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 and question and to denounce with all the emphasis I can command everything that serves to perpetuate slavery, the great sin and shame of America. To arrest it, to put an end to it, this nation keeps a squadron, at immense cost, on the coast of Africa. In the solitude of my spirit, I see clouds of dust raised on the highways of the South; I see the bleeding footsteps; I hear the doleful wail of fettered humanity, on the way to the slave markets, where the victims are to be sold like horses, sheep, and swine, knocked off to the highest bidder. 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. "The Lessons of the Hour" Speech by Frederick Douglass When a child, my soul was often pierced with a sense of its horrors. They are a trouble to me; I am weary to bear them; and when ye spread forth your hands I will hide mine eyes from you. WebFrederick Douglass speech Historical Document "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro" 1852 Resource Bank Contents Click here for the text of this historical document. It is carried on in all the large towns and cities in one-half of this confederacy; and millions are pocketed every year, by dealers in this horrid traffic. It is called (in contradistinction to the foreign slave-trade) the internal slave trade. It is, probably, called so, too, in order to divert from it the horror with which the foreign slave-trade is contemplated. that gash on her shoulder tells her to move on. There is not a man beneath the canopy of heaven, that does not know that slavery is wrong for him. That people contented themselves under the shadow of Abrahams great name, while they repudiated the deeds which made his name great. How circumspect, exact and proportionate were all their movements! As the champions of oppressors, the chosen men of American theology have appeared men, honored for their so-called piety, and their real learning. 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. From the round top of your ship of state, dark and threatening clouds may be seen. I am not included within the pale of this glorious anniversary! Albert Barnes but uttered what the common sense of every man at all observant of the actual state of the case will receive as truth, when he declared that There is no power out of the church that could sustain slavery an hour, if it were not sustained in it.. They who did so were accounted in their day, plotters of mischief, agitators and rebels, dangerous men. I lived on Philpot Street, Fells Point, Baltimore, and have watched from the wharves, the slave ships in the Basin, anchored from the shore, with their cargoes of human flesh, waiting for favorable winds to waft them down the Chesapeake. When a sufficient number have been collected here, a ship is chartered, for the purpose of conveying the forlorn crew to Mobile, or to New Orleans. But I fancy, I hear some of my audience say it is just in this circumstance that you and your brother abolitionists fail to make a favorable impression upon the public mind. Get a weekly digest of the weeks most important transcripts in your inbox. For who is there so cold that a nation sympathy cannot warm him, who so adore it and dead to the claims of gratitude that would not thankfully acknowledge such priceless benefits? Frederick Douglass thought that such rationalizations were crap, and he had the right to think so. A Nation's Story: What to the Slave is the Fourth of July? The sunlight that brought life and healing to you, has brought stripes and death to me. With them, nothing was settled that was not right. Its the news, without the news. Speech-to-Text live streaming for live captions, powered by the worlds leading speech recognition API. Frederick Douglass Frederick Douglass, Fifth of July speech (1852) Banners and pennants wave exultingly on the breeze. I say it with a sad sense of disparity between us. A John Knox would be seen at every church door, and heard from every pulpit, and Fillmore would have no more quarter than was shown by Knox, to the beautiful, but treacherous queen Mary of Scotland. With little experience and with less learning, I have been able to throw my thoughts hastily and imperfectly together; and Community Reading: Frederick Douglass's "What WebDescription. The fiat of the Almighty, Let there be Light, has not yet spent its force. You were under the British Crown. I will show you a man-drover. Transcripts & captions for a better media workflow. America is false to the past, false to the present and solemnly binds herself to be false to the future. And instead of being the honest men I have before declared them to be, they were the veriest imposters that ever practiced on mankind. Your fathers were wise men, and if they did not go mad, they became restive under this treatment. You discourse eloquently on the dignity of labor; yet, you sustain a system which, in its very essence, casts a stigma upon labor. It is, however, a notable fact that, while so much execration is poured out by Americans upon those engaged in the foreign slave-trade, the men engaged in the slave-trade between the states pass without condemnation, and their business is deemed honorable. Their solid manhood stands out the more as we contrast it with these degenerate times. Many of its most eloquent Divines. Everywhere, in this country, it is safe to speak of this foreign slave-trade, as a most inhuman traffic, opposed alike to the laws of God and of man. Transcript Descendants of Frederick Douglass read excerpts from one of his most famous speeches: What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July? 