 364365. He introduces this idea after his beginning steps in becoming educated and later reinforces it by providing extensive examples of his experience with; slave-masters, learning the alphabet, reading and writing, and the exposition of individual opinions in literature. He gives reasons for this claim and backs them up with evidence. At the same time, Douglass' exploration of Christianity, and its hypocrisy when used to justify slavery, and the idea that the promise of freedom cannot be realized when a group of people are enslaved, helps to bolster the claims that slavery is America's "original sin.". [32] Douglasss response was disarmingly blunt. A counterclaim is the argument opposing the author's claim. The Common Core State Standards for grades 7-12 include the counterclaim in the argumentative essay (W. 1.0). Search where you will, there is no country on the globe where labor is so respected and the laborer so honored, as in this country.[47], This, too, was a corollary of Douglasss non-exceptionalism principle. Throughout his postwar career, he remained acutely aware of the depth of the injuries inflicted by slavery and of the persisting power of racial prejudice, and he was carefully attentive to the claims of corrective justice. 'Because I said so,' doesn't work, and 'Just because,' doesn't work - until you're a parent. Supporters of the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 believed that. Doubts arose as to whether so skilled an orator could ever have been a slave, and Douglass responded by writing his first autobiography. As a member, you'll also get unlimited access to over 88,000 For example, one popular reason in support of the claim about banning capital punishment is that capital punishment costs taxpayers more than life in prison. I explain Douglasss argument more elaborately in Frederick Douglass, pp. [29] Douglass, Speech at the Unveiling of The Freedmens Monument, April 14, 1876, in Life and Writings, Vol. Another is that slavery is an institution fundamentally based on violence, telling the story of the vicious beatings an aunt of his would often receive: I have often been awakened at the dawn of day by the most heart-rending shrieks of an own aunt of mine, whom he used to tie up to a joist, and whip upon her naked back till she was literally covered with blood. For Douglass especially, the stakes of that contest were matters of concrete urgency as well as of larger national destiny. Counterclaims are also provable and supportable by reasons and evidence. Tell why all or part of the opposing point of view may be reasonable, plausible, or valid, but minimize the opposing position. Its like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. No people can prosper, Douglass reiterated late in life, unless they have a home, or the hope of a home; and to have a home, one must have a country.[61] America was AfricanAmericans proper home, he maintained, their only realistic alternative and also the locus of their highest ideals. An argumentative essay is an essay in which the writer tries to persuade a particular audience that their claim or point of view is correct. IV, p. 68 (emphasis in original). He in a sense manipulates the children around him into teaching him how to read and write. Most urgently, he taught them to reject the spirit of alienation, which he saw as the greatest danger to any peoples liberation and elevation. https://www.facebook.com/groups/sorliteracyhub, Create Decodable Text with Artificial Intelligence, FREE Diagnostic Reading and ELA Assessments. Proponents of this skeptical view cite the persistence of racial segregation in neighborhoods and schools; the persistence of stark disparities between black and white Americans in various measures of social and economic well-being; and, most alarmingly, the deepening alienationthe nihilism, as Cornel West candidly named it[2]prevalent among many AfricanAmericans living in urban poverty. 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. Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help you How he acquired it is a part of his story not to be neglected. Douglass never tired of quoting the lines of Byron to this effect: Who would be free, themselves must strike the blow. To the end, he held strongly to the principle that he stressed in an 1855 editorial: our elevation as a race, is almost wholly dependent upon our own exertions.[55]. How does learning to read and write change Douglas, as he outlines in Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave? Why, or why not? Counterclaim - a claim for relief made in opposition to, or to offset another person's claim. The Declarations affirmation, as self-evident truths, of the principles that all men are created equal and that they are endowed by their Creator with the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is now commonly read as a declaration only of the rights of propertied white males. Of these four possibilities, he was especially fearful of the third in view of the terrible damage it would doboth directly to the character and morale of its primary victims and indirectly to the entire country. [54] Douglass, To the Editor of the National Republican, in Life and Writings, Vol. Those who are skeptical of the claim of a post-racial America have a point. 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. It did much more, that is, than convey the Framers general disapproval of slavery and their design to recognize slavery only as a local institution, to tolerate it only as a necessary, temporary evil, and to contain its expansion to the end of promoting its eventual abolition. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, brings to light many of the social injustices that colored men, women, and children all were forced to endure throughout the nineteenth century under Southern slavery laws. [9] Douglass, My Bondage and My Freedom, in Frederick Douglass: Autobiographies (New York: Library of America, 1994), p. 286. He then state I would at times feel that learning to read had been a curse rather than a blessing. Soon enough after AfricanAmericans gained the vote, Douglass believed, the interests of white politicians and voters would overcome their prejudices; blacks would be courted by the leaders of all parties, and their rights and interests would be recognized in law and policy.