Free Essay Example on Appeal to Congress for Impartial Suffrage

Frederick was an exceptional writer, and after escaping jail, he advocated for equality African Americans. They had suffered greatly during the slavery period, and they continued to be discriminated after the end of slavery. They were, for example, not allowed to vote and were considered incapable, unlike the Americans. It was the duty of the thirty-ninth Congress to save the negros, especially those living in the south.

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Appeal to Congress for Impartial Suffrage is a story authored by Frederick Douglass published in the Atlantic magazine in 1867 (Douglass). The statement purpose was to appeal to the Congress for impartial suffrage. The Negros had no right to vote in the political elections, just like the Americans. He, therefore, appealed through the statement the inclusion of the blacks in the politics of the United States. He argued that man is naturally the only animal that can make government. Therefore, denying him such a chance is unjust in the same degree as denying him the right to education or obtaining property.

The argument of this source is that man should be allowed to exercise his democratic right of electing the leaders that will govern him. Frederick felt that if any person had the right, then the right should apply to everyone (Douglass). No one should be discriminated in the voting process based on their race or skin color because if they are discriminated, it means that other people will elect the leaders on their behalf. Impartial suffrage was equality that Douglass believed should be fought and eliminated as it was as bad as slavery.

Negros were part of America since they were four million at that time. They could, therefore, not be ignored because it meant that there was no way they could become extinct naturally (Douglass). They contributed significantly in the economy, and where there is a responsibility, there must be rights. The appeal to the thirty-ninth Congress was to help save the people living in the southern states. They were to help in banishing the idea that only the slave matters had the capacity and capability of ruling the south

The southern people needed to be helped because slowly, freedom of speech and media was being eliminated (Douglass). This was a threat because people could not air their opinions that could help in building the community. This was oppressive and affected patriotism. Segregation continued meaning that Negros and the whites did not enjoy equal rights and responsibilities. Still, people were divided into two main groups, namely the slave race and the master race. The master race felt that they were entitled to lead, and the slave race should always be led. Douglass argued in his appeal to the Congress that this was an unfavorable theory that was dangerous to the current and future generations.

Frederick argued in the appeal that since the Americans were not going anywhere but were part of America, they should be allowed to vote. They helped during the civil war, and the rebels get better treatment than the people who helped the nation (Douglass). However, the Negros never complained from the past and what they were asking for is inclusion, especially in voting. The impartial suffrage affected the millions of African Americans both mentally and morally as they felt they were inferior Americans than the whites. Giving them the right to vote would be helpful both to them and the nation because they will be motivated to build the nation.

Frederick had many presumptions regarding how Congress would respond his appeal for impartial suffrage. One of the assumptions of Frederick is that Congress would allow him to express his ideas on why he wanted Congress to consider his appeal and that he would successfully convince them to support the idea. It's not typical for the ideas of the public to be taken into account and the person with the idea to be allowed by the Congress to explain more about the idea to convince the members of Congress to agree with the person. Frederick presumed that his idea would be taken seriously and accord the ideas the attention and seriousness that it deserved.

The other assumption made by Frederick is that the issues of the equal suffrage would be addressed positively according to his wishes. The assumption was that his ideas regarding how the Negros needed to be treated as equal citizens of America would be supported by Congress (Douglass). It was not a must for the senators to support his ideas, and there were limited chances that his appeal would successfully go through. Frederick believed that the members would agree with him and pass the bill to address his genuine concerns. Bearing in mind that the whites were the majority and blacks were the former slaves, there was less chance of the concerns being addressed.

The Negros was not given equal opportunity with the rest of the population living in the United States (Douglass). They were treated as foreigners, yet they were US citizens, and many were born in the US; hence, they were US citizens by birth. The way the Negros were treated gave them a hard time because they were denied opportunities that they deserved. The Negros deserved to be treated better and recognized as equal American citizens with the right to get equal opportunities with the rest of the Americans. The state was accused of discriminating the Negros when giving services where they were denied equal opportunities in terms of the services given by the state to the people.

This primary source is related to race and voting in the Segregated South, which addressed the plight of African Americans. After returning from World War II African American men trying to vote, but they were denied by the white mob (Costly). They just wanted to be ordinary citizens just like the white, but they could not be allowed. They needed to be protected against the whites who they lived in the same areas such as Mississippi with. After surviving death in the hands of Germans and Japanese, they faced discrimination in the country they had fought for.

In conclusion, Frederick raised genuine concerns to the Congress in his appeal for impartial suffrage. His concerns reflected those of the majority of immigrants living in the US who were being treated as foreigners. The appeal was meant to convince Congress to come up with laws that would enable Negros to have equal opportunities with the rest of the population living in the US. The Negros would have opportunities like the rest of the population living in the United States.

Works Cited

Costly, Andrew. "Race And Voting - Constitutional Rights Foundation." Crf-Usa.Org, https://www.crf-usa.org/brown-v-board-50th-anniversary/race-and-voting.html.

Douglass, Frederick. "An Appeal To Congress For Impartial Suffrage." The Atlantic, 1867, https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1867/01/an-appeal-to-congress-for-impartial-suffrage/306547/