Why is this speech still relevant today? The Boston communal reading of What to the Slave is the Fourth of July? will take place on Tuesday, July 2 at noon on the Boston Common at the State House, Shaw-MA 54th Memorial. America, by its nature, is never quite fulfilling all of those promises.. When none on earth Mock said that Douglass has been a constant presence throughout her life. Well, we have all come to understand that while on its face this amendment appeared to outlaw forever slavery and involuntary servitude, its exception for those serving a punishment for crime left open the door for what Douglas Blackmon has called Slavery by Another Name and Ana DuVernays so painfully rendered film, 13th, revealed as continued oppression in the 21st century. I am not included within the pale of this glorious anniversary! Hisspeech, given at an event commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence, was held at Corinthian Hall in Rochester, New York. AN summary of Themes in Frederick Douglass's Narrative of the Lived of Frederick Douglass. I am also hosting a summer reading and discussion series called Race, Fragility, and Anti-Racism through the Somerville Museum and the City on a Hill network of local churches. Within twenty years Douglass was the one of the most famous men in the United Statesauthor of two widely read memoirs and an orator who commanded among the highest speaking fees in the nation. Space is comparatively annihilated. We feel the pain and anguish ever more severely and it is much harder to find hope for the future. It is, he declares, the birthday of your National Independence, and of your political freedom.. The people who came to America were surprised by its history. It was a turbulent time for Douglass personally, too. You may rejoice, I must mourn. The most famous speech of the orator's career, it marked a departure from his mentor, Boston abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison.In it, Douglass expressed his desire to participate in the political life of the nation, while the more radical . Two readings, 165 years apart, addressed to a nation at a precarious political moment. Now, take the constitution according to its plain reading, and I defy the presentation of a single pro-slavery clause in it. And wear the yoke of tyranny what is the main message of douglass's speech? Then, I dare to affirm, notwithstanding all I have said before, your fathers stooped, basely stooped "To palter with us in a double sense: And keep the word of promise to the ear, But break it to the heart.". The wide world oer Oh! It carries your minds back to the day, and to the act of your great deliverance; and to the signs, and to the wonders, associated with that act, and that day. ROY: The event that were doing in Somerville puts pressure on whitewashed conceptions of the Fourth of July, as many people to this day still view it as a celebration of American food, fireworks, and freedom. The slaveholders themselves acknowledge it in the enactment of laws for their government. This speech is now remembered as oneof Douglass' most poignant. Douglass's voluminous writings and speeches reveal a man who believed fiercely in the ideals on which America was founded, but understoodwith the scars to prove itthat democracy would . 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 doubt even Douglass could have anticipated the technology we have or its uses. Fredrick Douglas Flashcards | Quizlet Read each part and answer the questions at the end of that part. They were peace men; but they preferred revolution to peaceful submission to bondage. For it is not light that is needed, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder, he said. It seems that every year we have marked some anniversary with the reading, whether civil rights movement or Civil War related. Both critiques seek true fidelity to those principles we fail to keep. What is Frederick Douglass's overall claim in The Narrative of the Life They that can, may; I cannot. What is the main message of Douglass's speech? "[L]et 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.". The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro - CliffsNotes Its future might be shrouded in gloom, and the hope of its prophets go out in sorrow. Obviously, the speech has taken a much darker meaning in the Age of [President Donald] Trump. From what point of view does he look at it? In the fervent aspirations of William Lloyd Garrison, I say, and let every heart join in saying it: God speed the year of jubilee The above audio reading by actor Ossie Davis can be used alongside the full text of Frederick Douglass's speech delivered on July 5, 1852 at Corinthian Hall to the Rochester Ladies' Anti-Slavery Society in Rochester, New York. His message was well-received because they believed in what he was standing up for. Nations do not now stand in the same relation to each other that they did ages ago. Reading to explore the resonance of Douglass' famous speech The spoiler of his prey deprive As with any great oration, Douglass builds to his point, which is to distinguish between the spirit of celebration typically surrounding the holiday and the misery suffered by enslaved people on that day and every day. Shall cease to flow! He implored the Rochester, N.Y., audience to think about the ongoing oppression of Black Americans during a holiday celebrating freedom. It fetters your progress; it is the enemy of improvement, the deadly foe of education; it fosters pride; it breeds insolence; it promotes vice; it shelters crime; it is a curse to the earth that supports it; and yet, you cling to it, as if it were the sheet anchor of all your hopes. Oceans no longer divide, but link nations together. Their solid manhood stands out the more as we contrast it with these degenerate times. The far off and almost fabulous Pacific rolls in grandeur at our feet. 