[41]. The evils which are now crushing the Negro to earth have their root and sap, their force and mainspring, in this narrow spirit of race and color and the Negro has no more right to excuse or to foster it than men of any other race. 386387. Not only will people need to know where you got your evidence, they might even want to see it. Yet, while Douglass narrative describes in vivid detail his experiences of life as a slave, what Douglass intends for his readers to grasp after reading his narrative is something much more profound. State what role curiosity plays in an interview. I would definitely recommend Study.com to my colleagues. Although the election meant that a new order of eventsis now fairly opening upon the country, he reserved judgment as to just how significant a change was in prospect. What would you ask them to do? On the other hand it will be found to contain principles and purposes, entirely hostile to the existence of slavery.[16], Building on the ingenious arguments of the 19th-century legal theorist Lysander Spooner, Douglass argued that the passages in the Constitutions text that admit of some ambiguity, such as the clauses commonly held to concern slavery, must be interpreted in light of the larger ends or objects of the Constitution as set forth in the Preamble. Argumentative essays have a basic structure that allows some room for the author's discretion. III, p. 218 (emphasis added). A claim is the main argument. Slavery not only expropriated the fruits of its victims labor, but also assaulted the moral and mental faculties by which, once freed, they might otherwise have put their labor to profitable and elevating uses. He also goes on to say a number of other things that basically establish that slaves live an easy and good life compared to others. That which is inhuman, cannot be divine! [58] The Blessings of Liberty and Education, in Douglass Papers, Vol. 364366. Nevertheless, his speech does make an argument. His life was transformed yet again in August 1841, when the nations foremost abolitionist, William Lloyd Garrison, heard him speak at meetings in New Bedford and Nantucket, Massachusetts, and promptly offered him a position as a lecturer for the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society. Evidence tells your reader how your claim is proved. In Americas dedication to principles of natural human rights set forth in the Declaration of Independence, Douglass found reason to love and identify with his country, despite the injustices that he and his people had suffered. Including using the example of Joseph and his brothers, as well as the Israelites being slaves in Egypt (a) In what ways is Douglass's word choice suited to his audience? "The demographics of the death row population show a racial bias as well. Why is Douglass surprised by New Bedford in Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass? Slavery can be viewed as one of the greatest examples of immoral treatment towards African Americans in the United States alone. safeguard properties lawsuit 2017; syl johnson chad ochocinco father Above all, the Constitution must be interpreted in light of its commitment to secure the blessings of liberty for all. 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 . appalachian school of law shooting victims; private members' clubs london mayfair. Human nature cannot honor one who is helpless, Douglass had observed long before, but it is bound to respect those who display a forceful, virtuous self-reliance. [61] Douglass, Why Is the Negro Lynched? in Life and Writings, Vol. Claims of fact make assertions that can be proven or disproven with evidence. [46] One of the most corrupting, debilitating effects of slavery, in Douglasss analysis, was its fostering of a cultural disdain for laboring as an activity beneath the dignity of truly free, truly human beings. Second, it indicates Douglasss reluctance to support more radical measures such as the plan for confiscation proposed in 1867 by Pennsylvania Congressman Thaddeus Stevens, leader of the Radical Republicans in the House of Representatives. Douglasss great cause was integration, and his great theme was hopefulnessrationally grounded hopefulnessin Americas capacity to secure justice for all, irrespective of race, color, sex, or creed. 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. It means light and liberty. [24] Douglass, The Late Election, December 1860, in Life and Writings, Vol. The United States should ban capital punishment. This reassuring view is not, however, the prevailing opinion among postCivil Rights Era scholars and activists concerned with race relations. In The Blessings of Slavery, by George Fitzhugh he states that southern slaves for the most part are the freest and happiest people in the world. Debate participants will often prepare counterclaims in order to have a rebuttal ready for their opponent. What have you learned about the struggle for freedom from reading this speech? [39] Address of the Colored National Convention to the People of the United States, October 47, 1864, in Life and Writings, Vol. Max Farrand (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1911), p. 135. Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) was a former slave who became a nationally recognized abolitionist orator during the antebellum period. succeed. A claim is an argument in statement form. Come what will, I hold it to be morally certain that, sooner or later, by fair means or foul means, in quiet or in tumultslavery is doomed to cease out of this otherwise goodly land, and liberty is destined to become the settled law of this Republic.[20]. All measures devisedto allay and diminish the antislavery agitation, have only served to increase, intensify, and embolden that agitation.