His main argument in the speech is that it is unfair and hypocritical for a country to celebrate its freedom while it still has slaves. This in itself is a morally viable argument, and it has never been more relevant than today in our world fueled by racial hatred, where every situation turns into a hate crime. However, at this time the majority of slaves were sold into slavery by their own people. Most slaves were sold by rival tribes as prisoners of war or tribal troublemakers, giving us the groups' "bottom of the barrel." Another response to Douglass was that even though slaves were people, they were still considered property. A hard-working farmer could have used his last penny to buy this slave because he was unable to take care of his farm and provide for his family. A common misconception was that all slaves were beaten and treated worse than pigs, while on the contrary, some were treated well and given a bed and meals every day in exchange for their hard work. Although Douglass may have fallen on hard times under Auld's ownership, most Northern states did not treat their slaves this way. This is one of the main reasons Douglass learned to read, but no credit is given to his previous owner. Most slaves developed a relationship with their owners, in which their owners taught them useful skills such as reading, writing, simple mathematics, and agricultural skills. Another argument made in Douglass's speech was that most churches were segregated and in turn perpetuated the racism that helped keep slavery alive. He proposed that a God who would not allow such evil and disservice in this world would contradict everything the Bible proposes and teaches. He praises the framers of the Constitution, considering them his equals and thanking the signers of the Declaration of Independence, calling