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. And the contradiction of Americas just ideals and unjust realities endures, too. 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. He concedes, however, that the main purpose of his speech is not to give praise and thanks to these men, for he says that the deeds of those patriots are well known. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake. Knowledge was then confined and enjoyed by the privileged few, and the multitude walked on in mental darkness. They are not part of the original. Africa must rise and put on her yet unwoven garment. 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. What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? or is it in the temple? He took action to raise the voices of others and to aid their work on the national stage, especially that of two Black women in the last half of the 19th century. I am not that man. Must we allow symbols of racism on public land? The blessings in which you, this day, rejoice, are not enjoyed in common. Frederick Douglass published three autobiographies. ROY: Douglass wrote the speech in the wake of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, which effectively extended the reach of slave power in the South throughout the rest of the country. God speed the day when human bloodShall cease to flow!In every clime be understood,The claims of human brotherhood,And each return for evil, good,Not blow for blow;That day will come all feuds to end.And change into a faithful friendEach foe. Next, Douglass presents a picture of American slavery. Friends and citizens, I need not enter further into the causes which led to this anniversary. O! Funny you should ask. Fellow citizens, pardon me, allow me to ask, why am I called upon to speak here today? They were quiet men; but they did not shrink from agitating against oppression. 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! That year will come, and freedoms reign, 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. We would be well advised to ponder Douglasss speech as we frame this conversation. Without this fight, the liberty of an American citizen would be as insecure as that of a Frenchman. For example, acknowledging all of the darker sides of our history makes it easier to understand why and how Colin Kaepernick taking a knee during the national anthem is actually an expression of the same kind of patriotism Douglass demonstrates in his critique of the United States. The fact of slavery ruins the celebrations of the Fourth of July. You may well cherish the memory of such men. speech was delivered on July 5, 1852 as an address to the Rochester Ladies' Anti-Slavery Society in Rochester, New York. On the Fourth of July, 1852, America celebrated its freedom, as it does every Independence Day. For those who feel that way, July 5 may be an easier day to celebrate: on that day in 1827, 4,000 African Americans paraded down Broadway in New York City to celebrate the end of slavery in their state. They were great in their day and generation. That which is inhuman, cannot be divine! The sunlight that brought light and healing to you, has brought stripes and death to me. Douglass continued to add to the speech in the years that followed. He also wrote a letter to Ida B. The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me. Uncle Toms Cabin had just been published that spring and was taking the country by storm. ': The History of Frederick Douglass' Searing Independence Day Oration. The arm of the Lord is not shortened, and the doom of slavery is certain. I, therefore, leave off where I began, with hope. It were considered radical, extreme, and risky. There is not a man beneath the canopy of heaven that does not know that slavery is wrong for him. In every clime be understood, Fellow-citizens, above your national, tumultuous joy, I hear the mournful wail of millions! The point from which I am compelled to view them is not, certainly, the most favorable; and yet I cannot contemplate their great deeds with less than admiration. He begins his speech by modestly apologizing for being nervous in front of the crowd and recognizes that he has come a long way since his escape from slavery. 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? 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. On the other hand it will be found to contain principles and purposes, entirely hostile to the existence of slavery. Although the . GAZETTE: What is the historical setting for this speech, and why did Douglass focus on the Fourth of July? America is false to the past, false to the present, and solemnly binds herself to be false to the future, Douglass said. Who so stolid and selfish, that would not give his voice to swell the hallelujahs of a nations jubilee, when the chains of servitude had been torn from his limbs? Walled cities and empires have become unfashionable. Read the address in full onPBS. 