A Nation’s Story: “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”
On July 5, 1852, Frederick Douglass gave a keynote address at an Independence Day celebration and asked, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” Douglass was a powerful orator, often traveling six months out of the year to give lectures on abolition. His speech, given at an event commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence, was held at Corinthian Hall in Rochester, New York. It was a scathing speech in which Douglass stated, “This Fourth of July is yours, not mine, You may rejoice, I must mourn.”
Smithsonian: National Museum of African American History & Culture
Read the full article here Smithsonian
Author Profile
Latest entries
- Selected Media05/13/2024Michigan woman found living inside rooftop store sign with desk and coffee maker
- Human Rights05/11/2024The Kids Are Not All Right. They Want to Be Heard
- Selected Media05/09/2024HOW MUCH MONEY DID THE NYPD WASTE QUASHING STUDENT PROTESTS? WE TALLIED IT UP.
- Selected Media05/07/2024Time to Dry-Clean the Robes of U.S. Supreme Court Justices