What_the_Black_Man_Wants__a_Modernization_of_Frederic_Douglass's_Speech

I am Frederick Douglass. I was born a slave, but I know now that I will not die, beaten and bruised as one of my colour. I have taught myself to read and write[1], and I have endured all the hardships and the disadvantages to being born a slave. Because of all that, I am now a free man. I am here in front of you today, in this Congressional session, to speak of freedom, equality and the bare privileges that come with being a free American. I am here to speak about what the black man wants. What is happening in America today is a complete injustice. If the American would only look at his actions, he would be able to see the double-standards that he practices. The Negro may have been given his freedom, but is he really, truly free' Does a free man have someone else decide how he lives his life' Does a free man get placed in a job, and get paid what someone else wants to pay them' Does someone else choose who leads a free man’s country' The answer may be obvious, but to us, the line is blurred. The black man may be “free”, but he certainly isn’t free to do what he wants. We are true Americans. As true as any other person of any other color. Yet we do not have the same rights as others. It may seem surprising that we now demand the right to vote, so soon after we have abolished slavery, and been given the right to work. If we do not bring ourselves up to meet the standards of the white American, then this treatment that we have worked so hard to obtain will not last. Those that still feel contempt towards us will only prosper, and if this is allowed, we will be hated for generations to come. We can not go on thinking that abolishing slavery is enough. The white man was never enslaved, but just freeing the Negro doesn’t make them equal. We must fight to bring ourselves up. We must fight for true equality! The right to vote is not only there to bring ourselves to the same level as the white men of the United States; it is so that the black man can have his voice heard. If we are unable to speak up against those who hate us, then no one will. We will live our lives under the fierce rule of a white man who hates all Negroes. We will never know peace under such a reign. We will live our lives fearing the hostility of our fellow Americans, and that is simply unacceptable. You may think that the Negro is inferior to the white man, that he is less of a person. But the fact is, there is always going to be someone better than you. There are nations that find all Americans inferior to them, and they may be right! Who are we to fight amongst each other when others scoff at us for doing just that' Who are we to decide that one group of our own countrymen is inferior to another' Without the rights that are rightfully ours, we are nothing more than an inferior race. But in reality, we are not. No race is inferior to another, and that is exactly the case here. If we are good enough to be Americans, then we are good enough to truly be part of our country. We are good enough to vote. The Negro is just as much American as anyone else, so why must we be treated differently' Why is it so easy to demand of us to serve our country just as anyone else would, and then deny us the rights that we should have been given at birth' When you are in need, you look to the Negro for help, but when you no longer require help, you stab him in the back. Are we only equal to the white men when they need our help and not a second longer' And is that fair in the least' We are not asking for special treatment. We are not asking for sympathy or pity. We are simply asking for our fair share of this country. ”What should we do about the negro'”[2], most of you here would ask and here is our answer: All we are asking for is that you treat us no different than you would treat a white man. No better, no worse. If you see a Negro on the street, don’t talk to him, or help him in whatever he’s doing. Just do whatever you would do normally; just leave him to his business. If he falls, let him fall. Give the Negro a chance to stand up by himself, and I assure you that he will stand up. The black men are perfectly capable of anything, all they need is the freedom to do so.