Frederick Douglass on July 4th
Updated: Aug 14, 2020
July fourth is commemorative of this nation's independence from Great Britain. It is annually celebrated as Independence Day but we all know the crafting and signing of the Declaration of Independence was not for all men. It did not grant the same liberty to the certain groups, especially enslaved African Americans, which some of the signers of the document practiced. This is the complete speech Frederick Douglass made on July 5th (because he refused to speak on July 4th) on what July fourth meant or did not mean to his people. It was an eloquent and appropriate speech and I admire Mr. Douglass for his courage to speak the truth in, at the least, a risky situation to a possibly non-receptive and maybe hostile audience. https://www.theroot.com/what-to-the-slave-is-the-fourth-of-july-1836083536