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? It has been denounced with burning words, from the high places of the nation, as an execrable traffic. Feeling themselves harshly and unjustly treated by the home government, your fathers, like men of honesty, and men of spirit, earnestly sought redress. Now, take the Constitution according to its plain reading, and I defy the presentation of a single pro-slavery clause in it. On what branch of the subject do the people of this country need light? It has made itself the bulwark of American slavery, and the shield of American slave-hunters. Add English on-screen subtitles for videos. You live and must die, and you must do your work. This 4th of July is yours, not mine. Speech The eye of the reformer is met with angry flashes, portending disastrous times; but his heart may well beat lighter at the thought that America is young, and that she is still in the impressible stage of her existence. Its deeply moving to hear Douglass defend the honor of Black soldiers in his 1863 speech, The Proclamation And a Negro Army, read by Colman Domingo, while his final speech, 1894s Lessons of the Hour, lays out the crucial steps toward achieving equality that have yet to be followed today.The actor selected to read these words is Morel is right that the 1876 speech by Frederick Douglass is remarkable and masterful. It was a startling idea, much more so, than we, at this distance of time, regard it. Youmay rejoice,Imust mourn. What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? With them, justice, liberty and humanity were final; not slavery and oppression. I say it with a sad sense of the disparity between us. The Bible addresses all such persons as scribes, Pharisees, hypocrites, who pay tithe ofmint, anise,andcumin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy and faith.. You declare, before the world, and are understood by the world to declare, that you hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal; and are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; and that, among these are, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; and yet, you hold securely, in a bondage which, according to your own Thomas Jefferson, is worse than ages of that which your fathers rose in rebellion to oppose, aseventh partof the inhabitants of your country. Cast one glance, if you please, upon that young mother, whose shoulders are bare to the scorching sun, her briny tears falling on the brow of the babe in her arms. Oration by Frederick Douglass, delivered on the occasion of the Under these, and innumerable other disadvantages, your fathers declared for liberty and independence and triumphed. And the conscience of the nation must be roused. No abuse, no outrage whether in taste, sport or avarice, can now hide itself from the all-pervading light. What was possible for him, he sincerely believed was possible for any man who was willing to work hard. His own testimony is nothing. They perambulate the country, and crowd the highways of the nation, with droves of human stock. I shall see this day and its popular characteristics from the slaves point of view. The accepted time with God and his cause is the ever-living now. He who will, intelligently, lay down his life for his country, is a man whom it is not in human nature to despise. I am not that man. Of this sort of change they are always strongly in favor. The population was weak and scattered, and the country a wilderness unsubdued. Everybody can say it; the dastard, not less than the noble brave, can flippantly discant on the tyranny of England towards the American Colonies. On the other hand it will be found to contain principles and purposes, entirely hostile to the existence of slavery. Frederick Douglass: (07:35) As noted here, that banquet was attended by prominent 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. Fellow-citizens, I shall not presume to dwell at length on the associations that cluster about this day. WebIn this speech, Frederick Douglass reflected on how the outpouring of joy at the conclusion of the Civil War turned to mourning with Lincolns assassination. He can bring no witnesses for himself. For who is there so cold, that a nations sympathy could not warm him? This Fourth [of] July isyours, notmine. These rules are well established. Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. It makes its pathway over and under the sea, as well as on the earth. 1883 Speech by Frederick Douglass - accessible-archives.com When the dogs in your street, when the fowls of the air, when the cattle on your hills, when the fish of the sea and the reptiles that crawl shall be unable to distinguish the slave from a brute, then I will argue with you that the slave is a man. If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. Your President, your Secretary of State, ourlords,nobles, and ecclesiastics, enforce, as a duty you owe to your free and glorious country, and to your God, that you do this accursed thing. I scout the idea that the question of the constitutionality or unconstitutionality of slavery is not a question for the people. What point in the anti-slavery creed would you have me argue? What? The most accurate AI-powered transcription on the market. Long established customs of