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 hypocrisy a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages. But it is answered in reply to all this, that precisely what I have now denounced is, in fact, guaranteed and sanctioned by the Constitution of the United States; that the right to hold and to hunt slaves is a part of that Constitution framed by the illustrious Fathers of this Republic. The time for such argument is passed. We may finally be thinking about creating a commission to study the possibility of reparationsas with all deliberate speed, the American way of tackling a problem takes so much time and patienceand for this we can be thankful. I am not included within the pale of glorious anniversary! The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me. Quick Answer: What Is The Purpose Of Frederick Douglass Speech The claims of human brotherhood, Nobody doubts it. See answers Advertisement bhawsarsakshi4 What is the main message of Douglass's speech? That annihilation of space has allowed for real time reporting of events, which in turn has led to considerable change around the world. What is the main message of Douglass's speech? He was invited to give a fourth of July speech by the Ladies Anti-Slavery Society of Rochester. But, while the river may not be turned aside, it may dry up, and leave nothing behind but the withered branch, and the unsightly rock, to howl in the abyss-sweeping wind, the sad tale of departed glory. Why Frederick Douglass Matters - History Can you tell me about the origins of the Reading Frederick Douglas Together project? Is it at the gateway? There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of the United States, at this very hour. 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. Hard-hit sectors are recovering rapidly - tourism and hospitality establishments are back in business. Frederick Douglass's 4th of July speech still burns with his spirit It is the birthday of your National Independence, and of your political freedom. "We need the. Why, then, did Douglass speak as harshly as he did? Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. Who so obdurate and dead to the claims of gratitude, that would not thankfully acknowledge such priceless benefits? He who will, intelligently, lay down his life for his country, is a man whom it is not in human nature to despise. With them, justice, liberty and humanity were "final;" not slavery and oppression. I shall not presume to dwell at length on the associations that cluster about this day. we wept when we remembered Zion. Great streams are not easily turned from channels, worn deep in the course of ages. Your republican politics are flagrantly inconsistent. 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. Frederick Douglass was a freed slave in the 1800's who was famous for his ability to read and write, uncommon of a black man at the time. This is the greatest anti-slavery speech uttered by an American Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural justice, embodied in that Declaration of Independence, extended to us? Would to God, both for your sakes and ours, that an affirmative answer could be truthfully returned to these questions! Restore. Addressing an audience of about 600 at the newly constructed Corinthian Hall, he started out by acknowledging that the signers of the Declaration of Independence were brave and great men, and that the way they wanted the Republic to look was in the right spirit. Is that a question for Republicans? Interview was lightly edited for clarity and length. You may rejoice, I must mourn. At the time of the delivery of this speech, Douglass had been living in Rochester, New York for several years editing a weekly abolitionist newspaper. Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. In the second part of the speech, Douglass turns to the present and his own feelings about the 4th of July celebration. I said then and throughout his presidency that rather than freeing us from talking about race, his election freed us to talk about it; and we entitled that first event: Reading Frederick Douglass in the Age of Obama.. The sunlight that brought life and healing to you, has brought stripes and death to me. Be warned! 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. Douglass states, "My subject, then, fellow-citizens, is AMERICAN SLAVERY. But I differ from those who charge this baseness on the framers of the Constitution of the United States. Who so obdurate and dead to the claims of gratitude, that would not thankfully acknowledge such priceless benefits? In the early 1850s, tensions over slavery were high across the county. Noting the rapid changes in transportation and communication he insists that Space is comparatively annihilated. We have to do with the past only as we can make it useful to the present and to the future. He was invited to give a fourth of July speech by the Ladies Anti-Slavery Society of Rochester. One of the parts of the speech that resonates with me the most is when Douglass says: What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? Wells, which was incorporated into the preface of her 1892 