| Title | : | What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July? |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1513290975 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781513290973 |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 30 |
| Publication | : | First published July 5, 1852 |
What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July? Reviews
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“That which is inhuman cannot be divine.”
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Rereading "What To the Slave Is the Fourth of July" once again and the words continue to stay in my head. And to listen to his descendants are just as powerful...
https://www.npr.org/2020/07/03/884832...
What a powerful and moving speech that is still applicable in the 21st century. Please read "What to The Slave is the Fourth of July" and understand why the words are so moving and relates to BLM and why equality for all, not just the few!
"The blessings in which you, this day, rejoice, are not enjoyed in common. — The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me. The sunlight that brought life and healing to you, has brought stripes and death to me. This Fourth [of] July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn. To drag a man in fetters into the grand illuminated temple of liberty, and call upon him to join you in joyous anthems, were inhuman mockery and sacrilegious irony. Do you mean, citizens, to mock me, by asking me to speak to-day?"
“The existence of slavery in this country brands your republicanism as a sham, your humanity as a base pretence, and your Christianity as a lie.” ~Frederick Douglass
5 noteworthy stars! -
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Such a poignant assemblage of words from a singularly exceptional man.
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Great read that aged so well. It is alarming that I relate so clearly to a speech that was delivered 170 years ago. I find myself feeling a weird mix of pride and pain on the 4th of July. Douglas clearly explains my feelings 141 years before I existed by answering the question “What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? 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.”
But HBD America…the grilling, day off from work, and fireworks are nice. -
Delivered on July 5, 1852.
"At a time like this, scorching irony, not convincing argument, is needed. O! had I the ability, and could I reach the nation’s ear, I would, to-day, pour out a fiery stream of biting ridicule, blasting reproach, withering sarcasm, and stern rebuke. For it is not light that is needed, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake. 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."
To think that Douglas was anything short of brilliant would be simply ridiculous. He displays compelling oratory and an inate ability to engage people's affections.
While Douglass's speech was especially important in its antebellum context, it remains powerful and applicable in many ways to this day. At the very least, it offers a helpful dose of perspective for an age where anything other than an explicit fawning over both the founding and current state of our nation is viewed as unpatriotic, if not treacherous. -
This speech is evidence to the power of words that Frederick Douglass possessed. He is a very motivational speaker. I find myself ashamed that my country would inflict such injustices to those of a different race. His use of scriptures and famous quotations is remarkable, for a man who didn't have many opportunities for formal education. The context in which the scriptures are used is a very forceful tool for his argument.
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Powerful, poignant, and pressing. This should be read by every American citizen, at every parade, picnic, and fireworks display on the fourth of July.
Read it here:
https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/corete...
Listen to Douglass' descendants read excerpts here:
https://www.npr.org/2020/07/03/884832... -
I thought his denunciation of so-called Christian leaders and congregants for their support of slavery was both brave and right on. And the fact that he defended authentic Christianity made his point even more powerful. As did Christ in his condemnation of scribes and pharisees, Douglass denounced the so-called Christian hypocrisy in vivid terms. It was quite a speech!
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Douglass is a master of the persuasive English language.
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One of the best uses of rhetoric, and all for such an important cause.
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Douglass defies white supremacy and calls out the hypocrisy of his audience
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Utterly heartbreaking and beautifully expressed, Douglass’ speech is a very important read that should be just as widely read as the Declaration itself. Thoroughly enjoyed studying this for my American Lit module.
- 5 stars -
Brilliant writing and rhetoric!
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Frederick Douglass's expressions are some of the most powerful, piercing words I have ever heard. He's speeches seem like they were written just yesterday for today.
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Acknowledging the absurdity of his being asked to speak in reverence of a day that symbolizes freedom and justice for only white males (who own land), Douglass condemns whites for their hypocrisy and lack of conscience and begs them to denounce their crime before they fall to their demise as Israel does before God.
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"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."
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No one could write a powerful essay like Frederick Douglass. If you haven’t read this essay, you should. He makes a very compelling argument about the hypocrisy of the 4th of July since it celebrates the nation’s freedom while its black people are enslaved and disenfranchised.
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The excerpts read aloud or reprinted in articles each year are just that - excerpts of the much longer and no less impressive speech by Douglass. One dreams about a time when this speech won't seem relevant...
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The shocking description of the slave "train" from Baltimore to New Orleans is enough to pull you up by the boot straps if the myriad of other anti-slavery arguments he reigns down will not do it.
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A very passionate and extensive harangue of the system, the lawmakers and the Church
Many thanks for volunteering to read for the free audiobook Librivox edition to progressingamerica -
I really love this speech! It's powerful and well-formed.
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I have arranged my takeaway thoughts on this stunningly poignant speech into a haiku:
"No day's so special
Blistering truths aren't so, and
Some can't—wont—pretend." -
One of the greatest American speeches of all time, especially since it holds up a mirror to the truth of the hypocrisy of the Constitution and the nation’s “original sin” of slavery.
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Brilliant and powerful
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A yearly tradition
Truer words have never been said about our national greatnesses and limitations.
A yearly tradition of mine to read on the Fourth