hurtful character could formerly fence themselves in, and do their evil work with social impunity. Frederick Douglass delivered 'best Fourth of July speech in The coming into being of a nation, in any circumstances, is an interesting event. Frederick Douglass Read the full transcript here. From police shootings to the wage gap to crippling stereotypes (and everything in between), there are too many parallels today with what Douglass described in his speech to white America, including this relevant line. Fellow-citizens! The drove moves tardily. R. R. Raymond) on the platform, are shining examples; and let me say further, that upon these men lies the duty to inspire our ranks with high religious faith and zeal, and to cheer us on in the great mission of the slaves redemption from his chains. What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July? - Wikipedia I will use the severest language I can command. Should I seem at ease, my appearance would much misrepresent me. 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. Standing, there, identified with the American bondman, making his wrongs mine, I do not hesitate to declare, with all my soul, that the character and conduct of this nation never looked blacker to me than on this 4th of July! Of this fundamental work, this day is the anniversary. Tell me citizens, WHERE, under the sun, you can witness a spectacle more fiendish and shocking. Mr. President, Friends and Fellow Citizens: He who could address this audience nor grace my speech with any high sounding exordium. The duty to extirpate and destroy it, is admitted even by our DOCTORS OF DIVINITY. To all inspiring motives, to noble deeds which can be gained from the past, we are welcome. But, to proceed. An American judge gets ten dollars for every victim he consigns to slavery, and five, when he fails to do so. But I fancy I hear some one of my audience say, it is just in this circumstance that you and your brother abolitionists fail to make a favorable impression on the public mind. Industry-leading accurate legal transcription to ensure you dont miss a statement. I have detained my audience entirely too long already. There is not time now to argue the constitutional question at length nor have I the ability to discuss it as it ought to be discussed. Even Mammon seems to have quitted his grasp on this day. Do you mean citizens to mock me by asking me to speak today? This is a primary source reading analysis of Frederick Douglass' famous speech. Towards the end of According to this fact, you are, even now, only in the beginning of your national career, still lingering in the period of childhood. They did so in the form of a resolution; and as we seldom hit upon resolutions, drawn up in our day whose transparency is at all equal to this, it may refresh your minds and help my story if I read it. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth. be warned! What is this but the acknowledgement that the slave is a moral, intellectual and responsible being? Web" was a speech delivered by Frederick Douglass on July 5, 1852, at Corinthian Hall in Rochester, New York, at a meeting organized by the Rochester Ladies' Anti-Slavery They may also rise in wrath and fury, and bear away, on their angry waves, the accumulated wealth of years of toil and hardship. Would you have me argue that man is entitled to liberty? I, therefore, leave off where I began, with hope. 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. Nobody doubts it. In glaring violation of justice, in shameless disregard of the forms of administering law, in cunning arrangement to entrap the defenseless, and in diabolical intent, this Fugitive Slave Law stands alone in the annals of tyrannical legislation. It is a religion for oppressors, tyrants, man-stealers, andthugs. You are all on fire at the mention of liberty for France or for Ireland; but are as cold as an iceberg at the thought of liberty for the enslaved of America. With brave men there is always a remedy for oppression. It is a fact, that whatever makes for the wealth or for the reputation of Americans, and can be had cheap! Douglass views the monument and the day's ceremonies as reflecting honor upon African Need I remind you that a similar thing is being done all over this country to-day? But the church of this country is not only indifferent to the wrongs of the slave, it actually takes sides with the oppressors. Citizens, your fathers made good that resolution. 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. The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me. The propriety of the nation must be startled. The manhood of the slave is conceded. Fellow-citizens, pardon me, allow me to ask, why am I called upon to speak here to-day? They have taught that man may, properly, be a slave; that the relation of master and slave is ordained of God; that to send back an escaped bondman to his master is clearly the duty of all the followers of the Lord Jesus Christ; and this horrible blasphemy is palmed off upon the world for Christianity. Fellow citizens, 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 jubilant shouts that reach them. Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. My soul sickens at the sight. when ye make many prayers, I will not hear. I take it, therefore, that it is not presumption in a private citizen to form an opinion of that instrument. 