In July of 1852, Frederick Douglass delivered a speech titled “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?,” a call for the promise of liberty be applied equally to all Americans. Douglass’s speech emphasized that American slavery and American freedom is a shared history and that the actions of ordinary men and women, demanding freedom, transformed our nation. "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro" Fellow Citizens, I am not wanting in respect for the fathers of this republic. The signers of the Declaration of Independence were brave men. They were America has been working to fully live up to the ideals laid out in the Declaration of Independence ever since the document was printed on July 4, 1776. So while the U.S. tends to go all out What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer: a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. On July 5th, 1852 Frederick Douglass spoke at Corinthian Hall in Rochester, New York on the significance of America’s Independence Day. Ossie Davis reads thi Americans across all 50 states are prepping for the Fourth of July and, of course, the rousing celebrations that come with it. Booming fireworks, patriotic parades, and outdoor barbeques have “The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro” Speech given by Frederick Douglass on the 4th July 1852. Summary of Speech Douglass criticises the Fourth of July Celebrations because the ideals of the American Revolution – freedom, equality, dignitiy and pursuit of happiness were denied to African Americans. Douglass captures the irony that the Fourth of July is a celebration of liberty. Yet While the US celebrates July 4th, many Black Americans reflect on freedom, history, and the continued fight for racial justice. On July 5th, 1852 Frederick Douglass spoke at Corinthian Hall in Rochester, New York on the significance of America’s Independence Day. Ossie Davis reads this speech, compiled by Phil Foner, which demonstrates Douglass’ incomparable skill in oration and commands respect for the legendary thinker and activist. "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro" 1852: "This Fourth of July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn." And he asked them, "Do you mean, citizens, to mock me, by asking me to The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro by Frederick Douglass A speech given at Rochester, New York, July 5, 1852 Mr. President, Friends and Fellow Citizens: He who could address this audience without a quailing sensation, has stronger nerves than I have. As a child, he received some instruction but largely taught himself to read. After escaping to freedom in the North, Douglass quickly became a renowned orator and fierce critic of slavery. Douglass delivered this speech to the Ladies’ Antislavery Society of Rochester, New York, on the meaning and significance of the Fourth of July to the slave. In 1852, abolitionist Frederick Douglass delivered his speech “The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro,” on July 5 at an event commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Rochester, New York. Douglass’ words resonate today. "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro" By Frederick Douglass July 5, 1852 Rochester, New York Fellow Citizens, I am not wanting in respect for the fathers of this republic. The signers of the Declaration of Independence were brave men. They were great men, too great enough to give frame to a great age. In 1852, abolitionist, speaker and journalist Frederick Douglass delivered the speech, "What does the Fourth of July Mean to the Negro?" The speech speaks to This Fourth July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn. To drag a man in fetters into the grand illuminated temple of liberty, and call upon him to join you in joyous anthems, were inhuman mockery and sacrilegious irony. Do you mean, citizens, to mock me, by asking me to speak to-day? If so, there is a parallel to your conduct. No other phrase in the founding documents of the United States stings an African American as much as this one: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."The Declaration of Independence was not a declaration for all but for some. Over 200 years after Frederick Douglass questioned “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” in an act of resistance to Independence Day, Black Americans are still grappling with how to This year, reconsider the meaning of freedom and racial justice through a historical lens in a participatory reading of Fredrick Douglass’ speech The Meaning of the Fourth of July for the Negro. Copies of the speech will be provided and audience members are encouraged to partake in the reading and discussion of this influential speech on July Among Frederick Douglass’ best known speeches is “The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro” — with a message that still resonates 167 years later. Douglass proved he was not the typical Independence Day Antebellum orator when he spoke before an audience in Rochester, New York, on July 5, 1852.
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