On the occasion of the celebration of the 4th of July, Independence Day of the United States, the ex-slave Frederick Douglass is invited to give a speech. His tone is intelligent and educated; his oratory, brilliant. Douglass asks questions of great rhetorical power, often ironic. Why have they chosen him to speak at the white independence party? Is it necessary to argue that a slave is a human being? Using concrete examples and moving descriptions, Douglass brings to light the hypocrisy of his fellow citizens and the horror of slavery in one of the most famous speeches in American history, which is given annual public readings.