Take some time to explore the objects, images, documents and media that explore the Fourth of July in relation to the African Americans from the Revolutionary War to the modern day. Questions to deepen exploration are embedded into each of the squares. Black citizens in early America confronted a "national double-speak" in which white Americans celebrated freedom while supporting the enslavement of Black people. Exploring the complex relationship between Black Americans and the Fourth of July, highlighting the history of slavery and the Declaration of Independence. What is Independence Day for African-Americans? Many Black Americans can not seem to forget this historical trauma of slavery, which has somehow shaped how they perceive and experience the 4th of July, even decades after emancipation. White Americans’ patriotic speeches seemed to mock African Americans; rousing hymns to America’s greatness echoed false in African Americans’ ears. In the decades since his speech, the fortunes of African Americans have ebbed and flowed, and so too have attitudes toward the Fourth of July. Since the very beginning, black Americans have used the national celebration of the country’s independence on July 4 to remind white Americans that they too deserved freedom and that their lives Discover the often overlooked history of July 4th for Black Americans and its ongoing relevance in the fight for social justice. In the aftermath of the Civil War, Fourth of July celebrations took on deep new meanings. While Confederate sympathizers hid away in bitterness, African Americans a Throughout the 1800s, Black Americans used the July Fourth to argue for emancipation and full citizenship, making the case that Black citizens – free and enslaved – had as much right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness as white people. While July 4 celebrates our country’s founding, Juneteenth, which commemorates the end of slavery in the United States, is viewed by some in the Black community as the nation’s Independence Day. The National Museum of African American History and Culture explains the Fourth of July is an occasion for all Americans to mark the nation's independence and its paradox. After the Civil War, African Americans in the South transformed Independence Day into a celebration of their newly won freedom. Exploring the role of Black Americans in celebrating the Fourth of July, and the significance of Juneteenth in acknowledging the enslavement of African descendants. Discover the best Fourth of July events in Atlanta this weekend. Enjoy live music, food, games, and spectacular fireworks displays. The 4th of July is a federal holiday in the United States that commemorates the Continental Congress’s signing of the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain. After the Civil War in 1865, African Americans in the South had transformed Independence Day into a celebration of their newly won freedom. Use 4th of July quotes to remember the reason for the holiday, create a sparkling social media post or send Independence wishes to friends and family. July 4th celebrations remind some Black Americans of America's sordid racial past. The Fourth became an almost exclusively African American holiday in the states of the former Confederacy—until white Southerners, after violently reasserting their dominance of the region, snuffed these black commemorations out. After the Civil War, white southerners saw the Fourth of July as a celebration of Confederate defeat. Black southerners saw opportunities.
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