What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?

This piece of writing was done by Frederick Douglass, who made a speech to "fellow citizens" on the fourth of July. I was surprised by how the essay panned out. Douglass first began by praising the Declaration of Independence, hailing America as a good place. He talks about the significance of the 4th of July, and how "it is the birthday of your National Independence, and of your political freedom." The forefathers of the country fought for justice when they felt they weren't being treated right in Engalnd. They overcame oppression and pronounced those "measures of the government unjust, unreasonable, and oppressive, and altogether such as ought not to be queitly submitted to." These men were vocal and loud about policies that weren't fair to their well-being. Also, "they believed in order, but not in the order of tyranny." Douglass goes on to explain the importance of the 4th of July and what it represents to the white individual, then completely switches tones midway through the essay.

Douglass explains how the symbolism of the 4th of July does not apply to all men in the present, especially slaves. He makes some valid points on how hypocritical white men of America are when it comes to the rights of slaves. Their forefathers fought for rights to have a happy existence, but presently the people pull those rights away from slaves, just because the color of their skin is difference. The 4th of July marks a reminder of man's inability to provide equal rights for everyone, that was promised back in the Declaration of Indepence. Douglass says, "[It is] a day that reveals to [a slave], more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelly to which he is the constant victim." The concept of liberty is missing to the slaves and other declared freedoms for all are inconsistent.

Basically, the forefathers could not stand to be mistreated, yet members of the US at the present time of 1852 were completely willing to mistreat others, and fail to fufill those simple rights to mostly everyone, as was made clear in 1776.