Space is comparatively annihilated. The purpose of the event was to celebrate America's signing of the Declaration of Independence, 76 years before. He further says, the Constitution, in its words, is plain and intelligible, and is meant for the home-bred, unsophisticated understandings of our fellow-citizens. Ex-Vice-President Dallas tells us that the constitution is an object to which no American mind can be too attentive, and no American heart too devoted. At the time Douglass spoke, Blight says, the opportunity was ripe for a lecture on the moral crisis. "Ethiopia shall stretch out her hand unto God." If so, there is a parallel to your conduct. The Compromise of 1850 had failed to resolve the controversy over the admission of new slaveholding states to the Union. Do you think that section has any lessons for us today? Shall exercise a lordly power, My original thought was a public reading prior to the holiday, which would prompt people to incorporate the speech or a discussion of its meaning in their holiday observations, whether in the back yard or the local library. That which is inhuman, cannot be divine! Harriet Beecher Stowes novel about slavery, Uncle Toms Cabin: Or Life among the Lowly had been published a few months before and unexpectedly became a national bestseller. I say it with a sad sense of the disparity between us. The charter of our liberties, which every citizen has a personal interest in understanding thoroughly. And each return for evil, good, They seized upon eternal principles, and set a glorious example in their defense. A horrible reptile is coiled up in your nations bosom; the venomous creature is nursing at the tender breast of your youthful republic; for the love of God, tear away, and fling from you the hideous monster, and let the weight of twenty millions crush and destroy it forever! They were statesmen, patriots and heroes, and for the good they did, and the principles they contended for, I will unite with you to honor their memory.. Behind the Speech: What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July? | Time I hold that every American citizen has a fight to form an opinion of the constitution, and to propagate that opinion, and to use all honorable means to make his opinion the prevailing one. The claims of human brotherhood, We convened a group of interested parties, met a few times over a couple of months, and decided to launch an event on the Common. I say it with a sad sense of the disparity between us. I am not included within the pale of glorious anniversary! In the early 1850s, tensions over slavery were high across the county. The headings in brackets have been supplied by the editor to guide your reading as have the questions after each section. In short, it gave the federal government an active role in maintaining the Souths system of slavery. It is admitted in the fact that Southern statute books are covered with enactments forbidding, under severe fines and penalties, the teaching of the slave to read or to write. Frederick Douglass, "What the Black Man Wants" In this speech, he called out the "hypocrisy of the nation" (Douglass), questioning the nation's . What is now known as the "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" So witness Heaven! had I the ability, and could reach the nation's ear, I would, to-day, pour out a fiery stream of biting ridicule, blasting reproach, withering sarcasm, and stern rebuke. With them, nothing was settled that was not right. I shall see this day and its popular characteristics from the slave's point of view. Frederick Douglass, Americas most famous anti-slavery activist and fugitive slave, saw no ground to celebrate: he saw the octopus arms of slavery stretched everywhere, exposing the hollowness of Americas freedom values. An edited version of Douglasss speech is provided below. ROY: The better we get to know the people that we live with, that we work around, that we see at the coffee shop, and the more we talk about these important racial issues with one another, the easier it will be to heal our divided communities. Fellow-citizens! That bolt drawn, that chain broken, and all is lost. Whether we turn to the declarations of the past, or to the professions of the present, the conduct of the nation seems equally hideous and revolting. . It is the birthday of your National Independence, and of your political freedom. Now, there are certain rules of interpretation, for the proper understanding of all legal instruments. What was the main point of Frederick Douglass speech? The principles contained in that instrument are saving principles. The freedom gained is yours; and you, therefore, may properly celebrate this anniversary. When the Ladies Anti-Slavery Society of Rochester, N.Y., invited Douglass to give a July 4 speech in 1852, Douglass opted to speak on July 5 instead. The far off and almost fabulous Pacific rolls in grandeur at our feet. Two years before Douglass' famed speech, the U.S. government passed the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, which required runaway slaves to be returned to their owners. Your fathers were wise men, and if they did not go mad, they became restive under this treatment. Our ability to communicate has led to much greater organizing and mobilization. All Rights Reserved. That assembly, which represented property-owning men, took place on July 30, 1619. We need individual events like reading Douglass, but we also need to be thinking about ways to extend this conversation over the long term. The event is co-convened by the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race & Justice at Harvard Law School, Community Change, Inc., the Museum of African American History (Boston and Nantucket), and MassHumanities. It is neither. 3 Lessons From Frederick Douglass About Finding the Courage to Speak Up America is false to the past, false to the present, and solemnly binds herself to be false to the future. Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. Douglass uses religious language in discussing Independence. SOURCE FORMAT: Public speech (excerpt) WORD COUNT: 1,660 words Excerpt from Frederick Douglass's "Fifth of July" Speech (1852). Frederick Douglass Speech On The Fourth Of July Revisited In - NPR It is the birthday of your National Independence, and of your political freedom. Senator Berrien tell us that the Constitution is the fundamental law, that which controls all others. What, then, remains to be argued? This, to you, is what the Passover was to the emancipated people of God. 