On July 4th of 1852, Frederick Douglass gave a speech in Rochester on the celebration of American Independence Day. In this speech, Douglass questions the accuracy of the Declaration of Independence and the actual freedoms and liberties that all Americans should have. There is one group of people not included in the July 4th celebrations because they do not share in the rights and liberties all other Americans do: African Americans. Because of this situation, Douglass claims the 4th of July to be a mockery. He goes on to denounce slavery and all its principles, naming it the greatest sin of all time in the name of humanity, the Constitution, and the Bible. Douglass says "I will not equivocate; I will not excuse…," "...I will use the severest language I can command; and yet not one word shall escape me that any man, whose judgment is not blinded by prejudice, or who is not at heart a slaveholder, shall not confess to be right and just." For those in the black community, including Douglasss, July 4th is celebrated to hide the awful crimes that this country had committed. According to Douglass, the nationalistic feelings and exciting events are used to camouflage the crimes that America is more guilty of than any other country in the world. Even so, Douglass hopes that, eventually, the United States will outlaw slavery. He believes the democratic principles found in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution will aid in this process.
No comments:
Post a Comment