Seventy-six years, though a good old age for a man, is but a mere speck in the life of a nation. Reading to explore the resonance of Douglass' famous speech 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. ROY: The better we get to know the people that we live with, that we work around, that we see at the coffee shop, and the more we talk about these important racial issues with one another, the easier it will be to heal our divided communities. The feeling of the nation must be quickened; the conscience of the nation must be roused; the propriety of the nation must be startled; the hypocrisy of the nation must be exposed; and its crimes against God and man must be proclaimed and denounced. I will use the severest language I can command; and yet not one word shall escape me that any man, whose judgment is not blinded by prejudice, or who is not at heart a slaveholder, shall not confess to be right and just. They, however, gradually flow back to the same old channel, and flow on as serenely as ever. It is the birthday of your National Independence, and of your political freedom. 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. That day will come all feuds to end. 'Don't get in our way,' Harris urges in speech at Howard University 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 jubilee shouts that reach them. With head, and heart, and hand Ill strive, Read by Ava Yuninger, Music by Ava Yuninger 00:00 00:00 The new rules are part of a government plan to crack . Douglass made the speech nearly a decade before the American Civil War, a conflict that ultimately led to the adoption of the 13th amendment, which ended slavery. At a time like this, scorching irony, not convincing argument, is needed. Until that year, day, hour, arrive,With head, and heart, and hand Ill strive,To break the rod, and rend the gyve,The spoiler of his prey deprive So witness Heaven!And never from my chosen post,Whateer the peril or the cost. Noting the rapid changes in transportation and communication he insists that Space is comparatively annihilated. The existence of slavery in this country brands your republicanism as a sham, your humanity as a base pretense, and your Christianity as a lie. Douglass speech also foreshadowed the bloody reckoning to come: Civil War. They that can, may; I cannot. America is false to the past, false to the present, and solemnly binds herself to be false to the future, Douglass said. Oh! 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. 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. Then would my task be light, and my burden easy and delightful. Interview was lightly edited for clarity and length. To what other elements in the American political tradition does he appeal? Its future might be shrouded in gloom, and the hope of its prophets go out in sorrow. Throughout this speech, as well as his life, Douglass advocated equal justice and rights, as well as citizenship, for blacks. 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. Across the country, people were thinking and arguing about slavery, abolitionism, and the future of the nation. For who is there so cold, that a nations sympathy could not warm him? 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. or is it in the temple? If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. Be warned! 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. To man his plundered fights again "We need the. Neither group had any idea what would be going on when they happened by and I was truly heartened that both groups seemed to be intrigued and listening closely. Why, then, did Douglass speak as harshly as he did? What characteristics does he praise about them? It seems that every year we have marked some anniversary with the reading, whether civil rights movement or Civil War related. To some, celebrations of American independence on July 4 are a reminder of the countrys hypocrisy on the matter of freedom, as slavery played a key role in the nations history; even today, Americas history of racism is still being written, while other forms of modern-day slavery persist in the U.S. and around the world. For it is not light that is needed, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder, he said. I have better employments for my time and strength. Cling to this day cling to it, and to its principles, with the grasp of a storm-tossed mariner to a spar at midnight. What is the main message of Douglass's speech? 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. An edited version of Douglasss speech is provided below. Without this fight, the liberty of an American citizen would be as insecure as that of a Frenchman. Its the birth of American Independence, the birth of a nation, and what the speech is saying is you must destroy first what you created and remake it, or it will be destroyed and you with it, says Blight. Great streams are not easily turned from channels, worn deep in the course of ages. Frederick Douglass, America's 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. 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. No nation can now shut itself up from the surrounding world, and trot round in the same old path of its fathers without interference. On top of his federal work, Douglass kept a vigorous speaking tour schedule. Write to Olivia B. Waxman at olivia.waxman@time.com. "Resolved, That these united colonies are, and of right, ought to be free and Independent States; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown; and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, dissolved. The charter of our liberties, which every citizen has a personal interest in understanding thoroughly. May he not hope that high lessons of wisdom, of justice and of truth, will yet give direction to her destiny? But I differ from those who charge this baseness on the framers of the Constitution of the United States. 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. Wells, which was incorporated into the preface of her 1892 pamphlet Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases.. Magazines, Digital My subject, then fellow citizens, says Douglass, is American slavery. He brings that subject to life in vivid and sometimes horrifying terms, Standing, as he says, with God and the crushed and bleeding slave on this occasion. The effect is undeniable and its implications inescapable: the contradiction between the celebration and the bondage it masks demands action. What was the main point of Frederick Douglass speech? In every clime be understood, 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? Douglass' speech also foreshadowed the bloody reckoning to come: Civil War. 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. Must I argue the wrongfulness of slavery? Douglass uses religious language in discussing Independence. Senator Berrien tell us that the Constitution is the fundamental law, that which controls all others. For it is not light that is needed, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. (modern), Frederick Douglas addressing an English audience during his visit to London in 1846., Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America. In the second part of the speech, Douglass turns to the present and his own feelings about the 4th of July celebration. Why Frederick Douglass' famous 1852 anti-slavery speech is still read and still resonates in 2017. 