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. It was fashionable, hundreds of years ago, for the children of Jacob to boast, we have Abraham to our father, when they had long lost Abrahams faith and spirit. You hurl your anathemas at the crowned headed tyrants of Russia and Austria, and pride yourselves on your Democratic institutions, while you yourselves consent to be the mere tools and body-guards of the tyrants of Virginia and Carolina. Frederick Douglass, circa 1879. The occasion was the Society's Fourth of July celebration, but Douglass refused to give the speech on July 4; he would not celebrate the holiday so long as African Americans remained enslaved. Great Britain, and many other countries of that time, had already abolished slavery from its territories. Need I remind you that a similar thing is being done all over this country to-day? You have no right to enjoy a childs share in the labor of your fathers, unless your children are to be blest by your labors. In speaking of the American church, however, let it be distinctly understood that I mean the great mass of the religious organizations of our land. In that instrument I hold there is neither warrant, license, nor sanction of the hateful thing; but, interpreted as it ought to be interpreted, the Constitution is a GLORIOUS LIBERTY DOCUMENT. I will not equivocate; I will not excuse;. Washington could not die till he had broken the chains of his slaves. 00 Comments Please sign inor registerto post comments. While I do not intend to argue this question on the present occasion, let me ask, if it be not somewhat singular that, if the Constitution were intended to be, by its framers and adopters, a slave-holding instrument, why neither slavery, slaveholding, nor slave can anywhere be found in it. This home government, you know, although a considerable distance from your home, did, in the exercise of its parental prerogatives, impose upon its colonial children, such restraints, burdens and limitations, as, in its mature judgment, it deemed wise, right and proper. [5] American studies professor Andrew S. Bibby argues that because many of the editions produced for educational use are abridged, they often misrepresent Douglass's original through omission or editorial focus. What point in the anti-slavery creed would you have me argue? your republican politics, not less than your republican religion, are flagrantly inconsistent. Initially mentored by William Lloyd Garrison, Douglass I, therefore, leave off where I began, with hope. The speech 'What to the Slaves is the Fourth of July' projected the American Day of Independence from a slave's point of view and brought to light the horrific experiences of slavery. It is neither. The United States does not have to stay the way it is. 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 denunciations 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. The far off and almost fabulous Pacific rolls in grandeur at our feet. Worksheet Excerpt Analyzing Rhetorical Devices in "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?": Follow the drove to New Orleans. What will this years event be like? in preference to the gospel, as preached by those Divines! had I the ability, and could I reach the nations ear, I would, to-day, pour out a fiery stream of biting ridicule, blasting reproach, withering sarcasm, and stern rebuke. They acknowledge it when they punish disobedience on the part of the slave. 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. What to the Slave is the Fourth of July | Historical Context The Colonial regime paved way for the transportation of slaves from different parts of the world, mostly from the African continent to work in southern states of America on cash crop plantations that generated a great source of income. The Oratory of Fr. See, too, that girl of thirteen, weeping, yes! 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. He celebrates the efforts of the founding fathers of America for fighting back against the tyranny of England.[18]. He argues that the Constitution does not permit slavery, contrary to the claims of contemporary defenders of the institution. In this respect, Douglass's views converged with that of Abraham Lincoln's[25] in that those politicians who were saying that the Constitution was a justification for their beliefs in regard to slavery were doing so dishonestly. welcome anything! Douglass then pivots to the present, stating that "We have to do with the past only as we can make it useful to the present and to the future". How digital misinformation may keep you from a good nights sleep, Study finds surgical patients with addiction issues may be at greater risk for complications, including sudden cardiac death after anesthesia, Khalil Gibran Muhammad says College Board needs to stand firm behind curriculum, Chief counsel of respected mid-70s Senate inquiry into improper federal investigations says credibility of oversight function at stake, 2023 The President and Fellows of Harvard College, Photo courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration, By Manisha Aggarwal-Schifellite Harvard Staff Writer, Frederick Douglass delivered his famous speech What to the Slave is the Fourth of July? in 1852, drawing parallels between the Revolutionary War and the fight to abolish slavery. The time for such argument is passed.At a time like this, scorching irony, not convincing argument, is needed. At some future period I will gladly avail myself of an opportunity to give this subject a full and fair discussion.Allow me to say, in conclusion, notwithstanding the dark picture I have this day presented of the state of the nation, I do not despair of this country. Douglass addressed a part of the population for which the day had huge significance the true independence, he argues, is not for the American people, but for the American slave. dismay. Your fathers esteemed the English Government as the home government; and England as the fatherland. Many of its most eloquent Divines. I say it with a sad sense of the disparity between us. No! But now is the time, the important time. Youll never experience a black hole, but Avi Loeb can help you imagine one, We need individual events like reading Douglass, but we also need to be thinking about ways to extend this conversation over the long term., Level of cannabis use could determine post-op outcomes, Historian says Fla. dispute shows why AP class in African American studies is needed, Why Church Committee alums urged new House panel to avoid partisanship, What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?, Rewriting history to include all of it this time. One of the biggest challenges we face in our present moment is building sustainable movements that fundamentally change peoples minds about race and racism. See this drove sold and separated forever; and never forget the deep, sad sobs that arose from that scattered multitude. Douglass was a former slave of the 19th century and soon became a leader during the Abolitionist Movement. The accepted time with God and his cause is the ever-living now. Assignment in book chapter School Alief Early College High School Course English language and literature (ELL2002) Uploaded by God Academic year2021/2022 Helpful? 