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. The right of the hunter to his prey stands superior to the right of marriage, and toallrights in this republic, the rights of God included! Many of you understand them better than I do. No! What have I, or those I represent, to do with your national independence? How should I look today, in the presence of Americans, dividing, and subdividing a discourse, to show that men have a natural right to freedom? If any man in this assembly thinks differently from me in this matter, and feels able to disprove my statements, I will gladly confront him at any suitable time and place he may select. But a still more inhuman, disgraceful, and scandalous state of things remains to be presented. Would you argue more and denounce less? You may rejoice. With head, and heart, and hand Ill strive, 8 Times Obama Showed Trump How Presidents Are Supposed To Celebrate The Fourth Of July, Welcome To The Cookout: 10 Lit Movies To Watch During July Fourth Holiday Weekend, 'Dilbert' Comic Creator Calls Black People A 'Hate Group,' Urges Segregation So Whites Can 'Escape', Bernie Mac Show Star Camille Winbush Is Not Ashamed Of Joining OnlyFans, Kyle Rittenhouse Faces 2nd Civil Lawsuit, Continues To Beg For Money From His Supporters, Ben Stein's 'Aunt Jemima' Rant Is A Master Class On White Privilege, Why Did tWitch Kill Himself? Under Title 17 U.S.C. Their statesmanship looked beyond the passing moment, and stretched away in strength into the distant future. Seventy-six years, though a good old age for a man, is but a mere speck in the life of a nation. Am I to argue that it is wrong to make men brutes, to Rob them of their Liberty, to work them without wages, to keep them ignorant of their relations to their fellow men, to beat them with sticks, to flay their flesh with the lash, to load their limbs with ions, to hunt them with dogs, to sell them at auction, to sunder their families, to knock out their teeth, to burn their flesh, to starve them into obedience and submission to their masters? Make your content more accessible to people with disabilities. They hate all changes, but silver, gold and copper change! There is blasphemy in the thought. When Douglass delivered his famous The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro address before an audience at Corinthian Hall in Rochester, New York, on July 5, Who so obdurate and dead to the claims of gratitude, that would not thankfully acknowledge such priceless benefits? Knowledge was then confined and enjoyed by the privileged few, and the multitude walked on in mental darkness. Then, I dare to affirm, notwithstanding all I have said before, your fathers stooped, basely stooped. Our eyes are met with demonstrations of joyous enthusiasm. They form the staple of your national poetry and eloquence. What have I, or those I represent to do with your national independence. There I see the tenderest ties ruthlessly broken, to gratify the lust, caprice and rapacity of the buyers and sellers of men. May he not hope that high lessons of wisdom, of justice and of truth, will yet give direction to her destiny? WebOn 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 Ex-Senator Benton tells us that the price of men was never higher than now. That I am here to-day is, to me, a matter of astonishment as well as of gratitude. 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. His death, according to Douglass was not only tragic, but also prevented recently freed slaves and African Americans from gaining the ear of wise and well-intentioned leader. Frederick Douglass: (06:03) There is hope in the thought, and hope is much needed, under the dark clouds which lower above the horizon. Is it that slavery is not divine; that God did not establish it; that our doctors of divinity are mistaken? The signers of the Declaration of Independence were brave men. See this drove sold and separated forever; and never forget the deep, sad sobs that arose from that scattered multitude. 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. He was invited to give a fourth of July speech by the Ladies Anti-Slavery Society of Rochester. In the early 1850s, tensions over slavery were high across the county. WebBoth anniversaries remind us that the fight for independence and equality did not end in the 18th century - a theme highlighted in Douglass speech. YOUR HANDS ARE FULL OF BLOOD; cease to do evil, learn to do well; seek judgment; relieve the oppressed; judge for the fatherless; plead for the widow., The American church is guilty, when viewed in connection with what it is doing to uphold slavery; but it is superlatively guilty when viewed in connection with its ability to abolish slavery. The questions are designed to provoke thought and guide the students through the document. Standing here identified with the American bondsmen, making his wrongs mine. 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? To do so would be to make myself ridiculous and to offer an insult to your understanding. All this we affirm to be true of the popular church, and the popular worship of our land and nation a religion, a church, and a worship which, on the authority of inspired wisdom, we pronounce to be an abomination in the sight of God. Frederick Douglass, What to the Slave Is the Fourth Celebrating Frederick Douglass through Transcription The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence bequeathed by your fathers is shared by you, not by me. There are illustrations of it near and remote, ancient and modern.