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. The blessings in which you, this day, rejoice, are not enjoyed in common. The testimony of Senator Breese, Lewis Cass, and many others that might be named, who are everywhere esteemed as sound lawyers, so regard the constitution. One person who felt that way was Douglass, the famous abolitionist, who was himself born into slavery. It was a scathing speech in which Douglass stated, This Fourth of July is yours, not mine, You may rejoice, I must mourn., In his speech, Douglassacknowledgedthe Founding Fathers of America, the architects of the Declaration of Independence, for their commitment to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness:, Fellow Citizens, I am not wanting in respect for the fathers of this republic. Is slavery among them? In their admiration of liberty, they lost sight of all other interests. The sunlight that brought life and healing to you, has brought stripes and death to me. Hard-hit sectors are recovering rapidly - tourism and hospitality establishments are back in business. Douglass's own sons, Lewis and Charles, became two of the first to volunteer for the 54th, which ultimately comprised more than 1,000 men from 15 Northern states. He was invited to give a fourth of July speech by the Ladies Anti-Slavery Society of Rochester. It occurred to me that it would be of interest to many others if they knew about it. Writing before slaves were freed in the United States, Douglass' main objective in the Narrative is to dispel any notion that slavery is good for those enslaved. During the Civil War he worked tirelessly for the emancipation ofenslaved African Americans and duringthe decades followingthe war, he was arguably the most influential African American leader in the nation. I think he would look at the ongoing gulf between our ideals and reality and might refer back to some of his own analysis to understand the current contradictions. The papers and placards say, that I am to deliver a 4th of July oration. What is the main message of Douglass's speech? For there, they that carried us away captive, required of us a song; and they who wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. Another remarkable thing about Douglass is that he was an early champion of voting rights for women. As we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, our economy continues to recover. And instead of being the honest men I have before declared them to be, they were the veriest imposters that ever practiced on mankind. Yale historian David Blight analyzes Douglass's speech and discusses its historical context in an episode ofthe podcastBackStory with the American History Guys (scroll down to the episode "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?"). Although primarily remembered for pointing out the hypocrisy of Independence Day in a nation that condoned the enslavement of millions of people, the speech also includes an interesting passage on the impact of globalization. Many historians consider this effort to be Douglass's finest oration, and arguably one of the most powerful American political speeches ever written. GAZETTE: What is something you have discovered about Douglass while researching this speech and his work more broadly that people might be surprised to learn? The message of Frederick Douglasss 1852 speech on the contradiction of Americas just ideals and unjust realities endures. O! To what other elements in the American political tradition does he appeal? and am I, therefore, called upon to bring our humble offering to the national altar, and to confess the benefits and express devout gratitude for the blessings resulting from your independence to us? Frederick Douglass, America's most famous anti-slavery activist and fugitive slave, saw no ground to celebrate: he saw the octopus arms of slavery stretched everywhere, exposing the hollowness. Paul Marcus, then the director of Community Change, and I contacted another colleague, David Tebaldi, then executive director of the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities (now MassHumanities) about sponsoring a public reading. "The arm of the Lord is not shortened," and the doom of slavery is certain. Crowd of men and women during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, Washington, D.C., Aug.28, 1963, Get the latest information about timed passes and tips for planning your visit, Search the collection and explore our exhibitions, centers, and digital initiatives, Online resources for educators, students, and families, Engage with us and support the Museum from wherever you are, Find our upcoming and past public and educational programs, Learn more about the Museum and view recent news, National Archives and Records Administration, Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. The people who came to America were surprised by its history. Indeed, his speech, which warns that Your republican politics, not less than your republican religion, are flagrantly inconsistent, should be required reading for any such commission. Knowledge was then confined and enjoyed by the privileged few, and the multitude walked on in mental darkness. Above your national, tumultuous joy, I hear the mournful wail of millions whose chains, heavy and grievous yesterday, are, today, rendered more intolerable by the jubilee shouts that reach them. They may sometimes rise in quiet and stately majesty, and inundate the land, refreshing and fertilizing the earth with their mysterious properties. The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro - CliffsNotes Who so obdurate and dead to the claims of gratitude, that would not thankfully acknowledge such priceless benefits? What, to the American slave, is your Fourth of July? Nor in a tyrants presence cower; God speed the day when human blood You may rejoice, I must mourn.. We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. And that is one of the truly special elements, the combination of a core group of readers and the accidental attendees who happen by and hear bits and pieces of this incredible speech. Its also an election year; the 1852 presidential election was heating up that summer. speaking of it relatively and positively, negatively and affirmatively. Why does he do this? You have reached your limit of free articles. Frederick Douglass delivered 'best Fourth of July speech in American What will this years event be like? To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your denunciation of tyrants, brass fronted impudence; your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all your religious parade and solemnity, are, to Him, mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisya thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages.