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Teachers' Resource Web Study Questions on Frederick Douglass "Expression of Gratitude . . . " "Expression of Gratitude for Freedom at the Unveiling of the Freedmen's Monument, Lincoln Park, Washington, D.C., April 14, 1876" 1) List specific passages in which Douglass, speaking in 1876, lists things Lincoln thought or did that are praiseworthy. 2) List specific passages in which Douglass lists things Lincoln thought or did are not praiseworthy. To what extent does he make allowances for these supposed shortcomings? 3) How would you describe the progression of Douglass' speech? Try to break it into basic parts that serve a purpose you can identify. 4) Douglass' audience consisted mainly of African Americans. In offering both them and any white citizens present such a full enumeration both of Lincoln's great qualities and his flaws, what model for interpreting American history does Douglass offer? How does this model differ from the one you've seen in Whitman? 5) You have read some of Lincoln's pronouncements—do you think that Douglass' criticisms are appropriate? Does he offer a fair view of the man? Why do you think so, or why not?
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