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. Yale historian David Blight analyzes Douglass's speech and discusses its historical context in an episode ofthe podcastBackStory with the American History Guys (scroll down to the episode "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?"). One person who felt that way was Douglass, the famous abolitionist, who was himself born into slavery. It was a turbulent time for Douglass personally, too. By equal birth! Identify these elements. Behind the Speech: What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July? | Time Rhetorical Analysis Of Frederick Douglass Speech 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? You may well cherish the memory of such men. That point is conceded already. Frederick Douglass, "What the Black Man Wants" And never from my chosen post, That holiday, he delivered the greatest anti-slavery speech in American history. Its also an election year; the 1852 presidential election was heating up that summer. What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? Nor in a tyrants presence cower; But a change has now come over the affairs of mankind. Walled cities and empires have become unfashionable. 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. God speed the day when human blood Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. Fellow Citizens, I am not wanting in respect for the fathers of this republic. It is actually quite longwe use an abridged version for our readingsbut despite its length it is at once riveting and concise. Read the address in full onPBS. Uncle Toms Cabin had just been published that spring and was taking the country by storm. With them, nothing was settled that was not right. Wind, steam, and lightning are its chartered agents. For decades, slaves fled the South . How does he show that everyone in America, North and South, views enslaved Africans as human beings. What an understanding of the future this shows, although we know it is not all for the better. The feeling of the nation must be quickened; the conscience of the nation must be roused; the propriety of the nation must be startled; the hypocrisy of the nation must be exposed; and its crimes against God and man must be proclaimed and denounced. Given all that he has said in his speech, why does Douglass conclude on an optimistic note for black Americans. They succeeded; and to-day you reap the fruits of their success. There is blasphemy in the thought. I, therefore, leave off where I began, with hope. Next, Douglass presents a picture of American slavery. That annihilation of space has allowed for real time reporting of events, which in turn has led to considerable change around the world. EDSITEment is a project of theNational Endowment for the Humanities, Uncle Toms Cabin: Or Life among the Lowly, From Courage to Freedom: Frederick Douglass's 1845 Autobiography. ROY:One of the things that Douglass writings shows us is that he believed in amplifying a variety of voices. 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 . Who can reason on such a proposition? With them, justice, liberty and humanity were final; not slavery and oppression. But for me, the hope is in the very fact of gathering, of reading the speech in community, renewing the bonds with others who share a determination to change, and committing to act accordingly. Be driven. The Compromise of 1850 had failed to resolve the controversy over the admission of new slaveholding states to the Union. God speed the hour, the glorious hour, From poetry, novels, and memoirs to journalism, crime writing, and science fiction, the more than 300 volumes published by Library of America are widely . But such is not the state of the case. 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. Hard-hit sectors are recovering rapidly - tourism and hospitality establishments are back in business. What point in the anti-slavery creed would you have me argue? Douglass states, "My subject, then, fellow-citizens, is AMERICAN SLAVERY. Do you mean, citizens, to mock me, by asking me to speak today? Mark them! The sunlight that brought light and healing to you, has brought stripes and death to me. ", Citizens, your fathers made good that resolution. 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. Frederick Douglass Museum in Rochester NY: Fundraising underway That which is inhuman, cannot be divine! 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. This Fourth of July is yours, not mine. Why does he do this? Then would my task be light, and my burden easy and delightful. There should be no shoulder that does not bear the burden of the government. He had a prophetic vision for the future that he was always trying to work toward. As we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, our economy continues to recover. 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. [Throughout the speech] Douglass looks at the contradictions between the reality of slavery and the lofty claims of a just society outlined in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. 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. The wide world oer Douglass's speech emphasized that American slavery and American freedom is a shared history and that the actions of ordinary men and women, demanding freedom, transformed our nation. But, I submit, where all is plain there is nothing to be argued. The claims of human brotherhood, I recall seeing a group of young blonde-haired children standing at the wall overlooking the reading as a group of late adolescents and young men sat on the adjacent steps on a lunch break from their work with YouthBuild. God speed the hour, the glorious hour,When none on earthShall exercise a lordly power,Nor in a tyrants presence cower;But all to manhoods stature tower,By equal birth!That hour will come, to each, to all,And from his prison-house, the thrallGo forth. 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. 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. What is surprising about this appeal? And it also imposed severe penalties on anyone who helped enslaved people to escape. GAZETTE: What is the historical setting for this speech, and why did Douglass focus on the Fourth of July? 