[22]. Visiting Scholar, 2016-17 Visiting Fellow in American Political Thought, Frederick Douglasss America: Race, Justice, and the Promise of the Founding, Presidents Day Reflections on George Washingtons American Character, http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/wjclintonmemphis.htm, http://www.thurgoodmarshall.com/speeches/constitutional_speech.htm, http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/doughtml/doughome.html. To remedy the degradation and impoverishment that proceeded from this culture of indolence, Douglass throughout the postwar years insistently extolled the property right and the virtues of free labor that supported it, and he called upon his fellow black Americans in particular to cultivate the self-reliant virtues of industry, productivity, and thrift. They were statesmen, patriots and heroes. In his discerning view, however, the main source of their greatnessthe virtue that enabled them to be more than revolutionaries, the Founders of a great republicinhered not in their bravery but in their dedication to the eternal principles, the saving principles, set forth in the unique revolutionary document they dared to sign. A few of which include inequality, education, and Christianity as the keys to freedom in terms of its true values within the institution of slavery. He writes: "Slavery soon proved its ability to divest her of these heavenly qualities. A reason tells why the claim is made and is supported by the evidence. The louder she screamed, the harder he whippedI was quite a child, but I well remember it. [31] Douglass, Our Composite Nationality, December 7, 1869, in Douglass Papers, Vol. It was doubtful liberty at most, and almost certain death is we failed. [51] Frederick Douglass was one of the most commonly known slaves to have existed. Douglass presented this speech to an antislavery societyan audience that was already on his side. A counterclaim is an argument that argues in opposition to the author's claim. Later, he finds out that while the conditions are slightly better there is still a great deal of injustice. IV, pp. It is particularly important also to pay renewed attention to the most thoughtful apostles of the integrationist faith among the major figures of the AfricanAmerican protest tradition. For its first 18 months, Douglass found in Lincolns presidency mostly a confirmation of his doubts. Douglass states that "scorching irony, not convincing argument, is needed." Standing in the foreground of the Lincoln Memorial nearly 50 years ago, Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered the most famous speech by any American in the 20th century. Evidence is sourced facts, statistics, data, or quoted experts the author uses to provide factual support for their claims and reasoning. He makes an eloquent case for slavery as an evil and indefensible institution, and he points out as well that it corrupts whites to have such immense power over other human beings. That's evidence. Douglass describes this memory as the "blood-stained gate" through which he entered slavery, and he is struck throughout at how the institution made tyrants of whites. Your argument can be summed up quickly. Explain, -no, he/she first denied it, then comes out telling the truth, Write a definition of obstruction based on your understanding of the prefix ob-. Douglass's central claim in his autobiography is that slavery is as harmful to whites as it is to slaves. To correct this historical record is at once an intellectual, a civic, and a moral imperative, but to reaffirm the old integrationist faith in Americas principles and institutions, it is necessary (if not sufficient) to recover the Founders actual opinions about slavery and race. The purpose of an argument, whether it's in a paper or a speech, is to convince or persuade. He attempts to demonstrate this in the Narrative by describing some of the horrific experiences he witnessed. Douglass states that "scorching irony, not convincing argument, is needed." In the opinion shared by Taney, Marshall, and many present-day professors, teachers, and students, the stain of racial exclusion suffuses both the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Dvidas? The Constitution, as well as the Declaration of Independence, and the sentiments of the founders of the Republic, give us a plat-form broad enough, and strong enough, to support the most comprehensive plans for the freedom and elevation of all the people of this country, without regard to color, class, or clime. Thousands of black Americans did just that. 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. In his heart of hearts, Douglass would later reflect, Lincoln loathed and hated slavery.[25] The foundation of this deepened appreciation was of course Lincolns Emancipation Proclamation, promised in September 1862 and delivered the following January. [62] Abraham Lincoln, Annual Message to Congress, December 1, 1862, in Abraham Lincoln: His Speeches and Writings, ed. in Literary Studies. If he had he would have faced much more threats than he did. how does douglass refute this counterclaim? It is an effort to cast out Satan by Beelzebub. He cites literacy as a pathway to humanity and ultimately freedom, one which he ironically discovered when Mr. Auld made his feelings about black literacy known. It made of Americans one glorious and homogeneous people (as Douglass said of the Emancipation Proclamation)[30] and elevated America to its rightful place among nations as exemplar of the humanitarian spirit of the age. The voting right was, for Douglass, the keystone of the arch of human liberty, as it was the primary, indispensable means of guarding every other right. If the author's claim is that organ selling should be legalized, an example of an effective counterclaim would be that organ selling should not be legalized because it can drive up the cost of organ transplants, meaning that only the rich could afford to receive a transplant. The more difficult ones were put in place by Douglass in order to provide a deep and profound statement, without arousing too much opposition. 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. V, p. 625. In paragraph 5, (a) What does Douglass acknowledge as a counterclaim to his 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. The thesis provides the main argument for the essay as well as an outline for the rest of the essay. All rights reserved. America must be envisioned and remade by its white and black citizens alike as AfricanAmericans genuine home, not merely by the accident and force of necessity but as an object of their rational and sentimental identification. 'Mom, I really need a new cell phone!' We must not beg men to do for us what we ought to do for ourselves. In this reassuring view, the era of momentous reforms that Kings speech and actions did much to elicit vindicates the character of America, displaying the nations renewed determination to make good on its original commitment to securing the equal natural rights of all its members.
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