Recap / Epic Rap Battles Of History Frederick Douglass Vs Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States and author of the Declaration of Independence, battles escaped slave turned anti slavery activist Frederick Douglass, who forces his opponent to acknowledge the skeletons in his closet.

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• Authority Equals Asskicking: Jefferson happily boasts about being the first Secretary of State, the second vice president and the third president of the United States, on top of being one of its founders in general.
• Badass Bookworm: Both of them; Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence and has many more academic accolades under his belt, while Douglass taught himself how to read, wrote three books, and offers to kick Jefferson's ass for free while going to town on his stance on slavery.
• Black Is Bigger in Bed: Douglass claims to have "Big hair, big nuts, big issues".
• Broken Pedestal: The battle as a whole takes this tone regarding Thomas Jefferson: he spends the opening verse bragging about his many accomplishments and how he helped make the United States what it is, only for Douglass to spend the rest of the battle tearing down his opponent's larger-than-life reputation by calling out his taking part in slavery, which Jefferson himself admits was wrong of him. In the end, Douglass concludes that Jefferson has done good things for the country and his historical regard is not unearned, but his hypocrisy and racism will forever taint his legacy.
• The Cameo: Marilyn Monroe, Babe Ruth, Benjamin Franklin, Barack Obama, Thomas Edison, Clint Eastwood, Elvis Presley, and Hulk Hogan all appear in a Crowded-Cast Shot during Thomas Jefferson's verse when he brags about helping found the USA.
• Disappeared Dad: Douglass calls Jefferson a "Founding Absentee Father" in regards to the six children he fathered with one of his slaves, as well as in a more metaphorical sense that the ideals of the American Revolution (of which he was one of the Founding Fathers) didn't apply to those of black descent until a century afterwards.
• High-Five Left Hanging: Jefferson offers a fist-bump to show they've made amends, but Douglass turns him down.
• Humble Hero: Douglass talks the least about his own good points of just about anyone in the series, despite having plenty he could be bringing up, preferring to go on the offensive.
• Hypocrite: Douglass points out that while Jefferson fought for freedom, he was also a racist who owned slaves and had six children with one of them.
• Hypocrisy Nod: In response to Douglass' first verse, Jefferson confesses to being part of a "broken system that I hated".
• I Did What I Had to Do: At the beginning of the second verse, Jefferson claims that he never liked the system at the time, tried to wind it down, and only went with it personally for financial reasons.
• No Sympathy: Initially Douglass rails against Jefferson for not abolishing slavery within his lifetime or at least freeing his own slaves. Although "I was busy; I had a lot to do" is a poor excuse, and so is the money thing, he still worked on anti-slavery legislation and freed some of his slaves. By the end of his second verse, Douglass acknowledges this.
• Once Done, Never Forgotten: Douglass says that for all his admirable achievements, Jefferson's hypocrisy regarding slavery will be a permanent stain on his legacy.
• Overshadowed by Awesome: Jefferson doesn't directly insult Douglas, but he does emphasize how outmatched he is in this battle.^note Douglas was an accomplished author and political activist in his own right, but against Jefferson... yeah.
  First secretary of state, VP number two
  Not to mention third president, the fuck'd you do?
• Pretty Fly for a White Guy: Jefferson's last words are a weak attempt at making peace with Douglass by adopting African-American slang and gestures. Needless to say, it doesn't work.
  Jefferson: So... [holds out his fist for a bump] We cool?
• Rejected Apology: Douglass, rather understandably, refuses to accept Jefferson's rather weak apology for his role in chattel slavery.
• Renaissance Man: Jefferson's accomplishments as a statesman, inventor, and scholar are all referenced.
• Slavery Is a Special Kind of Evil: Most of Douglass' verses are attacks on Jefferson for owning slaves and not doing enough to help Black people. Jefferson himself even admits that slavery was a "hideous blot" while apologizing for it.
• Very Special Episode: The episode is structured around a discussion of the less-than-glamorous parts of America's past, particularly the racist systems that even the nation's venerated founders took part in without shame.
• Waxing Lyrical: Douglass' opening lyrics should sound familiar to hip-hop fans:
  "Straight outta bondage, a brainy motherfucker here to dis you!"
• What the Hell, Hero?: Douglass' verses consist mostly of calling Jefferson out on owning slaves, though not without admitting he "did some good things."