LAD/Blog #17: Frederick Douglass' "5th of July" Speech


LAD/Blog #17: Frederick Douglass’ “5th of July” Speech

Frederick Douglass begins this speech by pointing out that the writers/signers of the Declaration of Independence were brave men. However, he says he has trouble viewing them favorably, because of who he is and the injustices that his race has had to endure. He asks why he was asked to speak, as he does not have the “principles of political freedom and of natural justice” that citizens are ensured. He says that he is not included in the celebrations of the Fourth of July, as he does not have the rights guaranteed by the Declaration of Independence. He says, “Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us,” highlighting the divide. He (and those he stands for) do not enjoy the freedoms of justice, liberty, and prosperity that the holiday represents. He asks if people are mocking him by asking him to speak. He speaks from a slave’s point of view (saying he cannot ignore them), and says that the foundations of America look the worst on the Fourth of July- all men are not truly equal. He questions what he must say or ask to cause a change, and demands that African Americans be treated like people. An incredibly empowering statement is when he says, “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 denunciation 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.” He denounces America and its “values.” He concludes by saying times have changed, and people need to respond to today’s world instead of the past.



 Image result for frederick douglass
 Frederick Douglass
Image result for martin luther king jr speech 
Martin Luther King Jr. (synthesis)
Martin Luther King Jr. is similar to Frederick Douglass as they both protested against the inequalities in the rights and freedoms in America, in regards to the treatment of African Americans. Both are widely known as influential figures in the Civil Rights Movement.

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