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. Intelligence is penetrating the darkest corners of the globe. He thinks they were extremely intelligent, and the thinks it is admirable that when they realized they were oppressed by Britain, they rebelled. 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. official permission or approval. I will not. the feeling of despair in the face of obstacles. It saps the foundation of religion; it makes your name a hissing, and a by word to a mocking earth. The crack you heard, was the sound of the slave-whip; the scream you heard, was from the woman you saw with the babe. 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? They that can, may; I cannot. As the sheet anchor takes a firmer hold, when the ship is tossed by the storm, so did the cause of your fathers grow stronger, as it breasted the chilling blasts of kingly displeasure. Standing with God and the crushed and bleeding slave on this occasion, I will, in the name of humanity which is outraged, in the name of liberty which is fettered, in the name of the constitution and the Bible, which are disregarded and trampled upon, dare to call in question and to denounce, with all the emphasis I can command, everything that serves to perpetuate slaverythe great sin and shame of America! The speech has been notably performed or read by important figures, including the following: The paragraphing referenced here is taken from an edition of the speech at, African Americans In Congress: A Documentary History, by Eric Freedman and Stephen A, Jones, 2008, p. 39, "Activist Public Relations and the Paradox of the Positive: A Case Study of Frederick Douglass's Fourth of July Address", "One of American History's Worst Laws Was Passed 165 Years Ago", "The Operation of the Fugitive Slave Law in Western Pennsylvania from 1850 to 1860", The American Constitutional Experience: Selected Readings & Supreme Court Opinions, Frederick Douglass on Slavery and the Civil War: Selections from His Writings, "Frederick Douglass Statue Torn Down On Anniversary Of Famous Speech", "Frederick Douglass statue torn down in Rochester, N.Y., on anniversary of his famous Fourth of July speech", "Frederick Douglass statue torn down on anniversary of great speech", "VIDEO: Frederick Douglass' Descendants Deliver His 'Fourth Of July' Speech", A Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Frederick Douglass's Descendants Deliver His 'Fourth of July' Speech, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=What_to_the_Slave_Is_the_Fourth_of_July%3F&oldid=1137650578. They may also rise in wrath and fury, and bear away, on their angry waves, the accumulated wealth of years of toil and hardship. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth.Fellow-citizens; above your national, tumultuous joy, I hear the mournful wail of millions! Where these go, may also go the merciless slave-hunter. Three score years and ten is the allotted time for individual men; but nations number their years by thousands. As the champions of oppressors, the chosen men of American theology have appearedmen, honored for their so-called piety, and their real learning. To arrest it, to put an end to it, this nation keeps a squadron, at immense cost, on the coast of Africa. To honor Black History Month, as an introduction or review of rhetorical appeals and devices, or as a speech exemplar, this Frederick Douglass "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July" rhetoric activity is a fabulous addition to any lesson. The 'Address' may be had at this office, price ten cents, a single copy, or six dollars per hundred. Your fathers have lived, died, and have done their work, and have done much of it well. When you can point to any such laws, in reference to the beasts of the field, then I may consent to argue the manhood of the slave. He became a leader in the abolitionist movement, which sought to end the practice of slavery, before and during the Civil War. The 4th of July is the first great fact in your nations historythe very ring-bolt in the chain of your yet undeveloped destiny. Need I tell you that the Jews are not the only people who built the tombs of the prophets, and garnished the sepulchres of the righteous? The4th of July is the first great fact in your nation's history the very ringbolt in the chain of your yet undeveloped destinyPride and patriotism, not less than gratitude, prompt you to celebrate and to hold it in perpetualremembrance. Summary: "What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?" In "What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?", otherwise known as "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro," Frederick Douglassoutlines a careful argument against the institution of slavery and more specifically the Fugitive Slave Act. However, if slavery were abolished and equal rights given to all, that would no longer be the case. We are met on the threshold of our efforts for the redemption of the slave, by the church and ministry of the country, in battle arrayed against us; and we are compelled to fight or flee. There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices, more shocking and bloody, than are the people of these United States, at this very hour. The well-known speech was previously known as The Meaning of July the Fourth for the Negro. Later, the speech was re-titled based on Douglasss question, What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July?. 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