I will use the severest language I can command. 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. Frederick Douglass Tell me citizens, WHERE, under the sun, you can witness a spectacle more fiendish and shocking. The timid and the prudent (as has been intimated) of that day, were, of course, shocked and alarmed by it. Where these go, may also go the merciless slave-hunter. Friends and citizens, I need not enter further into the causes which led to this anniversary. 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. Thoughts expressed on one side of the Atlantic, are distinctly heard on the other. Though a biting Is it at the gateway? Create a better, more engaging experience for every student. Discover why Rev is the #1 speech-to-text service in the world. His agents were sent into every town and county in Maryland, announcing their arrival, through the papers, and on flaming hand-bills, headed CASH FOR NEGROES. The sin of which it is guilty is one of omission as well as of commission. Do you mean citizens to mock me by asking me to speak today? Further, if this demand were not complied with, another Scotland would be added to the history of religious liberty, and the stern old Covenanters would be thrown into the shade. Community Reading: Frederick Douglass's "What I shall not be charged with slandering Americans, if I say I think the American side of any question may be safely left in American hands. I shall see, this day, and its popular characteristics, from the slaves point of view. The manhood of the slave is conceded. Is that a question for Republicans? Speech-to-Text live streaming for live captions, powered by the worlds leading speech recognition API. Read its preamble, consider its purposes. 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? Everybody can say it; the dastard, not less than the noble brave, can flippantly discant on the tyranny of England towards the American Colonies. 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? Go where you may, search where you will, roam through all the monarchies and despotisms of the old world, travel through South America, search out every abuse, and when you have found the last, lay your facts by the side of the everyday practices of this nation, and you will say with me, that, for revolting barbarity and shameless hypocrisy, America reigns without a rival. That he is the rightful owner of his own body? Pride and patriotism, not less than gratitude, prompt you to celebrate and to hold it in perpetual remembrance. Douglass gave this speech to a group of abolitionists 168 years ago. What? But neither their familiar faces, nor the perfect gage I think I have of Corinthian Hall, seems to free me from embarrassment. Speech 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. That is a branch of knowledge in which you feel, perhaps, a much deeper interest than your speaker. Celebrating Frederick Douglass through Transcription What to the American slave is your 4th of July? Frederick Douglass: (09:38) These men were generally well dressed men, and very captivating in their manners. We are called upon to prove that we are men. 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. WebOn December 3, 1860, Frederick Douglass and a group of fellow abolitionists met at the Tremont Temple Baptist Church in Boston for a discussion centered around the following This is esteemed by some as a national trait perhaps a national weakness. Towards the end of Your lawmakers have commanded all good citizens to engage in this hellish sport. For it is not light that is needed, but fire. 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? That, which is inhuman cannot be divine. My business, if I have any here today, is with the present. One is struck with the difference between the attitude of the American church towards the anti-slavery movement, and that occupied by the churches in England towards a similar movement in that country. Racist Ex-University Of Kentucky 'Karen' Sophia Rosing Is Charged For Assaulting Black Student. They convert the very name of religion into an engine of tyranny, and barbarous cruelty, and serve to confirm more infidels, in this age, than all the infidel writings of Thomas Paine, Voltaire, and Bolingbroke, put together, have done! But, your fathers, who had not adopted the fashionable idea of this day, of the infallibility of government, and the absolute character of its acts, presumed to differ from the home government in respect to the wisdom and the justice of some of those burdens and restraints. I doubt if there be another nation on the globe, having the brass and the baseness to put such a law on the statute-book. But the church of this country is not only indifferent to the wrongs of the slave, it actually takes sides with the oppressors. What was possible for him, he sincerely believed was possible for any man who was willing to work hard. As noted here, that banquet was attended by prominent African-American professional men in celebration of the twenty-first anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation.After the toast provided by former Senator Blanche K. Bruce, Frederick Douglass delivered 'best Fourth of July speech in Who can reason on such a proposition? The population was weak and scattered, and the country a wilderness unsubdued. As the champions of oppressors, the chosen men of American theology have appeared men, honored for their so-called piety, and their real learning. But a still more inhuman, disgraceful, and scandalous state of things remains to be presented. And it would go hard with that politician who presumed to solicit the votes of the people without inscribing this motto on his banner. 