The only way Douglass can reconcile speaking at a celebration of American freedom is to speak about American slavery, so that's what he does. After all, can slaves celebrate freedom? Uh, no.
The Textĭouglass starts by pointing out to the audience that asking a former slave to speak on Independence Day, a holiday that celebrates freedom, is pretty weird.
Is it possible, today or in 1852, for Americans to celebrate the Fourth of July with clear consciences, knowing we've done everything possible to fulfill the ideals of founding documents like the Declaration of Independence?ĭouglass uses the idea of a national holiday devoted to the celebration of freedom to show that slavery is incompatible with American ideals.Ĭontrasting the facts of slavery with the ideals of freedom allows Douglass to argue more effectively against slavery in the United States than if he had simply tried to prove that slavery is inhuman.įrederick Douglass, a former slave and accomplished orator, gave this speech to the citizens of Rochester, New York, during their Independence Day celebration on July 4th, 1852. Is Douglass saying that Americans shouldn't celebrate the Fourth of July as long as slavery exists? What evidence do you have for your answer?. What does Douglass accomplish by presenting the Fourth of July from a slave's point of view?. If Douglass were giving this speech today, would the main idea still apply? Are there any groups in the United States who might feel that the Fourth of July is not for them? Why or why not?. 
How can you celebrate freedom with all this bondage around you? It's like it's not enough that you're holding people as slaves, you have to go and rub your freedom in their faces." "Really," says Douglass, "you don't have to be a rocket scientist to see how weird this is. Okay, so maybe no one actually says "Freedom Day"-but to be fair, that's how people think of it.ĭouglass feels like his audience (and the United States as a whole) has some nerve to devote a whole day to celebrating their freedom while at the same time holding slaves. Frederick Douglass sees the irony in a former slave celebrating the Fourth of July, the anniversary of the declaration of independence from Great Britain, or, as it's more informally known, "Freedom Day."
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