For today’s assignment we will focus on analyzing the Composite Nation Speech. There is a transcript of a speech given by Frederick Douglass. Douglass had escaped slavery and had become a known writer and speaker.

The Composite Nation Speech.

There is a transcript of a speech given by Frederick Douglass. Douglass had escaped slavery and had become a known writer and speaker. Before the Civil War, he was a leader of the abolitionist movement (the movement to end slavery). He continued is advocacy for social reform by speaking about topics such as equal rights for women and African Americans. The “Composite Nation Speech” was delivered in 1869. In it, Douglass discusses immigration and in particular, Chinese immigration. The speech is under the “Who is an American?” heading.

The Composite Nation Speech.

There is also a brief video of historian & textbook author Eric Foner discussing the speech. Read the speech & answer these questions: What is Douglass’s answer to the question, “Who is an American?” Why does he believe that being able to move freely from one country to another should be considered a human right? The concept of the Universe of Obligation is more recent, so it’s not something that Douglass would directly address. However, it is one tool to think about history and why certain decisions were made.

The Composite Nation Speech.

How do you think Douglass’s vision of the Universe of Obligation for the United States would differ from others’ vision of the Universe of Obligation for the United States in the 1860s-1870s? (In other words, with the United States in the middle circle…how might different groups of individuals view the Universe of Obligation in different ways for the United States? How does Douglass challenge that?) https://youtu.be/UEii08TQ8aA

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