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. be warned! I answer: a day that reveals to him more than all other days of the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. From the slave prison to the ship, they are usually driven in the darkness of night; for since the antislavery agitation, a certain caution is observed. Descendants of Frederick Douglass read excerpts from one of his most famous speeches: What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July? The causes which led to the separation of the colonies from the British crown have never lacked for a tongue. The anti-slavery movementtherewas not an anti-church movement, for the reason that the church took its full share in prosecuting that movement: and the anti-slavery movement in this country will cease to be an anti-church movement, when the church of this country shall assume a favorable, instead of a hostile position towards that movement. Nobody doubts it. Their opposition to the then dangerous thought was earnest and powerful; but, amid all their terror and affrighted vociferations against it, the alarming and revolutionary idea moved on, and the country with it. Extend your content reach and maximize your engagement rates. What point in the anti-slavery creed would you have me argue? The ear-piercing fife and the stirring drum unite their accents with the ascending peal of a thousand church bells. The fact is, ladies and gentlemen, the distance between this platform and the slave plantation, from which I escaped, is considerable and the difficulties to be overcome in getting from the latter to the former, are by no means slight. I say it with a sad sense of disparity between us. This home government, you know, although a considerable distance from your home, did, in the exercise of its parental prerogatives, impose upon its colonial children, such restraints, burdens and limitations, as, in its mature judgment, it deemed wise, right and proper. This is a primary source reading analysis of Frederick Douglass' famous speech. WebCelebrating 200 years of Frederick Douglass. Who so obdurate and dead to the claims of gratitude, that would not thankfully acknowledge such priceless benefits? For there, they that carried us away captive, required of us a song; and they who wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. Would you have me argue that man is entitled to Liberty, that he is the rightful owner of his body? Become a freelancer and work on your own terms. 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. Frederick Douglass thought that such rationalizations were crap, and he had the right to think so. Fellow citizens, this murderous traffic is, today, in active operation in this boasted republic. Thu 5 Jul 2018 07.00 EDT Last modified on Wed 24 Jul 2019 11.58 EDT. There are 72 crimes in the state of Virginia, which if committed by a black man, no matter how ignorant he be, subject him to the punishment of death, while only two of these same crimes will subject a white man to like punishment. That people contented themselves under the shadow of Abrahams great name, while they repudiated the deeds which made his name great. In the summer of 2020, the U.S. commemorated Independence Day amid nationwide Youmay rejoice,Imust mourn. Some of these have had wives and children, dependent on them for bread; but of this, no account was made. There is hope in the thought, and hope is much needed, under the dark clouds which lower above the horizon. Fromwhat quarter, I beg to know, has proceeded a fire so deadly upon our ranks, during the last two years, as from the Northern pulpit? that it should be so; yet so it is. Even Mammon seems to have quitted his grasp on this day. For 186 years this doctrine of national independence has shaken the globeand it remains the most powerful force anywhere in the world today. 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. Frederick Douglass They, however, gradually flow back to the same old channel, and flow on as serenely as ever. On July 5, 1852, eminent African American abolitionist Frederick Douglass delivered a brilliant speech to nearly six hundred people filling Rochester, New Yorks Corinthian Hall, as organized by the Rochester Ladies Anti-Slavery Sewing Society. WebOn January 9, 1894, at Washington, D.C.'s, Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church, Frederick Douglass delivered his "The Lessons of the Hour" speech, which addressed the At a time like this, scorching irony, not convincing argument, is needed. It was a startling idea, much more so, than we, at this distance of time, regard it. The task before me is one which requires much previous thought and study for its proper performance. here lies the merit, and the one which, of all others, seems unfashionable in our day. A RESTful API to access Revs workforce of fast, high quality transcriptionists and captioners. It is the birthday of your National Independence, and of your political freedom. WebFrederick Douglass, July 5, 1852 INTRODUCTION (Exordium) 1. But a change has now come over the affairs of mankind. Need I remind you that a similar thing is being done all over this country to-day? 