Read the excerpt from "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural justice, embodied in that Declaration of Independence, extended to us?How does this rhetorical question contribute to the passage’s central idea?
Answer
A
It encourages Black people to discuss the principles set forth in the Declaration of Independence.
B
It reinforces the idea that the rights given to others are not extended to Black people.
C
It reveals that Douglass has an in-depth knowledge of the Declaration of Independence.
D
It gives the rest of the speech importance by referring to a famous historical document.
Explanation
Douglass asks whether the Declaration’s principles of political freedom and natural justice are extended to Black people. The question emphasizes the contradiction between the nation’s promise of equality and the reality that Black people are denied those rights. This reinforces the idea that rights enjoyed by others are not extended to Black people.
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