On July 5, 1852, in Rochester, New York, Frederick Douglass delivered his searing speech “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” His eloquent words exposed the hypocrisy of a nation that celebrated liberty while millions remained enslaved. Invited to commemorate America’s independence, Douglass instead challenged his audience to confront the deep contradictions of a country that proclaimed freedom but denied it to Black Americans. He praised the Founding Fathers for their revolutionary courage but made clear that their ideals had not been extended to enslaved people. “This Fourth of July is yours, not mine,” he declared, calling the celebration a sham in the face of human bondage. With passionate rhetoric and moral clarity, Douglass condemned the injustice of slavery and urged his fellow citizens to live up to the true meaning of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. His speech remains a powerful critique of American democracy and its unfulfilled promise.
The Joy Trip Project celebrates American History.
The Unhidden Minute is part of the Unhidden Podcast Project supported through a National Geographic Explorer Grant from the National Geographic Society, with the cooperation of the National Park Service. This series aims to elevate the untold stories of Black Americans who are too often left out of the stories share about our common national heritage.
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