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 and write. What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? Such people lived then, had lived before, and will, probably, ever have a place on this planet; and their course, in respect to any great change, (no matter how great the good to be attained, or the wrong to be redressed by it), may be calculated with as much precision as can be the course of the stars. 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. Senator Berrien tell us that the Constitution is the fundamental law, that which controls all others. Yea! who stand as the very lights of the church, have shamelessly given the sanction of religion and the Bible to the whole slave system. We are met on the threshold of our efforts for the redemption of the slave, by the church and ministry of the country, in battle arrayed against us; and we are compelled to fight or flee. Africa must rise and put on her yet unwoven garment. Frederick Douglass: (04:09) Now, there are certain rules of interpretation, for the proper understanding of all legal instruments. What would be thought of an instrument, drawn up, legally drawn up, for the purpose of entitling the city of Rochester to a track of land, in which no mention of land was made? Your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless, your shouts of Liberty and equality, hallow mocked, your prayers and hymns your sermons and Thanksgivings with all your religious parade in solemnity are to him, mere bombast, fraud, deception, a thin veil to cover up crimes, which would disgrace a nation of savages. Frederick Douglass: (06:44) You were under the British Crown. In the deep still darkness of midnight, I have been often aroused by the dead heavy footsteps, and the piteous cries of the chained gangs that passed our door. 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 The signers of the Declaration of Independence were brave men. The Celestial Empire, the mystery of ages, is being solved. Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. speech 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. Intelligence is penetrating the darkest corners of the globe. 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.. The freedom gained is yours; and you, therefore, may properly celebrate this anniversary. But now is the time, the important time. Such a declaration of agreement on my part would not be worth much to anybody. Its the news, without the news. Industry-leading accurate legal transcription to ensure you dont miss a statement. They may sometimes rise in quiet and stately majesty, and inundate the land, refreshing and fertilizing the earth with their mysterious properties. While I do not intend to argue this question on the present occasion, let 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. 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 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. will be found by Americans. My subject, then fellow-citizens, is AMERICAN SLAVERY. Speech Fellow-citizens, I shall not presume to dwell at length on the associations that cluster about this day. You will see one of these human flesh-jobbers, armed with pistol, whip and bowie-knife, driving a company of a hundred men, women, and children, from the Potomac to the slave market at New Orleans. Who can reason on such a proposition? In the language of Isaiah, the American church might be well addressed, Bring no more vain ablations; incense is an abomination unto me: the new moons and Sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity even the solemn meeting. For black men there are neither law, justice, humanity, not religion. All Rights Reserved. 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. But, such is not the state of the case. They showed forbearance; but that they knew its limits. You live and must die, and you must do your work. 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? The most accurate AI-powered transcription on the market. There are illustrations of it near and remote, ancient and modern. On the other hand it will be found to contain principles and purposes, entirely hostile to the existence of slavery. For it is not light that is needed, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. Many of you understand them better than I do. I think that, in whatever else I may be deficient, I have Their conduct was wholly unexceptionable. The blessings in which you this day rejoice are not enjoyed in common. I must mourn. He is a bird for the sportsmans gun. By an act of the American Congress, not yet two years old, slavery has been nationalized in its most horrible and revolting form. Were the nation older, the patriots heart might be sadder, and the reformers brow heavier. If so, there is a parallel to your conduct. Would to God, both for your sakes and ours, that an affirmative answer could be truthfully returned to those questions. I will show you a man-drover. Section 107, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. I take it, therefore, that it is not presumption in a private citizen to form an opinion of that instrument.