pamphlet Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases.. Douglass message about America struggling to live up to the lofty goals it set for itself at the founding continues to be relevant, says Blight. I shall see this day and its popular characteristics from the slave's point of view. In their admiration of liberty, they lost sight of all other interests. In a case like that, the dumb might eloquently speak, and the "lame man leap as an hart." On what branch of the subject do the people of this country need light? The message wasnt new Douglass promoted those ideas year-round but Blight says he knew the Fourth of July was a good hook, and expected the speech to be a hit. One of the biggest challenges we face in our present moment is building sustainable movements that fundamentally change peoples minds about race and racism. Frederick Douglass (18181895) was a former slave who became a nationally recognizedabolitionist orator during the antebellum period. whose chains, heavy and grievous yesterday, are, to-day, rendered more intolerable by the jubilee shouts that reach them. When from their galling chains set free, While drawing encouragement from the Declaration of Independence, the great principles it contains, and the genius of American Institutions, my spirit is also cheered by the obvious tendencies of the age. America is false to the past, false to the present, and solemnly binds herself to be false to the future. No! That bolt drawn, that chain broken, and all is lost. Would you have me argue that man is entitled to liberty? In doing so he sets the stage to distinguish the holiday for his audience and establishes the gulf between those in his audience and those who remain in bondage. It makes its pathway over and under the sea, as well as on the earth. Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. The political party system was beginning to tear itself asunder over the expansion of slavery, he says. Intelligence is penetrating the darkest corners of the globe. Douglass presented this speech to an antislavery societyan audience that was already on his side. How should I look to-day, in the presence of Americans, dividing, and subdividing a discourse, to show that men have a natural right to freedom? The papers and placards say, that I am to deliver a 4th of July oration. Whateer the peril or the cost, On July 4th, 1852, he gave a speech to citizens of the United States. ROY:One of the things that Douglass writings shows us is that he believed in amplifying a variety of voices. I take it, therefore, that it is not presumption in a private citizen to form an opinion of that instrument. That day will come all feuds to end. Frederick Douglass - Frederick Douglass National Historic Site (U.S The main message of Douglass's speechis that it is hypocritical to celebrate the Fourth of July as a day of freedom and independence while slaves are not independent nor do they have freedom. This year we mark both the 400th anniversary of the arrival of captive Africans to the British colonies and the 65th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education. May he not hope that high lessons of wisdom, of justice and of truth, will yet give direction to her destiny? But all to manhoods stature tower, Formerly . I can to-day take up the plaintive lament of a peeled and woe-smitten people! "Ethiopia shall stretch out her hand unto God." A Brief History of the S'more, America's Favorite Campfire Snack, The 25 Defining Works of the Black Renaissance. They succeeded; and to-day you reap the fruits of their success. 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. To do so, would be to make myself ridiculous, and to offer an insult to your understanding. The message of Frederick Douglasss 1852 speech on the contradiction of Americas just ideals and unjust realities endures. Frederick Douglass Museum in Rochester NY: Fundraising underway Why does he do this? Stand by those principles, be true to them on all occasions, in all places, against all foes, and at whatever cost. Do you think Douglass would be surprised to learn that Americans are reciting his words nearly 170 years later? Fellow Citizens, I am not wanting in respect for the fathers of this republic. It saps the foundation of religion; it makes your name a hissing, and a byword to a mocking earth. Shall exercise a lordly power, 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?, Would to God, both for your sakes and ours, that an affirmative answer could be truthfully returned to these questions! And let me warn you that it is dangerous to copy the example of a nation whose crimes, towering up to heaven, were thrown down by the breath of the Almighty, burying that nation in irrevocable ruin! He does some of his greatest writing in early 1850s during this terrible personal crisis, Blight says, and right there in the middle of it comes the greatest speech hes ever delivered, of the hundreds of speeches he delivered in his life.. What was Douglass's purpose in writing his Narrative of the Life of Had I the ability, and could I reach the nations ear, I would, today, pour out a fiery stream of biting ridicule, blasting reproach, withering sarcasm, and stern rebuke. Fellow-citizens! In an 1868 speech, he said, No man should be excluded from the government on the basis of his color, no woman on account of her sex.