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! What is now known as the "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" What is the significance of the image of the reptile in the bosom on the nation at the end of this section? How can we sing the Lord's song in a strange land? Do you mean, citizens, to mock me, by asking me to speak to-day? Why does he call his own time degenerate? The signers of the Declaration of Independence were brave men. There are forces in operation, which must inevitably work The downfall of slavery. -douglas was trying to to reach to people who didn't agree with slavery, but never did anything to fight against it How does the struggle for freedom change with history? She can speak not only to Douglass' historical importance but to the urgency and relevancy of his message in today's . Thoughts expressed on one side of the Atlantic are, distinctly heard on the other.. In February, Mock announced that the FDFI would undertake the effort to launch the Frederick Douglass Museum Center in a building they are purchasing at 140 East Main St. in Rochester. In the early 1850s, tensions over slavery were high across the county. Obviously, the speech has taken a much darker meaning in the Age of [President Donald] Trump. Harvard Law School provides unparalleled opportunities to study law with extraordinary colleagues in a rigorous, vibrant, and collaborative environment. 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? speech was delivered on July 5, 1852 as an address to the Rochester Ladies' Anti-Slavery Society in Rochester, New York. Overseers announce new president, vice chair. 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 slavery the great sin and shame of America! Go forth. Frederick Douglass - Narrative, Quotes & Facts | HISTORY The subject has been handled with masterly power by Lysander Spooner, Esq., by William Goodell, by Samuel E. Sewall, Esq., and last, though not least, by Gerritt Smith, Esq. GAZETTE: This is your second year as host of Reading Frederick Douglass Together in Somerville. Politics latest updates: NHS 'on the brink' says nursing union; 10% I say it with a sad sense of the disparity between us. What point in the anti-slavery creed would you have me argue? I trust the people of America," Harris said to the crowd. What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? The slaveholders themselves acknowledge it in the enactment of laws for their government. The Nativist party is rising. Be warned! I have better employment for my time and strength than such arguments would imply. Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. Last year, Singapore's GDP grew 3.6%. "I will not equivocate; I will not excuse"; I will use the severest language I can command; and yet not one word shall escape me that any man, whose judgment is not blinded by prejudice, or who is not at heart a slaveholder, shall not confess to be right and just. I will not. Douglass stated that the nation's founders were great men for their ideals of freedom. We feel the pain and anguish ever more severely and it is much harder to find hope for the future. Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. Its an extraordinary political moment.. Douglass presented this speech to an antislavery societyan audience that was already on his side. Why does Douglass appeal to the Constitution in the last section of the speech? 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. SOURCE FORMAT: Public speech (excerpt) WORD COUNT: 1,660 words Excerpt from Frederick Douglass's "Fifth of July" Speech (1852). What is the main message of Douglass's speech? You could instruct me in regard to them. For more information on other communal readings scheduled throughout the state, visit MassHumanities.org. In the late 1840s and into the 1850s, his finances were tight, and he was struggling to sustain the newspaper he founded, The North Star. Shall exercise a lordly power, The fact of slavery ruins the celebrations of the Fourth of July. 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. 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. We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. Douglasss searing ability to cut through the rhetoric of freedom and democracy lives on in works like these that reveal the enduring cruelty of the exemption as it continues to haunt our flawed legal and punishment systems. 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. Long established customs of hurtful character could formerly fence themselves in, and do their evil work with social impunity. 838 Words. I have detained my audience entirely too long already. The time for such argument is passed. We unveiled the first 10 members of the FD200 today, on the 166th anniversary of Douglasss speech. I, therefore, leave off where I began, with hope. They loved their country better than their own private interests; and, though this is not the highest form of human excellence, all will concede that it is a rare virtue, and that when it is exhibited, it ought to command respect. Indeed, in one of the most timeless passages in the speech, Douglass insists that the character and conduct of this nation never looked blacker to me than on this 4th of July, adding as if speaking today, 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. They showed forbearance; but that they knew its limits. This is a particularly difficult time for any such return, given the lack of civility and acceptance of intolerance that characterize our public discourse starting with the president. Whom was he trying to reach? Is it to be settled by the rules of logic and argumentation, as a matter beset with great difficulty, involving a doubtful application of the principle of justice, hard to be understood? This project began in the library of an organization called Community Change, which was founded by Horace Seldon in 1968 to address the white problem at the root of American inequality revealed by the Kerner Report. That assembly, which represented property-owning men, took place on July 30, 1619. 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. Convicted terrorists will be banned from taking a leading role in religious services and face more rigorous checks for extremist literature. Do you think Douglass would be surprised to learn that Americans are reciting his words nearly 170 years later? I am not included within the pale of glorious anniversary! Crowd of men and women during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, Washington, D.C., Aug.28, 1963, Get the latest information about timed passes and tips for planning your visit, Search the collection and explore our exhibitions, centers, and digital initiatives, Online resources for educators, students, and families, Engage with us and support the Museum from wherever you are, Find our upcoming and past public and educational programs, Learn more about the Museum and view recent news, National Archives and Records Administration, Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. They were peace men; but they preferred revolution to peaceful submission to bondage. Fellow Citizens, I am not wanting in respect for the fathers of this republic. When from their galling chains set free, It destroys your moral power abroad; it corrupts your politicians at home. Why Frederick Douglass Wanted Black Men to Fight in the Civil War - History All Rights Reserved. If so, there is a parallel to your conduct. The blessings in which you, this day, rejoice, are not enjoyed in common. I will not.
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