Wendell Phillips Speech

332 Words2 Pages
In his speech, well-known white American abolitionist Wendell Phillips praises the noteworthy accomplishments of Haitian general Toussaint-Louverture, the most powerful leader in Haiti, that have been disregarded. He evidently had a keenness for the man, for his praise borders on outright astonishment for him. Phillips' purpose is to lionize Louverture and bring light to his remarkable deeds. He constructs an admiring tone in order to communicate with his readers the idea of equal importance among all historical figures and does so by using historical allusions. Phillips begins his commemorative speech by acknowledging Napoleon and Washington, two honorable people of history. He appeals to the reader's sense of patriotism by first discussing two well-known men that are so righteous, some believe few are worthy to even tell their story. He then mentions an equally significant African American man who seems to have left no footsteps on humanity for "all the materials from his biography are from the lips of his enemies…." (13-14). He gives emphasis to the connections between them in terms of prominence. He is showing his audience that Louverture deserves to be valued just as much as any other important historical figure. Phillip's then moves to another historically vital figure, Oliver Cromwell. There is a concurrence of the Haitian general with Cromwell; "…if Cromwell was a general, at least this man (Louverture) was a soldier." (21-22). Again, this is showing that Louverture is just as grand and equally significant. Phillips' allusion to all of these valiant leaders serves as references for his readers. In order to wholly appreciate the extent of Louverture's sterling actions, Phillips had to compare him to important leaders as such who were already alleged with veneration. Phillips' use of historical allusions goes to show the recognition that
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