Read the excerpt from "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?"

Question

Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural justice, embodied in that Declaration of
Independence, extended to us?

How does this rhetorical question contribute to the passage's central idea?

A. It encourages Black people to discuss the principles set forth in the Declaration of Independence.

B. It reinforces the idea that the rights given to others are not extended to Black people.

C. It reveals that Douglass has an in-depth knowledge of the Declaration of Independence.

D. It gives the rest of the speech importance by referring to a famous historical document.

Answer 1

The rhetorical question "Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural justice, embodied in that Declaration of Independence, extended to us?" primarily contributes to the passage's central idea in the following way:

B. It reinforces the idea that the rights given to others are not extended to Black people.

This question highlights the exclusion of Black individuals from the principles of freedom and justice that are celebrated in the Declaration of Independence, emphasizing the ongoing injustice and hypocrisy of the nation's ideals in relation to the lived experiences of enslaved and free Black people.